The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-03-23
FIRE MADNESS
A SYMPTOM
Rather Than a Distinct Form
Of Insanity.
MALICE and REVENGE
At One Time was the Cause
of Many Fires.
Such Cases are Not 90 Common Now
Because the Fire xarshals Have
Performed a Consistent Work

Suilty In trials for incendiarism has
regularly diminished during the
years since the office of fire mar
shal was established. In 1901, the
first calendar year of the office,
juries found eight out of seventeen
persons not guilty. In 1906, there
were but two acquittals in eighteen
cases tried to juries.
Owing, doubtless. to the fact that
the FIRE marshal and his 25 assist
ants are supported by tax upon in
surance companies which are capital
istic organizations, there has been
a prejudice against the fire marshal's 8
department in the minds of the men
from among whom jurors are drawn.
IL is hardly surprising that the av-
erage citizen should surmise that the
fire marshal being supported by the
insurer would work for his interest
as against that of the insured. or
this suspicion the attorneys of the
criminal are quick to take advantage,
charging that the assistant fire mar
shals who have gathered the evil
dence are paid detectives Of the in
surance companies, whose business
is to aid a plutocratic foreign cor
poration in effort to avoid paying the
just claim Of a neighbor.
Through the philanthropy of the
newspapers and magazines of the
state which have given an enormous
amount of valuable space to bulle-
tins OF the department, the public
has been shown thst insurance COM
panies simply assess the danger from
IRE In each building, collect the
amount Of the assessment and use
the money so collected from several
hundred buildings to make good the
loss on one that is burned; that
when one defrauds an insurance
company the community pays the
amount; that the fear of prosecu-
tion and conviction is the only pro-
lection one can have against being
burned out by an enemy and that
every person in the state pays in
some way his share of each fire loss,
be the cause incendiarism, ignorance
Or carelessness.
The fire marshal department will
continue to be embarrassed to some
extent by prejudice until it's ex-
penses are paid from the general
revenue fund. as are other state de-
partments. All.
THE PYRoMANIAc. -
PyrOmania fire madness) is a
symptom rather than a distinct form
OF insanity, but In many cases in
which 1t occurs 1t is the first evil
dence Of mental arrangement. It is
difficult to convict such person
because no motive for the act of
burning can be shown and he may
exhibit no other symptoms which
suggest a malady Of the mind. Lat
err other marked symptoms of mania
develop, making the disease unmis-
taxable, but in the interval he may
set q number of fires. However. he
oftener than any other incendiary
IL seen while committing the act.
for he has. at the time no fear OF
punishment.
AN IMPERATIVE IMPULSE.
The promaniac Is seized by an i'm
perative desire to burn. While un-
der this irresistible impulse he has
no appreciation Of the fact that his
act will injure Others or may result
In punishment to himself.
This propensity of the insane Is
most likely to develop In the incur
able classes of the insane, and in
the imbecile, and sometimes Is seen
In those suffering from epilepsy
and paresis. There never comes a
time when II is safe to society for
one who has once had an irresist.
itle impulse to incendiarism to be at
large.
The increase in the number of
this class Of burners in proportion
TO population and will be greater each
year, because the increase of the in
sane population is proportionately
greater than that of the sane.
MALICE AND REVENGE.
IN Inc group OI tnOSe VINO are In
,endieries on account of malice or
revenge Is placed those who burn
,ecause Of envy or jealousy. The
sumber OF these cases has been
as the public have be-
pme impressed by the fact that sus-
'icious fres are Investigated by |
rained assistant fire marshals who
'ursue incendisries relentlessly The
eterrent effect from the existence of |
he state policemen is not SO |
aarked In this class as II is in the
lass who burn to defraud because
y burner for gain dispassionately
'eikhs possibilities.
ID. 8. CREAiAfER.
w a l.N-I . State Fire MarRhal