New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-31
CALL ELDER A F|REBUG
Insurance Men Accuse Prominent
ChurChman OF Arson.
OLDER CASES BROUGHT UP
Old Bridge, N. j., Stirred Again
After Mysterious Fires and
Murders of Six Years Ago.
Nv relssranh to The Tribune.


New Brunswick, n j.. oct SO.-Ellis
Applcby. of Old Bridge. an elder Of the
Baptist church. was arrested to-day on the
charge Of arson in the office OF the county
prosecutor lie II accused Of being re-
sponsible for the two fires at tho Slower q
Stonaker general store at Old Bridge last
August His arrest created a sensation be-
cause OF tragicaI things which have pre-
coded.
william NJ. Clemens. a New York private
detective, who has made n speciality or
arson cases for insurance companies. gath
cred the evidence on which the arrest was
made. Appleby Is a brother Of Mayor
Appleby Of Asbury Park and half brother
of Postmaster Herbert Appleby. OF Old
Bridge. He denies the charge and has re-
tanned Senator u. S. Silzer to defend him.
Detective Peltier took the prisoner before
Judge Peter +. DAILY. where he gave $3.50
bail A nephew gave the bond.
Appleby is about fifty-ive years old He
was formerly I'm business in Asbury Park.
on retiring he and his wife went TO Old
Bridge to live. lie acquired some property
there.
"In my opinion" said Prosecutor Boorean
/
is the only way I can explain the acts OF
which l believe him to have been guilty.
In my judgment. there is nothing TO ihdi-
cate that the setting of the fires of which
! Appleby is accused was anything but the
act of an insane man"
| There has not been as much excitement
! In this town since the murder, six years
| ago. Of Mrs. Jane Wright, a woman OF
eighty years. who was found dead with her
| throat cut IN her home. across the stree
from the Baptist church. No arrest was
made at that time, but among those Who
followed the case was George Whitman,
jr.. son OF a storekeeper near Old Bridge.
| He and his father were found murdered a
few weeks afterward.
Then a laborer who had some knowledge
Of the crime was found slain. The climax
was reached when the body Of Thomas
Collins, who had publicly announced re
ward for the murder Of Mrs Wright. was
| found dead in a deserted part Of the town.
Attempts were made to burn the home
! Of W Il. Rivers, who had interested him
| self I'm the mystery thus multiplied and
soon Charles Hadupp. a butcher. found
| himself set upon by firebugs. Then came
| the fires in the home Of John {. Couzins
! "A member of the council.
| In regard to the murders at Old Bridge
| Prosecutor Boorean said that some of them
were committed before his term as Prose
cutor began, but that as county judge
which Office he held before he became
| Prosecutor, he had knowledge of the other
crimes. He said he hoped yet to be able
TO run down those who were guilty OF at
| least some Of these crimes.
The Appleby family is one Of the best
known in New Jersey. The accused man.
who has large real estate holdings I'm AS
bury Park. where his nephew, Frank APP
pleby, is Mayor, IS the leading citizen OF
Old Bridge. relative IS postmaster OF
| the town.
Appeby is said TO have made several
hundred thousand dollars in real estate
speculation in Asbury Park. He moved tc
Old Bridge a good many years ago, where
he soon became prominent in all civic
movements in MddleSeX County. AS an
elder of the Baptist Church in Old Bridge
| he had much to do with the active direc-
! ton of the church work, and was looked
upon az a devout Christian.