The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-04-06
TO BURN THEATER
AND COURT HOUSE
This Was Part of Plans of the
College Boys Who Con-
Tess to Arson.
WAS a DELIBERATE CRIME
Elmer Jordan, Who After Being Con-
verted in Revival Meetings, Con-
fesses, and Richard Breusch-
weller Are Held

Nermillion, S. d, April 2-The
sensation created i'll university circles
by the startling confession of Elmer
Jordan, Il student, that he and a fellow
student, Richard Brueschweiler, We're
the incenliaries whose operations puz-
led the whole town as We'll as detectives
Imported 10 solve the mystery, is still
at high pitch here.
Jordan and Brueschweiler this. after
noon waived examination and were
bound over to the circuit court in bonds
of So 600 each. 1naSmuch as court con-
Nenes next week it is thought the young
men will not try TO get bail They are
accused in three counts of arson.
The minimum penalty for arson in
this state is from four to seven years
in the penitentiary.
The confession of Jordan is the di-
rect result of the Methodist revival
meetings here. in which more than
score of the state university men We're
converted. He also claims to have had
a dream which strongly affected him.
First Told Their Pastor.
1t is learned that the boys first re-
lated the story of their crimes to their
pastor and it is thought his advice had
iissions.
loth of the young men have been
.9t locked in jail. and no one has
nenn permitted to see them. states
Attorney Healy and Chief of Police
sullivan have been very sccretive re-
garGiing the details of the confession,
but your correspondent has secured
from an authoritative source the story
of the operations of the youthful fire
bugs and their original plans, which
included the destruction of the court
house and opera house. which they had
condemned along With other structures
In town as "unsightly." The confess
sion in the main is follows:
Planned to Burn.
Early last summer Jordan and
Brueschweler got their heads together
and decided ii would be q good thing
to rid the state university city of some
of the structures which We're none too
inviting i'll appearance. The first VIC
tim of the tirebugs was A. j. Charrlin's
blacksmith shop on cast Main street.
After entering by a window and firing
the structure they retreated across the
street to the Methodist church, enter
ing it With the aid of q key which the
latter had in his possession. Ten min
utes later when the fire was discovered
the building was in flames and even
before the tiremen arrived was almost
a total loss. The loss ON tools, machin-
cry and the like was about $500 and
the building was valued al $1,000, MAX
ing a total loss of $4,000 to Mr. Charr-
lin. with no insurance.
In the same manner West hall the
young mems dornitory. was RACED by
fire on the morning of July A. The
match, it is asserted. was applied by
Brueschweiler, as it was his turn at
the business. The night of July 8 was
the only one on which there had been
no occupant in West hall since the
closing of the university for the sum-
mer vacation. Professor f. c. Perisho
had been rooning there but the day
before the Fourth was called away to
deliver AN Grafton. This was the OPP
Dortunity that Jordan and Bruesch-
weller had been waiting tor Early on
the morning of July they entered the
dormitory from the basement. and hay-
Ing gotten everything in readiness, APP
piled the match and hurried away.
No Chance to Save 1t.
The. did good job, for the flames
spread SO rapidly that West hall was
In ruins before many residents who
were awakened by the alarm could ar
rive on the scene. And thus vanished
the old brick structure which for 50
many years had been dubbed by the
students as the "old soap factory"
Besides the loss on the building.
which was valued at $2O,OO0 with S14,-
600 insurance, many students who We're
to return to the university in the fall,
and had left their bedding. books, etc.
lost everything. Baseball and football
uniforms and other paraphernalia went
up in smoke. Professor Perisho lost
his fine library, which he had moved
to West hall for the summer. The other
building which was touched off was an
old tumbledown cottage in East Ver-
million.
These are the three buildings which
Jordan and Brueschweiler confess to
firing. A barn owned by S. E. Brook
man burned little later. and, though
undoubtedly the work of an incendiary,
the young men now in Jail deny any
connection with that blaze.
The city authorities employed de-
tective, but his efforts to run down the
criminals We're futile. During his stay
not another solitary fire was kindled,
and he went away feeling that he was
up against it.
Had Others on Condemned List.
The burning of West hall, Charrlin's
shop and the old cottage were only a
few of the structures that We're to be
sent up by the fire route. The old court
house. against which so much COM
plant has in times past been directed.
was on the list, as was also the store
building on Market street. occupied i'm
the early days by Nick Hansen now
or SIOUX Clly. In Que time these We're
to go.
The hardest proposition which con-
fronted the young men was how to get
rid of the opera house. which to say the
least is not a very beautiful structure.
This is located i'm the business portion
of the city, and it was pretty risky
business AS the night policeman made
regular trips near the play house. BY
using the's' wits. Jo.'!an and Bruesch-
weller contriveu II machine which
would go off at given time with the
mid of electricity. That is. they thought
it Would. In some manner entrance
to the opera house was gained and the
machine was placed directly under
meath the stage. But it failed to do