The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-13
WE EEIER

/ HleS anu eNplOSlOuS at FOIl riley. On
the night of September 10, Private
Michael Quirk was captured, and the
dynamiting and inceudiarism came to
a sudden end.
Private Quirk was captured by John
! Hartung a special Waterman at Fort
Riley, as he was trying to enter the
pumping station. lie was attempting
to raise a window in a room where
a great deal of oil was stored.
Hartung succeeded in capturing
/ Quirk, after a desperate struggle, but
Quirk's campanion, also soldier, sue
ceeded in getting away. Hartung could
could not identify this second man,
and he has never been apprehended.
! Private Quirk is only II years of
age. He enlisted in New York early
in March of this year, and was sent
at once to Fort Riley. At the time of
the first fire, on March IA, Quirk was
a raw recruit, having Just been as
signed to the Sixth Field Artillery.
The fedglng soldier was at once
suspected of the series of depreda-
tions, and had a preliminary hearing
at Fort Riley. slip of the tongue
caused the officers to hold him. Quirk
started to make statement, stop
ped, and steadfastly refused to finish
the sentence.
With no specific charge against him,
he was placed in solitary confinement
at the post guard house, in the caval-
ry post, and was held there until he
made his confession, on Monday, De-
cember IL. During the three months
of solitary confinement, he was fed
on bread and water, with a good meal
of the regular army ratiOns every
eighth day.
Only three men were allowed to
converse with him. They were the
prison officer, Lieut. Richard Newman,
and two other officers.
Once each day Quirk was allowed
to walk up and down on the prison
veranda until he became tired. Then
!
basement of the prison.
The daily constitutional was taken
under the watchful eyes of two armed
guards, who allowed their prisoner to
speak to no one. He could not even
talk to the guard before his cell.
How long this incarceration would
have continued had not an attorney
forced the governments hand it is
impossible to state. The boys mother
Mrs. Mary Grogan of Ottumwa, Iowa,
and his uncle, Edward Blake. of the
same place, came to Junction City,
and secured the services of J. Vance
Humphrey, former County prosecutor,
to intercede on the prisoners behalf.
Mr.. Humphrey went to Gen. W. 8.
SCHUYLER, and demanded that either
Quirk be released from solitary con-
fnement, or that charge be placed
against him, and that he have trial
at once. Gen. Schuyler promised to
bring the case up within ten days.
Then came Quirk's confession, which
altered this. The confession, which
is in longhand, covers fifty pages, and
would make more than that if type
written. It's contents have been kept
strictly secret, but, on the night OF
the day it was written, Lieut.. Richard
Newman, prison officer, swore out
complaints against Private Michael
Ouirk, the Rev. Charles M. Brewer,
and Mrs. Anna Jordan, charging them
with the destruction of the engineers
bridge on the night of June "a and
the Troop A stables on the night OF
June %. The third charge, the dyna-
hitting of the water main on August
8. has not yet been preferred.
Lieut.. Newman, Immediately on the
issuance of the warrants, telegraphed
to Kansas City to have Mrs. Jordan
arrested and to Olustee, Okla, TO have
the Rev. c. NJ. Brewer held.
While the Fort Riley officers claim
to have strong evidence to corrobor-
ate Quirk's confession, it is thought
that the arrests of Brewer and Mrs.
Jordan were made on the spur of the
confession.
Brewer has been under suspicion OF
the depredatings before this. William
II. Mackey Deputy Warden at the
Leavenworth federal prison, was Unit
? ed States Marshal for Kansas until
two months ago. He investigated the
: Rev. Mr.. Brewers case thoroughly
, and decided at the time that the ex
chaplain could not have been at Forl
Riley on the dates of the ohenses al
legged.
While Brewer was guilty of many
= indiscretions at Fort Riley, these are
generally believed to have been the
results of heavy drinking. His ac
counts as exchange officer of the SiXtl
e Field Artillery were absolutely cor
+ rect. Mrs. Jordans friends, too, main