The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-22
SAYS He SET FIRES
TO BEAUYIFY CITY
Captive. Charged With Dozen
Blazes. Also Wanted
Firemen Busy.
SENT IN FALSE ALARMS

A Are bug who has started about a
dozen fres in the last month along
Broadway between 10th and 2+sth
streets and has sent in as many false
alarms was arrested yesterday. He
turned out TO be a youth OF IS years,
who said that the firemen in hat sec
ton did not have enough to do. and he
had undertaken to supply them with
work. lie also said that his incendiaiv
practices had teen directed against I'M
slightly structures which he felt were an
eyesore and should he disposed of in the
quickest and mo- st effective manner pos
stble. namely By fire.
The youth accused OF these Jokes
IL George CUSTOM. the son OF Herman
Gus,ow. an attorney at 233 broadway.
Mr.. CUSTOM lives with Mrs. CUSTOM and
their son At 1l5 West ls0th street.
The great frequency OF false alarms
and small fires along upper Broadway
led officers OF the Fire Department to
the conclusion three weeks z that there
was a frebug operating in the district.
Their conclusions in this respect were
definitely continued shortly afterward
by a letter sent to the Captain OF the
l11th street police station.
Yesterday young CUSTOM confessed TO
having written this letter. In II he said
II net fire to the following unoccupied
houses IN ,our precinct
Broadway at l7?d street. q shanty.
broadway at l1sth street. a shsnty.
Amsterdam avenue at ls4th street. a
shanty.
THE billboard fence az Amsterdam
avenue and ls<th street.
The apartment tHilding basement at
as sherman avenue.
The police barn at West i.sth street.
four times.
broadway and isith street q pile ~
wood.
Broadway and ist;h street. a real
state Office
To this communication the youth
signed himself "a Firebug. an incendiary.
a pyromariac and an anonymous writer"
He wrote n letter to the captain OF
Fire Engine Company No. ~ in lStth
stree; explaining how he had sent in
false alarms and why. He said he went
into almost any stor. IN the n~eighbcr-
hood where there was a public telephone
and called Fire Headquarters.
This gave the detectives OF the Fourth
branch. who had been looking for the
irc~ndiary for weeks, the clue by which
they hnal'y arrested IN" youth. TN
Monday night a false alarm was re-
ceived for an address in Broadway near
l7sth street. Through the telephone
compan it was learned that The tele-
phone message had been sent from a
bakery at 5S2 West lslst street. De-
~,ectives wen; TO that bakery n found
that the on.y telephone was not in a
booth. Employees in the place had
heard the alarm delivered ard were able
to give a description OF the person tele-
phoning.
Yesterday morning this description
was read on; 10 the policemen attached
to the l,;th street police station and
at about noon PatroSinan Miles saw "A
Young mar who H'led the bill. He ar.
rested him on suspicion and later the
young man confessed.
His mother was notified Icy detectives.
She said that the boy had been a rebel
lious student at school. but that he had
never to her knowledge leen malicNusly
bad, AS a youth he suffered from infan-
tile paralysis, which left him lame in
one leg.
lie was charged with arson and ma
l.c!ous conduct and will bs heard in the
Washington Heights police court this
morning.