Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-03
INCEND|ARY GIVES
DETAILS OF FIRES
Firebug, in Confession, Tells
How He Terrorized Whole Dis
trict-Cets Long Term
BURNED THIRTY BUILDINGS

uniontown, Pa, Feb. 3.--Exact de-
tails rs how he fred or attempted TO
set fire to thirty buildings are contained
In a written confession OF Albert Smith.
who has been sentenced 10 the Western
Penitentiary for virtual life term. The
confessi-n has Just been made public
by Thomas G. Ryan, chief fire inspector
OF the state police. Interpreted, with a
few question, il follows:
My first fire was on October 2s,
1920, when / set fire TO the Marion
school house. got piece Of oily waste
from the Pittsburgh Steel Co, plant at
Monessen and, after lighting It. placed
1t in room No. :. The building was en-
tirely destroyed. Ny next fire was the
Winns dance hall. l set that on fire by
using a potato sack with oil on it. I
got the potato sack in our cellar and the
oil from one Of our lamps. l started the
blaze under the front steps of the dance
hail.
"At Charles Lynn's barn piled
straw up against the door and set a
match to it. At Braznell set fire to a
school house By using oil rags and the
window blind. ! don't know whether or
not II burned down. At Andrew Browns
barn l used pile of straw and n match
to start the blaze, which burned the
building. Then l set n house on fire up
on the hill nearby. But just as l LETT
Browns barn l yelled fire But at the
white house which fired after the barn,
used carbon oil, pint Of which car
ried In bottle. There were rags hang
ing on the clothes line and used them
with the oil to start the blaze. I think
a fat h,s - 7
there.
Threw Gravestono Into Church
"Then came the little red church I
guess it's the Redstonc Church. I threw
gravestone through window tore up
a song book, saturated a rag with oil and
applied match. They say the church
didn't burn, but started pretty nice
fire there. At the Albert Smith house
nearby. took two brooms. put them to-
gether and with a bundle of papers
placed up against the house started the
blaze.
There was bench on the back porch
of the John Jane house, under which
there we're shoes and n sack. lit the
sack and put IL over the shoes. I guess
there wasn't much damage there. Be-
fore going home that night I took an
oily flower out of vase and with
Chnule set LDe WuOic business on UTP.
With rags, carpet and broom l started
another fire IN house nearby. | took
paper out of q toilet, got n sack from a
coal house and fired another house close
there. I had no oil then.
Matches and Hay Fire Barn
''Then set fire to the barn with plain
matches and hay. Just as started this
hre saw little red brick house near.
by, which marked md tried 10 set II on
fire with n piece Of sack from pig pen.
At the home of a man By the name Of
Grant took a sack. put carbon oil on
It, got board, put that on the end Of
It and placed it under the porch. got
the sack I used there and the part Of
sack and paper 7 used to set fire to
Jacks store in my own cellar. At III"
store placed the fire back Of a window
screen, placed oil in bucket and set
it on fire under steps at the home of AL
bert Montgomery. I took oily waste
from railroad car, placed It up against
door of the Fayctte City Lumber Co. s
plant and applied q match.
Similar methods we're followed in
score OF the fires. Questioned as to his
motives. the youth could give no req
Son, except an impulse to burn. Re
venge for fnncied wrongs also played
part in the destruction OF property.