The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-12-12
State Fire Marshal Secures
Evidence Of Wide Spread
Fraud in the State.
TRUST men ADJUST LOSSES
Give Insurance Companies Notice of
Impending Losses Before the Fire
Takes Place-Many Warrants are
Being Issued.

Startling evidence of an arson trust
operating in Wisconsin has been I'M
covered by State Fire Marshal T. M.
Purtell and his corps of assistants.
An organization of experts who, it IS
alleged, have been profting by burn
ing buildings throughout che country
since the time of the world 3 fair fires
in Chicago, have been hunted down
and placed under arrest, charged with
the burning Of the Spring City Hotel
mt Waukesha, Wis, January "a, 1911.
Is Marshal Purtell and the department
attorney, j f. Baker, secured war
rants at Waukesha for the arrest Of
The leaders Of the alleged gang. Re
qllisitions will be necessary, as some
oe the parties for whom warrants
have been issued live in other states.
The state fire marshal's department.
has been watching the operations of
The organization since the fire nearly
TWO years ago, and has been perfect
Ing the chain of evidence ever since.
cit is the most perfectly organized
Trust for the destruction of property
by fire, for profit, that has ever been
uncovered in this country" said
Marshal Purtell. GAS far as the in
vestigation has gone into the opera
lions Of the gang in this and other
states we are led to believe that this
one organization has destroyed over
100000 worth of property in the
last decade"
The Spring City Hotel, large
frame structure, was insured for
$4,000 and was put in condition for
the fire and burned on January "a,
1911, at about 1880 p. M, according to
the department. Mr.. Purtell stated
that the department knew after the
investigation at the time of the fire
that it was of incendiary origin and
that some persons in Waukesha had
guilty knowledge, but the department
did not know they were experts, care
sully organized and operating in
many states.
1t is stated that the department is
now in possession of evidence showing
that fires have been planned and build
ings burned by the same gang in other
states--in some cases the owner pay
ing lump sum for the burning. In
other cases, the evidence shows, it was
done on a percentage basis. The evil
dence shows this has been carried on
for years.
The investigation in the Waukesha
case discloses the fact that the work
was done by men Of experience, each
of whom was expert in his particular
branch of criminal work. One was
expert in approaching insurance COM
panies before the fire in an attempt to
persuade the company to pay over
money for information which would
enable them to cancel policies on bad
risks where fires were being planned.
Persons skilled in the preparation of
buildings prior to the fire in order to
reduce the loss to the owner also were
involved. The adept in the act of set
ting the fire and getting away before
it broke out was also present and per-
formed his part well. Expert loss APP
praisers who were ON the scene imme-
diately and whose duty it was to see
that the actual loss was equal to the
maximum of insurance carried on the
property, were prompt in the perform
ance of their parts.
The loss adiusters, who were Chica-
so men connected with the gang, it is
declared succeeded in getting the con-
tract to adjust the loss by being
promptly on the ground after the fire
and notifying the companies involved
that they were there adjusting other
losses.
j. L, Baker, attorney for the state
fire marshal department., who prepar-
ed the complaints against the alleged
offenders, stated that two members of
the gang would be informed against
jointly as principals under /. Section
4403 of the statutes for burning prop.
erty to injure an insurer. The pen.
atty for the offense ranges from three
to ten years Imprisonment in the
state prison. Others will be charged
under Section 4402 for burning the
property of another in the night time
Some will be charged with being ac.
cessories after the fact to arson.
Warrants have been issued at Wan
kesha for six or seven of the princi
pal alleged offenders, one of them be-
ing placed under arrest Monday af
ternoon.
The coal men are being rushed tt