Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-19
Three BIazes in Southeast At.
tributed to IncendiarieS.
ALL OF SIMILAR CHARACTER
Police Working on Theory That
Gang Is Operating in City.
SAW NEGRO AT ONE PLACE
Son of William Lynch, One Of the
Victims, Says Man Ran Away
After Fire Was Discovered,

That incendiaries were at work again
city is evidenced by three fires. All Of
the fires were Of similar character, and
the police declare they have reason to
believe that the blazes resulted from the
work Of an incendiary.
All three Of the fires occurred between
and 9:15 o'clock, and they were within
radius OF four squares. The investiga-
ton by the police disclosed that all of
them started from the outside.
The first blaze was discovered about
$40 o'clock in a fuel shed in the rear of
the homo of Mrs. Effle Crouch, TO B
street southeast. The flames had burned
but small portion Of the shed when
they were discovered. No. Z truck COM
pany was called to the scene on local
alarm.
Fourteen minutes later an alarm was
sounded from box 513 at 9TH street and
pennsylvania avenue southeast. The fire
started in shed in the rear Of 313 Muir
ray court southeast, occupied by Frank
a. Smith. The flames spread to a shed
In the rear of 900. occupied by Edward
Allen. and to 81, occupied by Harry
Pinkert. A fuel shed in the rear Of 3. L..
simpsons coal yard, 64S Pennsylvania
oNcHuG SOutHGdSC, also caught IRE.
The firemen, however, arrived on the
scene before the flames had gained much
Roadway and extinguished them after
about $50 damage had resulted.
Another Shed Set Aflre.
While Mrs. William Lynch of II sth
street southeast and several Of her chill
dren were witnessing the fire in the
rear of Murray's court southeast the
incendiary was at work on a shed in
the rear Of her home.
After watching the efforts Of the fire.
men to extinguish the fire in Muir
dren. started home, only to be told upon
arrival that chicken coop and wood
shed in the rear was ablaze
Her son Emmett ran to the corner
Of 7th and East Capitol streets and
sounded an alarm from box 512. The
flames had gained considerable head
way before they were discovered, and
by the time the firemen arrived several
chickens had been burned to death and
the entire shed was destroyed.
Emmett Lynch, who sounded the alarm,
declared that when he went to the rear
yard of his home while the shed was
ablaze he saw a colored man wearing q
SLOUGH hat running from the scene
Whether this man set fire to the place is
something the police Of the fifth precinct
are endeavoring to ascertain.
Other Mysterious Fires.
The large number of mysterious fires in
the southeast and northeast sections Of
the city within the past month have
annoyed the firemen and police of the
fifth and ninth precincts. Capt. Null
hall, in command Of the fifth precinct.
and Capt. Daley of the ninth precinct
have had members Of their command in
civilian clothes for some time in order
to apprehend the flrebugs. but so far they
have managed to evade arrest.
Fire Marshal Nicholson and the police
received Information several weeks ago
that it was the common talk about some
Of the East Washington schools that boys
were setting fire to sheds. The fact that
a. negro was seen running away from the
rear Of the Lynch residence last night
leads the police to believe that it is not
boys but man who is responsible for
the fires.
An investigation of the fire in the shed
in the rear of Mr.. Lynch's residence dis
closed that the fire originated in an alley
in the rear. The police are continuing
their investigations of three fires, al
though no one is suspected.