Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-02
CEDAR RAPIDS YOUTH OF ~
YEARS coNFEssEs TO
MANY CRIMES.
STARTED FIVE BLAZEs
CAUSING HEAVY LOSSES


Cedar Rapids. Sept. 2.-Confronted
with the evidence of his own crimes
l4-year- old Clarence Wiese, son OF MI.
and Mrs. John Wiese, 623 L street
west, confessed to Captain OF Detec-
tives Mcclure Friday afternoon that
he had started the fire which destroyed
the Garfield lumber yard. In addition
to this Wiese confessed to having ser
the fires which burned the roof or the
Griffith residence next door 10 ms
home, the barn back of the Curreii
bakery, and the barn back OF the LIN
coin hotel, and the fire last night III
his own home.
Following are the buildings which
Wiese confessed to having set on hre:
The barn back of the Currell baker!
at $50 Sixth avenue, west. Set on h'e
Friday afternoon, Aug. !.
The residence of Charles G. Griffith
$40 |. street, west. Set on fire Tues
day forenoon, Aug s.
A barn back of the Lincoln Hotel.
owned by j. P. Messer and occupied
by the Bisek Bros. Set on fire Monda!
afternoon, Aug. IA.
me tanNelu AuIIpSi NoAhpei'@' 49,
South Sixth street, west. Set on FIRE
Wednesday afternoon, Aug. %.
The residence of his father, John
Wiese, 623 L street, west. Set on hre
Thursday evening. Aug. 81.
The loss caused by the lumber yaru
fire alone amounted 20 approximately
$4,000 and the others would raise the
total considerably.
How He Worked
Wiese not only admitted setting the
fire. but told Captain MCGUIRE how he
accomplished the work.
On the afternoon of Aug. he was
in the Currell bakery. When he LETT
the store he went into the barn at the
rear and started a fire which was
stopped just as 1t was about to spread
to other buildings. In the case of the
fire at the Griffith residence which is
next door to his home, Wiese took
single upstairs, lighted it. and after
it was burning threw 1t upon the roof
of the house next door
On Aug. IA Wiese was IN the public
library. when moved by desire 70
see a blaze. He sneaked out the doNr
and around the back way to Bis
Bros barn. In a few minutes he had
started a fire and the building was
mass of flames.
Built Garfield Fire.
On the afternoon Of Aug. % he
started the FIRE in the Garfield lumber
yard by piling paper and chips up
against the side Of the lumber ward
barn. The fire from this little pile of
rubbish spread to the barn and then
thru the whole yard
Wiese's last fire was started Thurs
day night when he tried to burn his
own home Angered because his sister
asked him to go on an errand, he went
down into the basement. piled shaw
ings on a roll Of linoleum and started
the fire.
Just what will be done with the bow
has not been settled. The belief seems
to be that he is a mental defective
and that medical treatment or cor
finement in sanatoripm would be n"
proper method of caring for him.
Is Out on Parole.
Wiese Is on a parole from the BoTs
Industrial school where he was sent
for setting fires in the summer Of
1914 Since his return to Cedar Rap
ids four months ago there have been
many mysterious fires which cost
thousands If dollars. Captain Of De-
tectives Mcguire has been working IN
the case for some time and the S"a
in the Wiese home Thursday night
brought matters to a climax.