The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-04-09
FIREBUG HAD A
VISION; CONFEssES
PLOT OF TWO BOYS TO BURN CITY
OF vERMILLIoN.
Remarkable Story of Arson Carried on
for Weeks-University Dor1n1tofy
Burned and the City Hall Marked Tor
Destruction by the Use of an Infer
nal Machine.
Special to The Journal.

4 special TO Inc journal.
Vermillion, S. D., April 9.-On June
il. Of last year, a little house belonging
to Jason D. Payne, on East Main street,
was burned. That was on Sunday morn
mo The next Friday morning the
Blacksmith shop belonging to A.. j..
Charrlin went up in smoke. And on
the morning of the Fourth of July the
bows dormitory on the university cam
pus was wiped out by fire.
AT the time of these fires 1t was
thought and believed by all to have
the c%ulprits could have been, and What
their object was, baffled the minds Of
all. After the burning of West hall,
extra police were put on duty and close
watch was kept. No new fires started,
but the additional police were unable TO
discover any evidence that would in
eliminate anyone in the setting OF the
fires which had already occurred:
Ever since the burning Of those build
ings the matter had remained a mystic
". up to last week, when Elmer s. Jor-
dan made a full and complete confess
sion, stating that . he and Richard
B~rueschweiler were the authors Of the
plan and carried into effect the destruc-
tfon of the buildings mentioned. This
came like a thunderbolt out OF a clear
sky, and created a sensation the like OF
y (WHICH H0rIlllll1Ou las SC1uOuL ~ AOvOi
before experienced. "
Jordan's Queer Story.
The confession of Elmer Jordan was
partially the direct outcome of the re-
Vfval meetings which were in progress
at the Methodist church last month. He
had attended the meetings regularly,
but gave no evidence that they were
having any effect upon him until the
last week of the series.
He says that he went home one ven
Ing, and went to bed, and after falling
asleep had a dream. He seemed to be
walking across the university campus
one dark night, and was in the vicinity
of West hall, when suddenly the heav-
ems opened and what appeared to him to
be a huge ball of fire descended from
above, revealing to him a vast multi.
tude of people. They all. seemed to
beckon to him to come and join them,
but he ~steadfastly refused and kept
away from them. Slowly the light be-
gan to fade, and the people he had seen
assembled in transcendent glory into
heaven and left him behind.
The vision had such an effect upon
him that at the meeting the following
evening he announced his conversion and
his determination to lead a Christian
life. When urged to join the church
with the probation class he held back
saying he had a confession to make be.
fore he took that step, and that the con.
fession would be made in a few days.
In the presence of Mayor Ferry
States Attorney Healy, Marshal Frank
Beckett. Chief. of Police Sullivan an6
Sheriff John Gunderson, Jordan made 6
full confession of the part that he an6
B~rueschweiler had taken in the burn
ing Of the buildings. The statement
was taken down and transcribed by Mr.
Dnggan, and vas signed and sworn tt
by Jordan.
His Confession.
Jordan said that he and Bruesch
weller got their heads together and de
cided that for the good of the cit,
some Of it's old buildings should b
wiped off the map. The first structur
to come under the ban was the Payn
house. This they touched off by ie
hitting a mattress. that had been lef
there when the last family that occu
pied it had moved away. The mex
building marked for destruction wa
Charrlin's blacksmith shop. They er
tered the place by a window and fire
some combustible material that ha
gathered there, and then they mad