The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-10
Remarkable Statement by Young
Man at Greenfield, Mass
CAUSING LOSS OF $1,000, 900
At Time of Alleged Confession He Was
Serving Sentence of 80 Days on Charge
of Larceny--Bernard c. Murray Is
Name of the Young Man.

Greenfield, Mass, Aug. l0.-Bernar(
c. Murray, son of former fire commits
sioner of Hartford. Conn, confessed yes
terday to having set fire to>30 hotels auG
public buildings in Connecticut and east
ern Massachusetts during the past foll
months.
Among the inceniery fires which Police
Chief Manning declares Murray has ad-
mitted being responsible for Were:
April % Waterbury, Conn, city nall
and Chelsea hotel.
May 90 Greenfield, Mass Taylor
block and Hollister house.
June Turner'S Falls, Mass, Grand
Trunk hotel and Allen block
June s-Greenfeld, Mass, Central
house.
June 22-Turners Falls, Mass, Blad-
ish hotel and Bartlett block.
July 2 North Adams, Mass, Wilson
house.
July 5, and within the following few
days eighteen fires in and about Spring
field,
While no lives were lost in the mary
fires, hundreds of persons, a majority
of them hotel guests, were imperilled
and the property loss is estimated 70
be nearly 81 100000.
At the time OF the alleged confession
Murray was serving sentence of 80
days ON a charge of larceny.
According to Chief Manning, the po-
lice had received information showing
that Murray had been seen in the vicin-
ity of many fires. Murray was hotel
employe but changed his place of oc-
cupation frequently and had worked in
all the towns in which the fires co
Cured. Since his arrest many persons
have identified him as the man seen near
the fires shortly after their origin.
In his confession Murray, who is "a
yers old, said Il could not resist the
impulse to do it, although | realized the
consequences. Murray explained that
he had gone to the second or third floors
of many of the places, opened closet
and set fire to any infiammable material
which might be in sight. Then closing
the door he left the building and went 10
some nearby place where he could Wow
the fire and the excitement attendant
upon it. Frequently he had gone at once
to some nearby building and strated
another blaze so that the fires might
burn simultaneously.
While the greatest monetary loss was
caused by the Wilson House fire in North
Adams, where several business blocks
were also burned with total loss OF
S50O.000 the most spectacular Of the fires
was in Waterbury, Conn. Murray, ac-
eording to Manning. admits having start
ed the fire which threatened to destroy
the city hall, as well as that in the
Chelsea hotel and to setting a dozen
other blazes the same night April %,
Waterbury was in state of terror be-
cause of the fires. The militia was or
dered out and patrolled the vincinty Of
the city hall and other other buring
buildings for several hours. The total
fire damage in Waterbury that night
has been estimated at 100000. !,
Many lives were endangered in the
Wilson house fire and several persons
had narrow escapes. Murray says that
he first started blaze in the basement
of the hotel then ran to another room
and started another, returning to as
sist in quenching the first fire. Both
fires got beyond control and the hotel
was wrapped in flames while Wilson
says he assisted saving what he could
OF the hotel furniture.