The Washington times., 1913-01-19
CONFESSES HE
]. HIRED STEIN TO-
FIRE HIS FLAT:
Abraham SchIichten, Arrested,
Tells Prosecutor He Paid
$50; Collected S225.

NEW YORK. Jan. 19-Abraham
Schlichten, an expressman. of % East
1olst street. was arrested yesterday by
Assistant Fire Marshals Wade and
Emerson on a charge of arson. Schlich-
ten was implicated in the confession of
Izzy' Stein, chief mechanic" for the
Arson trust
He had been locked up but short
time when he sent word to Assistant
District Attorney Royal Weller that he
was willing to tell all that he knew.
Il hired them said Schlichten in a
confession made to Mr.. Weller. Ito
make fire in my home. l carried a
policy OF $500 on my furniture. 1 was
introduced to Stein by a neighbor, who
told me that Stein was in the business
OF making fires. Stein said he was will
ing to set a fire for me or any one
provided the settlement could be made
by one of several insurance adjusters
he named. i assented to this and Stein
agreed to set fire to my home for SEQ
Stein told me on the day fixed for
the fire that ] was to go to my work
as usual. and when I left Stein went
TO my fat and saw my wife. He had a
flask of benzine with him and told my
wife to go to the Mt Sinai Hospital
with the children so that there would
be a public record to support an alib:.
Stein was then left alone.
How the Fire Was Started.
He sprinkled some benzine in d
closet and in the dining room. Then
he touched it off with a match, stepped
out of the fiat and stood on the oppo-
site side of the street to watch the
fire engines arrive
While the fire was burning I came
up the street in one direction and my
wife and the children came the other
way and met me. We cried out that
all our property had been destroyed,
that we had no home or money and did
not know what to do.
Fire Marshal Priai investigated the
fire and reported that it was the work
OF fire bug.
damage, but the adjuster j hired Sc
cured S225, although only the clothes in
the closet were, burned. These were
only rags. The furniture was scorched
little and some of it / am using III
my home today"
The grand Jury will investigate the
Schlichten fire tomorrow and an effort
will be made to secure the indictment
of the sadjuster who figured in, the
settlement. '
Stein continued in the office of Mr.
Weller his recital of the fires he had
started, and implicated the persons in
sured and the adjusters who had charge
of the insurance.
In one of the fires" he said. "a. pub
. lie adjuster who looked over the fiat
said that sufficiept property had not
been destroyed, and at his suggestion
and ktrr1 II
Then 1 threw water on the rags and
they were used in the claim for loss. to
increase the amount of insurance that
could be collected
Stein criticized the methods of unpro-
fessional firebugs, who used benzizie
and sasoIcne without opening the win
dows to let the odor escape. He eatd
the smell of the fluid disappears quickly
IL a draft is created.
Fire Marshal Prial questioned Stein
about a fire charged to him in an East
Side fiat, where the firemen found three
candles burning in a closet.
THAT was 10. my fire. Stein indlg-
nantly replied. Il never used a candle
in my life TO start fire Only ignorant
leopie use candles and they can never
collect the insurance in those cases:
Renzine and gasolene are the real
goods and when they are sprlnkted IN
The right way and set on flre no case
can be mace out, lit ltit A4ds
he recorded as suspicious IN the fire
department.
Swamped With Orders For Fires. j..
stein declared hundreds of persons
haying flats on the East side. who
had heard of his success as 1ireoug
had implored him II make Tres for
them, but he had TO reject many Of
the requests because the night broker
could not get control of the policy.
1t is expected that at least twelve
adjusters who have made fortunes out
of the work of the Arson trust will be
indicted
Mr. NelIer has information tending
10 show that Robert J. Rubin, the
wealthy fire insurance adiuster who
was arrested on Friday and is in
the TomEs, was one of the principal
promoters of incendiary fires in New
York and a leading factor in the Ar
son trust. When Rubin is arraigned
before Justice Goff tomorrow, $4,000
hail will be asked.
II is the intention OF District At
tornev Whitman TO press all the arson
cases to trial az speedily as possible
before Justice Goff, so that prompt
conviction of the evidence warrants
may be obtained as a deterrent TO the
work of the Arson trust.