Evening star., 1911-08-27
Chicago Police Round Up Ring,
Including Business Men.
LEADER CAUSED so FIRES
Confesses He Is Firebug and Impli-
Gates Several Others.
PROPERTY LOSS OF MILLION
Operations in Windy City During
Past Twelve Months Said to
Be Extensive.

CHICAGO, August 26.-Six men are In
custody and the arrest Of another has
been ordered by the police in connection
with the operations of an alleged arson
ring which caused a property loss OF
| 81, ,OOO, 600 during the past twelve months
in Chicago.
policeman, are being sought by the police
in connection with the alleged conspiracy.
The men under arrest are:
David HORSEBACK, former saloonkeeper
! and leader of the alleged arson ring. who
i is said to have set fire to fifty buildings
in Chicago within q year and recently
brought back to Chicago from Vancouver,
B. c.; Charles Bloom. a merchant; Max
! Feilschmidt, a fire insurance adjuster;
,, Isaac Schaeffner. real estate dealer: Ellis
Duberstein, shirt waist manufacturer;
Lazard Dreyfus, wholesale clothing manu-
facturer.
. The man whose arrest has been or
dered by Fire Attorney Sullivan is Ben
jamin T. Fink, said to be an official of
the Northwestern Can Company, who Is
wanted for arson, in connection with the
fire at the company's plant, May 26.
Korshack duplicates Business Men.
Inc arrests were Uiduc ny lLc pOACc
after HORSEBACK had made a statement
duplicating a number of business men in
| the alleged arson conspiracy. 1t is ex-
pected that a numoer Of other arrests
will be made before the Investigation is
| concluded.
In the afternoon David HORSEBACK, Isaac
Schaeffner. Max Feilschrnidt and Ellis
Duberstein were formally booked at the
Harrison street police station. HORSEBACK
was charged with arson. Schaeffner and
the others were charged with arson and
conspiracy. Later they were arraigned
before Municipal Juoge Dicker and the
hearing Of the cases continued until next
Monday.
Three barrels of gasoline are said to
have been used in firing the plant of
the can company. While being brought
back to Chicago from Vancouver, Kor-
shack is said to have admitted to Detec-
tive LOTUS that Fink asked him to Sc:
fire to the plant and that HORSEBACK want
cd 5000 for the job. Fink is said to have
refused to pay this amount. declaring
TIA, the price asked was more than 1t
Wds worth.
Building Burned Later.
Several weeks later the building was
burned, and evidences of incendarism are
said to have been discovered by the po-
lice. Fire Attorney Sullivan declares that
charge of arson will be made against
Fink when he is found.
Bloom, who has been booked by the
police. is accused of having paid Kor-
shack to set fire to his store April 80.
The stock of goods is said to have been
insured for $1,000, while their actual
value did not exceed $3,4O0, according to
HORSEBACK.
F1ilschmidt and Schaeffner, who are
being held by the police. were. it is said.
implicated in the alleged incendiary fire
at the plant of the Northwestern Can
Company.
Ellis Duberstein, a .shirtmakef. is said
to have induced korshack to set fire to
his place of business November -, 1910,
causing a loss of $4,000 The building
was heavily insured The police also are
said to be looking for Daniel Perry, a
brother-in-law and business partner of
Bloom.
HORSEBACK fled from Chicago, after he
was charged with having set fire to the
store of Leopold Dreyfus & Co.. whole
sale clothiers June 3. this year, which re-
suited in loss of 100000.
Member Of Firm Ends Lire.
Both Leopold and Lazard Dreyfus.
members of the firm, were arrested on
suspicion Immediately after the fire.
Three days later Leopold Dreyfus made
statement duplicating Korshack and
then committed suicide.
I.azard Dreyfus was booked for con-
spiracy and the case against him is still
pending.
Korshack In statement made TO the
police declared that 10 per cent of all
fires which have occurred in Chicago in
the past five years were of incendiary
origin, and were either the work of the
proprietors of the buildings of profess
sional firebugs. He says there are more
than 100 men in Chicago. who make
good living by setting fire to buildings to
enable the owners to collect large sums of
insurance.
He says the firebug is usually paid
lump sum in advance, but that sometimes
he works on commission. receiving per-
centage of the insurance money.
HORSEBACK said that in all his fires he
used jugs filled with gasoline, with which
he set fire, with the result that the
flames rapidly spread to all parts Of the
structure.
A dozen witnesses have identified
Korshaok as being in the vicinity of build
ings damaged by incendiary fires.
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