Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-31
MCCLURE, CONFESSED FIREsue,
MAKES MOST REMARKABLE
CONFESSION.
DETAILS METHODS IN
MI STARTING NUMEROUS BLAzEs
Mcclure Believed TO Have Been Re-
sponsibls For Other Fires EntaiIing
Total Loss Of $50, o0o-Makes Con.
fession to Firing Ten Buildings -
Says Desire Was Irresistible.
special to Tlmes-Republlcan.

Special to Times Republican.
lows Falls, March 31.-One of thu
most remarkable confessions in thu
criminal annals Of Iowa is that made by
w. H. Mcclure here Thursday evenint
when the mystery surrounding 1ifteeI
or twenty fires in this city within thu
past two years was cleared up. In hi!
confession, Mcclure fails to ASSUME
the responsibility for the fires that oc
CURED in the laundry, at an ice house
the Northwestern elevator and one o.
4 two other places. The only motive as
signed by Mcclure for setting the fire:
was that he was possessed Of an ire
Sistible desire to see something burn
1t is estimated that the losses sustain
ed by the fires he set will aggregate
$4,000. The worst loss entailed wa!
when the Hogan bus barn burned ant
nearly twenty head Of horses were lost
Mcclure is an unmarried man. Th'
confession secured by State Deputy
Fire Marshal f. j. Frowick, aided b!
City Marshal w. II. Thompson is a.
follows:
Il, w. II. Mcclure. being under oath
do make the following statement freely
and Of my own accord, the same being
made voluntarily and without promise
Of hope or reward / further state or
last Saturday night came up town
about 2 O'clock in the evening, about
1880 Sunday morning, March %, 1917
went down past the Stevens House
and up the alley south Of the hotel ant
set fire to the rear OF the old Hogan
bus barn which Is just south Of the ho-
tel tins was between 1880 a. m. ano
1:45 in the morning, there was some
hay and corn lying against the corn
crib which Is built into the harm and !
struck match and set fire to this, the
barn was full Of horses at the time
After setting the fire, / went up to the
Woods Hotel and asked Frank Larson
il he knew where w. H. Thompson, the
city marshal was. then I went out OF
the hotel and asked Otis Pulls II
could ride over to the train with him
When we got on the bus to go to the
train I told Pulls I could smell cobs
train and Wills we were there the fire
whistle blew. came back on the bus
with Pulls and went to the fire and
leipeQ ngI1C LI1e ire. ADOuL d ycdi heS
] set fire to this same bus barn when
Mike Hogan owned it. also set fire
to the barns out at Sunny Side farm
last year I also burned the Huntley
barn and set out Ares In the shed back
OF the Stevens Hotel. burned the
stone house that belonged to Mrs
Leach, this was the house Just vest oi
the Huntley place. also set fire tc
the Catholic. church. went down in
the basement of the church and set
fire to bunch Of waste or old rags
that were in there. went into the
cellar under the Sweet Shop one night
got in thru the cellar door and set fire
under the floor and burned the Guild
ing. The same night that the Catholic
church was burned set fire in a barrel
at the back Of the building in which
Jud Pulic lives. I also am the person
who set fire to the Robert Wright barn
(Signed) "W. III. Mcclure"