The New York herald., 1921-05-02
EXCLUSIVE COLONY
STIRRED BY FIRES
Series of Mysterious Blazes
at Fairfield, Conn.,, Battle
State Detectives.
THREATEN FINE HOUSE
Estate of Miss Annie Burr
Jennings Special Object
of Attack.
MOTIVE Is NOT KNOWN
Watch Set for Automobile Par
ties on Boston Post Road
Yields No Results.
MOTIVE Is NOT KNOWN

Special Despatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD
BRIDGEPORT, May 1.-The inability OF
State detectives to discover the origin
of series of fires that have occurred
in the exclusive Fairfield colony dur
ing the last two months has alarmed
the residents of the colony That the
fires may have been of incendiary or
igin is limited at by the Fairfield Fire
Department, which called upon the
State authorities to investigate, but
nothing has been found thus far to
bear out the supposition.
Two of the fires occurred on the
estate of Miss Annie Burr Jennings
daughter of the late Oliver Burr Jen-
directors of the Standard Oil Com
pany. Miss Jennings urged the night
Waterman at her estate to observe
more closely parties going down the
side roads at night from the Boston
Post Road, which the estate faces.
The first fire of the series occurred on
Saturday night about two months ago.
II was discovered in one of the cottages
on Fairfield Beach which backs up on
Miss Jennings's estate scar Carlson.
superintendent of the est Q, saw flames
shooting from one of the cottages and
sounded an alarm. Before the local fire
fighters arrived five cottages were
ablaze.
A barn on the estate of the late
Samuel III. Wheeler, formerly head OF
the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine
Company, and owner of the Strataeld
Hotel here, was consumed in the second
blaze, which occurred about month ago
This barn abutted Miss Jennings's prop
erty and gave the local fire fighters and
apparatus from Bridgeport hard fight
The damage was estimated at $1,000.
All Marked by Mystery.
The third fire occurred in the garage
on the Jennings estate. 1t was the
smallest blaze OF the series and ~ap-
parently began in a Simplex touring
car that had been stored for the winter.
The fourth and last fire was discovered
last Wednesday morning in the estate
barn, almost abutting the Jenkins
Colonial mansion, 'Sunnie Holme,"
which is one of the sights of the coun-
tryside.
This fire Is the most mysterious of
the four. Five minutes before the bla &c
was discovered Mr.. Carlson, the super
intendent, was in the barn with George
Jennings, a dairyman,- and, DR.. c. E.
Atkins n veterinary, of Bridgeport. One
OF Miss Jennings's ten cows had be-
come sick and DR.. Atkins was called
TO attend the animal. The trio hardly
had reached the gateway at the Bos-
ton Post road entrance when the whole
barn burst into flames. A three days
Gid calf was burned IN tha
While some uneasiness was expert
enced by residents of the colony after
the first three fires, the fourth aroused
genuine alarm. The fact that the cause
Of the fires has not been learned IL
considered significant and IL also is
pointed out that the four buildings
burned were but a stones throw from
each other. Why any one should want
TO destroy Miss Jennings's property
could not be explained. She never has
received threatening letters and is held
in the highest esteem by the towns
folk.
Across from the Jennings mansion
are fine homes In which live A. l.. Riker,
formerly head OF the Riker Motor Truck
Company the Rev. DR.. Claris Y. Sill
cox. pastor OF the Fairfield Congrega-
tionai Church; Mrs. william Glover.
william r. LASER and several other
persons prominent socially. At Beach
street and Boston Post road stand =
the Town Hall. a building of Colonial
design. and just to the south stands
ST. Paul's Church, or which the Rev.
Or. Allen Il. Beeman is pastor Out
side the Town Hall there is a sign
which boasts that the town OF Fairfield
was founded In 1899.
State Detective Frank virelli visited
The Jennings estate Saturday night and
examined the burned buildings. When
the detective left he announced that
no would return again tomorrow 10
continue his investigation.
Miss Jennings has been living in
Fairfield during the summer months for
the last twenty years. Her town home
is at 4s Park avenue. New York city.
The estate of Oliver Gould Jennings.
brother OF Miss Jennings. is also in
Fairfield, just north OF his sisters home.
Walter Jennings, another brother. and
Mrs. walter b. Jones, a sister, live
IN Cold Spring Harbor. l.. /. A third
sister, Mrs. Hugh D. Auchincloss. Is a
resident OF New York city.