The Detroit times., 1910-11-08
PRETTY GIRL OF Il
ADMITS She's
AN ARSONIST
Minnie Herman Twice Fires Resi-
dence Where She Works as
Domestic and Police Are Mys-
tilted as to the Reason.
II Can't Explain; I'm Sick and
Tired of Everything and Want
to Die" She Says.

Minnie Herman. fair-haired and blue.
eyed, is a self-confessed arsonist.
Moreover. she is youthful enigma.
All Tuesday morning. she sat in the
matron's room in police headquarters
and insisted that she wanted to die
The girl is IL years old and from what
little the police have been able tn
gather from her. her brief career has
been one filed with storm and stress.
Twice within four days Minnie, gen
tie OF mien and soft OF voice set fire
TO the home OF her employer, w. j.
White, No. 2912 East Grand Boule-
ward. She admitted this after doing
verbal battle for eight hours with the
men who arrested her, Precinct Detec-
tives Fred Dibble and Jack" Shep-
herd.
But her motive-therein lies the
mystery. She has no further use for
life that is all she will say.
II would like TO die now, right now, -
she sobbed, while she talked to "A
Times reporter IL would like to have
burned up with the house
81 don't know why | set fire TO my
mistress home. she was so good to
me. | must have been just a little
out OF my mind
Has No Love Affairs.
Just why Minnie Herman takes so
gloomy view OF life mystifies the
officers She says she has had no love
affairs. She does not get along with
her mother. Mrs. Emeia Herman, No.
! 524 Illinois-st, who, Minnie says, has
| IL MI IL
vorced That is the only reason that
can be ascribed for her extreme mel
ancholy.
She left the parental roof some time
| ago and engaged in housework. Later
she became a telephone operator and
! then about a month ago, she engaged
as maid at the residence of Mrs.
| White.
Minnie's mania for fire first asserted
itself last Friday night. Mrs. White
left her In the house to care for an
eight-months-old baby. and another
girl about eight years old. Shortly
| after Mrs. White left her home Min
ME called the police and when officers
arrived. announced there were bur-
glars in the house. No trace OF bur-
glars was found.
| Sets Lounge Aflre.
After the officers left, she ignited a
lounge in the dining room, according
to her own admission. The eight-year-
old girl discovered the blaze and set
up a cry that attracted the neighbors,
who called the fire department
Monday noon, while Mrs. White was
in an upstairs room with the children,
Minnie again demonstrated her pas
sion for fire. This time she applied
a match to a baby carriage, rug and
a curtain Then she went upstairs.
Mrs. White smelled smoke and rushed
downstairs. She called to the girl to
come TO her aid, but Minnie showed a
great deal of hesitancy in coming to
the rescue. The fire department was
again called.
Mrs. White then notified the police
and the girl was arrested Monday
afternoon and taken TO the Bethune
station.
Girl Finally confesses.
The girl at first insisted that she
was innocent of starting the fires.
After Detectives Dibble and Shepherd
had talked with her at intervals for
eight hours, she broke down and con-
fessed.
Mrs. White can ascribe no reason
for the girls strange actions, unless
II is a spirit OF revenge. Mrs. White
says that last Friday the girl was
notified because she had to stay in
with the children, and, Monday, she
was a little angry because she had to
clean up some Of the debris occasioned
by the first fire.
Sick and Tired Of Everything.
20. I can't explain, Minnie said,
Tuesday. 1T wasn't because | was
angry and il wasn't because / like
the excitement of seeing the engines
come. I'm simply sick and tired of
everything. | guess that's the whole
trouble. / only wish | could end it
all. ! wanted to end 1t all last night
| would have, too, If | had only had
the means.
MY mother hasn't been very good
10 me and it's pretty tough on a girl
TO go out and earn a living all alone.
| never had any brothers or sisters
and I've been pretty lonesome some
times. or course, there's Martha
she's my chum, but she gets pretty
blue too, at times, and | guess she
would like to end her troubles when
she gets thinking things over.
ANY beaus? No, never had any.
I never saw any fellows that | liked
real well, and so never had any love
affairs"
Minnie will he kept in the matron's
rooms in the central station for the
tim ebeing at least. in the hope that
she'll get over her suicidal mania.
The police are puzzled as to just what
disposition TO make Of her case. Mrs.
WPhite has no inclination TO prose
cute. and the police are not inclined
to turn her out while she Is in her
present frame OF mind.
The University club has made ar.
rangements to receive election returns
at the club house at Fort and Shelby,
tonight. The service will start at &
/ p. m.
TODAY's TEMPERATURES.
| n. m........ ~ 10 n. m.....,.. ~
| n. No.. ~ ~ n. M. 80