The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-01-24
FIR. BUG ARRESTED
STARTED >GVERAL ""STRUC-
TIVE FIRES IN CHARLES VI
When Arrested He Makes Full and
Startling Confession of Many Acts
Of Incendiaryism in the City.

Of Incendiaryism in the City.
TIE News and Courier Of Friday
tells of the doinss of yours Ere
bug in Charleston. Arrested Thurs
! day morning at 1l.>A burning OF the
Charleston Fibre Compa1y's plant
at the west end c. Spring street
Marion Brrden, young white man,
who has been watched for weeks BY
Pinkerton detectives, confessed some
hours later to many acts Of incendl-
arism, among these being the start
ing of the big Meeting street fire OF
July s, 1910, in which six large
stores in the heart Of the wholesale
district was practically destroyed
with a loss Of ovcr s215,000.
Among other FREE: which Burdell
confessed to havir> started we're the
Leland Moore Paint Store fire on
March II, 1908, which occasioned a
loss of $4,000; tie Baseball Park
fire of December OF last year; the
two recent fires at Bethel Sunday
school, and the Union Cotton Press
box car fire Of December, 1911, in
which property valued at nearly hall
million dollars was imperilled.
Purdell gave no reason for any OF
his incendiary acts.
The News and Courier says when
an alarm Of fire was rung il Thurs
day morning ct 9:41 o'clock. Chief
of Police Cantwell fastened TO jump
into the police automobile and sped
t, the west end Of Spring street,
whence came the cali. He arrived
there just in time to learn that Pink
erton Detective o. Roller, of Phil
aaeIphia, with 2inkeTton Detective
Wright. had been shadowing Burdell
for nearly three weeks, that he had
iust instructed Policeman Johnson
tn arrest BurdeN on the charge of
having set fire to the Charleston Fl
bre Company's planr.
Private johnson t2en came up with
his man, and Chief Cantwell was in
formed that several persons had seen
Rurdell enter the premises of the
fibre factory a Few. minutes before
the fire broke out. Chief Cantwell
personally took charge Of the case
and had Burdell hustled away to the
police station. There the young man
was detained until Chief Behrens ar
rived and preferred charges against
h;m of setting fire to the Spring
street building.
Later in the afternoon. after being
questioned and confronted with testi-
nsony which had been gathered by
the police department and the two
Pinkerton detectives. who were en-
ployed by the board of fremasters.
Purdell, in the presence Of Chief OF
Police Cantwell. Chief Of Detectives
Eogan and PinkeTton Detectives
Roller and Wright, confessed fully
ard in startling detail to a series OF
fires which he admitted having set
there during the past two years.
At first it appeared that he would
continue to profess his innocence, but
he finally decided to confess. The
fires which he confessed to having
set include the Bailey-Lebby fire, the
largest in this ciry in years. It
started in the rear OF the Baiiey-Leh-
hy building at 215 Meeting street,
tie alarm being sen: in by telephone
at 6:33 P. NJ. July s, 1910. 1t ex-
tended to 215 Meeting street, the
TROUGH store, Destroying the build
irgs; to T. A. Wiiour & Sons, 211
Meeting street, destr Dying the build
i7g; also to 2O9, 2o7 and 205 Meet
il.g street, comprising the 1homlin-
sen and Marshau-Westcoat stores,
considerably damaging the buildings.
occasioning a total loss CT S2l3,-
54e.5O. The fire extended over eigh-
teen hours, the actaal value of the
property endangered being se41,4Sl,
TIE Charleston Holel and the big
Louis Cohen department store being
imperilled.
Other fires which Burdell con-
fessed to starting include:
a portion of his own premises, at
so Church street, On November ,,
1910, the loss being only SO.
The Leland-Moocs fire, on March
II, 1908, the loss Icing about S23,-
1000.
The Baseball Park fire, December
1911.
The Bethel Church fires, Decen-
Der, 1911, and January, 1912.
Union Cotton fress box car fire
December, 1911. at which property
valued at nearly half million col
lars was imperilled.
He confessed to send;ng in the fol
lowing false alarms:
From Box 513. e:20 P NJ, De
cember Z, 1911.
From Box s14, 1o:47 P. NJ, De
cember Il, 1911.
From Box 624, December IS, 1911
A detail of interest in connection
with these fires IS that Durde!
worked for the Bailey-LebDy Com
pany at the time ne set the fire ant
j. said TO have worked for the Le