The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-11-30
TRIAL OF ALLEGED
FIREBUGS HAS BEGUN
LONG LIST OF FIRES In SAINT
LOUIS SAID TO BE RESULT
OF AN CARSON TRUST"
A PROFIT OF OVER s., 500, 900

NOhANSstou vi Stu AHSuEtDCC ASChb
Causes Arrest of Prominent Cit-
zens An Arson Conspiracy Is Al
legged to Have Existed.
ST. LOUIS.-An unusual trial was
begun in st. Louis Monday as the
elimination of charges that there has
existed in this city a widespread arson
conspiracy. A long list of fires which
have occurred in st. Louis, with evil
dences of incendiary origin, is esti-
mated to have Melted the conspira-
tors in the alleged arson cases a prof
it of some $500, 900 in the past few
years. In view of this prevalence Of
incendiarism the police had long been
on their guard but it was not until
Sept. / last that they confirmed
their suspicious by the alleged con-
fession Of Herbert o. Baker, a fire
insurance agent.
Baker was arrested on the night
of Sept II, few hours after four
men, afterward referred to as
torches" were taken as they were
unloading four barrels of gasoline
at plant Of the Christen Bellows Man
ufacturing Co.
The arrest of these four men was
due to the fact that the head of the
firm had revealed details of plot
to have his own factory fired Ia plot
which he told the police had been
proposed to him by an insurance man
and which he pretended to enter into
in order to assist the police in the de-
lection of the guilty.
Several Groups Working.
After Baker had made a statement
to the police it was announced at
detective headquarters that Baker
had revealed, not the existence of an
carson trust" but that several
groups of men, working ON similar
lines, had conspired with heads of
business firms to set property on fire
that the firms might collect excessive
insurance. An insurance agent al
ways was in these plots. according to
the story and he was to reap his
profit by getting commissions on the
excess insurance written before the
fire
The grand jury began an inquiry
into the arson conspiracy on Sept. l6,
and returned final indictments on
Oct j The FOLLOWING were in
dicted
Roy NJ. b. Todd, mayor of Webster
Goves. Mo, a fashionable suburb OF
st. Louis, president of the Nixon
Jones Printing Co. whose five-story
plant was burned on the night Of
Sept. 4. Barrels and boxes of gaso-
line were found in the basement OF
the printing plant after the fire, the
police said. Before his indictment
Todd had brought a $4,000 damage
suit against Assistant Fire Chief
Rucker because after the fire Rucker
would not give him free access to the
burned printing house.
Charges Against Bersch.
Julius R. Berseh, vice president of
the Bersch Insurance Agency Com
pany. Bersch was named in the same
Indictment as Todd in connection with
the Nixon-Jones fire. The indictment
was based on testimony that Bersch
in trying to arrange plot to fire the
Christen Bellows Company plant had
referred to the Nixon-JOnes fire and
had said that Todd would get the
insurance. Bersch also was indicted
for alleged participation in the fire
that destroyed the Gilmore-Bonfig
Decorating Co. establishment on July
LEA. and for the projected burning t3ii
the Christen Bellows factory.
/ Harry G. Gilmore, head of the Gill
more-Bonfg Decorating Co., for al
legged completely in burning the estab-
| lishment of that concern.
| Harry Incl, secretary to Gilmore,
indicted in connection with the Gil
more-Bonfig fire.
| Edward Miner, alleged torch,
accused in connection with the Gil
more-Bonfg ire; also in connection
with the alleged attempt to fire the
| Christen Bellows plant.
Otto F. Leman, insurance adjuster,
! indicted in connection with the al
legged plot to set fire to the Christen
Bellows plant
Morris Greenberg, Max Greenberg
and Michael O'Connor alleged
torches indicted in connection
with the plot to fire the Christen Bel
/ low establishment.