Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-08-14
Fremen Set Fire;
Land in Jail

III cllcM 0cl lee
Land in Jail
AS the result OF AM Investigation.
says the Aberdeen Democrat, William
Buck, a member Of the. Aberdeen Fire
department, Archie MpBMisons John
Prouse and Ed Hardy substitute fire
men, and Floyd Richardson, former.
ly a fireman but now working for
the Milwaukee, were arrested yester-
day, charged with having sat fire to
the buil.sing at lis South Lincoln
street on June 9th These men
have ak been in service att the Mo- !
Fire station.
The arrests were, made yesterday
forenoon. with the exception Of Rich
ardson., who did not arrive until late
last evening and was then taken in,
to custody,
At 1910 In the evening of June
"a, Engineer Fred Walker discovered
the. fire, which had been burning for
some time and had gained consider
able Roadway, and although the fire.
men were right on the scene and got
into action at once, the blaze had a
good start and before it was extin-
guished, the interior of the building
was badly scorched.
The suspicious of another member
Of the department were aroused. He
went to work on the case, notifying
State Fire Marshal S.. e. Grams and
the result of their Investigations
brought out the fact that the FIRE was
of incendiary origin, although at, the
time 1t was presumed that It was 40,
cidentally set by hoboes who were
sleeping near the building.
When questioned by States Attor-
ney Harkin, William Buck made Z
complete confession, admitted his
guilt and implicated the others.
When interviewed by a represen'
tative of the American, Buck told the
following story: "We hadn't had a
run for nearly two weeks and things
were getting mighty tiresome. We
thought 1t would be a good joke to
start the fire and turn in the alarm
and watch the excitement when the
other fellows found out how close the
fire was. We planned it all out be
tween ourselves. There was a lot OF
old rubbish beside the shack and ]
got some old papers and soaked them
in coal oil from the tank. Then ]
went around to where the rubbish
was and touched a match to the pa
pers. We didn't mean to let the fire
burn much, but il got a bigger start
than we thought it would. We didn't
mean any harm and only did it for a
joke" ~
Although the boys might have
meant no harm, they are now facing
a charge of arson in the third de.
gree the penalty for which is not
less than four years and not to exceed
ten years in the penitentiary. Bucks
confession duplicates Richardson and
Morrison as well as himself, but it is
probable that the others will get off
with a lighter sentence.
The terrible consequences which
might have resulted from this rash
act, r appalling. Had the fire not
been checked when 1t was, and had
it once gotten beyond control the
destruction Of the weighmaster's Of
fee, the fire station, city Jail and POI
lice station would have been newt
able, and as there are many other
frame buildings close by, they would
probably nave been destroyed also.
Furthermore, had an alarm been turn
ed in at that time, calling the depart
ment out to a serious confagration in
some other part Of the city, making
1t necessary to leave the fire in the
city building, and the other buildings
absolutely unprotected, the result
would have been disastrous.
Fire Marshal Grams was in Aber-
deem shortly after the Schile fire in.
the early part of June and was also
here the day after the fire in ques
ton. Shortly after, he was informed
of the facts in the case, and would
have been back here to make full in
vestigation earlier, had it not been
for important business of a similar
nature In the Black Hills. Mr.. Grams
arrived in the city Sunday. and has
been wording on the case since that
time, Chief Kingsley or Commission
er Rasmussen knowing nothing Of the
affair until the complaints were filed
and the arrests made.
AIR. Grams states that he is not
yet IN position TO trace the origin OF
the schile and Mckinley fires, which