The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-01-18
ALLEGED ARSON
LEADER ARRESTED
CAD TO HAVE GIVEN DINNER
RECENTLY TO MEMBERS OF
INCENpiARY GANG.
BLDGs. FIRED TO ORDER,
FIXED Charges Said to Have Been
Made for Starting Btazcs All
Over Chicago-Suspccts
Wary.

Chicago. Jan. 16.-With the indict-
ment OF Joseph Clarke for an alleged
attempt TO bride an assistant states
attorney not to prosecute an arson
case as n test. A. A. Bach, chief dep-
nty state tire marshal. told a remark
able story Of organized incendiarism.
Highest Fire Rate.
Chicago has tho highest fire insur.
ance rate of any city in the country
and 10 per cent Of it's fires are incen.
diary. Bach said:
THE firebugs arc not banded to-
gether as one gang he said. but
there are several gangs at work and
the rivalry among the different bands
Is as keen as is tho competition he
tween any class of tradcsmcn. There
are three men in Chicago known al
insurance ndjusters who often get to
fires before the tircmen. They sleen
with clothes on, have automobiles In
readiness and, receiving tips that
fire Is about to BE- started, are on
their way almost before an alarm
comes in.
The adjustcrs do not actually start
fires themselves; they employ men to
do that--men who actually solicit tho
business. Tho adiustcrs make their
money by adjusting the losses. ne-
tectives and tiremen generally know
the name OF the arson flrm that Is re-
sponsible for each fire. 1t Is nothing
a-frc,' or MIR. was responsible for
this touchoff'
Know They Are Suspected.
The firehugs know what we sus.
pect them. but they are very clever.
'rhoy offer brides to detectives quite
frequently" he said, but never take
n chance Of there being witness to
the fact which leaves it one mans
word against anothcr's. Their racing
TO fires in automobiles is only ono
indication OF the kccnncss of compcti-
ton among them.
1--WE arc often informed days in ad-
vance Of when fires are to be started.
In that way VIC arn able TO prevent
many blazes. Night after night we
| have had detectives watching build
ings with the basement filled with en-
cclSiOr, the floor saturated with oil
and the stock packed in combusthle
material. All that we could do was TO
notify tho insurance company and
! have the insurance cancelled In such
cases the fire was never started.
Fixed Charges for Firing.
III is possible for anyone TO get n
building fired in Chicago. There arc
| fixed charges for the work and the
man who desires to burn his property
will find nccndiarics bidding against
each other for the Job. For small fires
! there is Il regulation charge of 90 per
cent Of the insurance collected
Charges vary according to the magn-
tudc Of the fire. For large fires the
charge is one per cent and even at
that price the tirrbuSs grow rich. I
| do not know a single conviction for
arson in Chicago in the last is
months"
CLARKE was released on a $4,000
bond, signed by Ills wife. States At
torncy lIOyne declared that he had
evidence that Clarke recently gave a
dinner at his homo to almost every
member of the so.callcd carson trust. "
The inquiry, IIoync said. gradually
Is widening and now involves officials
of insurance companies. Independent
fire adjustcrs and adjustcrs employed
by insurance companies. He still re-
fuses to make public any names OF
those said 10 be in the "ring" except
Clarke.