Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-19
SMITH ARRESTED, CONFESSES
Discharged Teamster Owns Up to Set.
ting Sunderland Fire.
MOTIVE WAS TO BE REvENGED
smith was Preparing to Board n
Freight Train for Grand
Island when the Detec-
lives Got Him.

After being Quizzsd oJ Chief ponahus'
James Smith made a complete confession,
saying that he set fire 20 the barn about
10 O'Clock last night because he had been
discharged BY Sunderland Bros.
After he was discharged Smith had q
dispute with his employers over $3.50
which he claimed the held out from his
pay. At the time he made threats that
he would get even.
Smith said that last night he wsrt 10
the barn about 10 O'Clock and started the
fire in the bslsd hay. He then took . car
for uptown ana went to the Ivey lodging
house, 1t Fourteenth and Douglas streets,
whser he pent the night.
In spite of the fact that twenty horses
were burned in the fire Smith shows no
feeling At all In telling his story.
A complaint charging arson will be fnsd
against him 1t once.
On suspicion that James Smith, a dis
charged teamster. set fire to the sunder-
land coal yards at Twenty-fourth and Boyd
streets Wednesday night, the police ar
rested the man at noon Thursday.
'Circumstantial evidence and Smiths
threats and statements to his friends gave
US a strong case against him" said Chief
of Detectives Savage after Smith was ar
rested by Detectives Mcdonald and Walker
just as he was preparing to board a Union
Pacific train for Grand Island.
Made sure of His Work.
II set fire TO some baled hay in the
Sunderland barn about 10 o'clock Wednes-
day night" admitted Smith when, after
telling half a dozen different stories to
Chief Donahue and Chief Of Detectives
Savage, he was finally told that his stories
were not believed and that he had better
tell the truth.
After staying around the building for a
while to make sure that the fire would get
started, 1 went to the Ivy lodging house,
Fourteenth and Douglas streets, where l
usually stay, and was in bed by II o'clock.
Yes, ! knew all about the value of the
building and yards and what was in them
I had used two OF the horses myself to
work with only last week. and knew that
II I burned them up and also the building
and coal, the Sunderlands would get theirs.
They discharged me last Saturday and
held out $50 of my pay because they said
I had taken six hours to deliver a load of
coal. I swore then that / would teach
them a lesson"
Smith is known by several aliases, &C
cording to the police, who say that in
spite OF his comparatively short stature
and light weight, he looks like a dangerous
and criminatiy inclined person. He Is only
five feet two inches tall and weighs 100
pounds.
According to his own statement. the man
is Of English nativity and has been in
America light years. He came to Omaha
last spring and worked as a teamster for
Foley Bros, contra ctors, before he was
employed by Sunderland Bros. lie was
discharged by the latter firm last Satur-
day.
Before coming to Omaha Smith was a
sailor on the great lakes and worked out
In Chicago. He is 50 years of age and un-
married. No relatives Of his live in this
country, he says.
Loss at Least $4,000.
Aside from the loss on the stock Of coal
on hand at the Sunderland north yard
member OF the firm say that their loss
will be at least $4,000, as they had seven
teen horses. each worth $3.50. burned up in
the fire, and the building, which was totally
destroyed, was worth $4,000. The coal on
hand in the storage sheds will not be a
total loss, they say, as the efforts of the
firemen have saved some of it from being
consumed.
Thursday afternoon no member of the
firm was able to give out definite figures
on either the loss or the insurance, as
they had been unable to look up the pol
icies and stock accounts during the day
They say that at least part of the damage
will be covered by the insurance, but can
not say just how much.
Fire company No. II OF the fire depart
ment was detailed on special duty most OF
Thursday to watch the fire and prevent It
from spreading or getting beyond control
Chief Salter of the department remained
at the fire until after 4 O'Clock and Their
left Assistant Chief Dineen in charge. Later
In the morning, when II was considered safe
to leave II with only one company, a cap
tain remained with sufficient men tc
handle 1t.
G.Sou. u-..