Evening star., 1922-06-13
PROBE FIRE IN WAR
RISK BUILDING
Officers Investigate Strange
Blaze Set by oil Poured
on Paper.

Federal and District investigative
forces are conducting a rigid inves-
tigation of a fire that occurred early
yesterday morning in the Arlington
building, Vermont avenue between II
and I streets, home Of the Veterans
Bureau.
Watchman Kline discovered the
fire before much headway had been
gained, extinguished 1t and sent IN
| a call to the captain Of the watch. II
developed that a hole had been bored
\ in the sash Of a basement Wihuo"
| on the 1 street side Of the building;
paper saturated with kerosene STUN eo
| into 1t and match applied.
- Very Little Damage.
Scorching oftthe sash was the most
| serious damage done. the heat not
having been intense enough to shat
ter the glass. Outside the WINDOW
was found a two-gallon can nearly
| full Of kerosene. 1t was wrapped III
a part of a Sunday morning paper,
pieces of the same paper haVins
been used by the firebug to start the
| fire.
The window through which the hoie
| was bored opens from room IN
which alien property records are nieu,
| the records being near the Winoow
| next to the one where the nre was
started.
Members of the forces conducting
the investigation are not satisnso
whether the attempt to purn the
building was made by some perspA
interested in the alien property or py
a disgruntled former service man
who merely wanted to 90 damage as
| a matter of revenge.
Many Threatening Letters.
1t is said that hundreds of threat
ening letters, many of them bearing
upon them the question of the bonus,
have been received during the past
few months. Many Of them II rs
stated, bear the names of the SEND
ers, while some are without sigma
lures.
Some of the letters. it developed
were sent by former service men VINO
had been wounded or gaSsed and Who'
it was believed, were mentally IRE
sponsible. Others bore no signatures.
Many of the letters. it is stated. con-
tain statements that put their send
ers in a class of violators OF the
postal laws, and prosecutions OF some
Of them may follow. 1T is said there
is no likelihood that the irresponsible
ones will be prosecuted. although
close watch may be kept on them.
Following an investigation of the fire
by members of the watch force in the
building, agents of the secret service dl-
vision were called into the investigation,
and later the city police were asked to
take a hand in 1t.
VIII Hunt FinEerprints.
The can of oil and fragments of the
paper in which 1t was wrapped were
turned over to Detective 3andberg,
Identification expert Of the local police
department, who will endeavor to fnd
fingerprints on them.
Threats to burn the building and 40
all sorts of damaging things are SAID 10
have been contained in some OF the
letters. 1t was suggested today that
one of the writer's of complaints about
the bonus may have applied the torch.
thinking bonus papers were stored IN
the room. Such papers are not there
however. 1t is stated.
1t was said at the bureau today tnat
destruction OF records of the alien prop
erty custodian might mean the loss OF
records which could not be duplicated.
They are original records, 1t was stat
ed, and persons from whom informa-
t;on, was obtained have scattered. and
many of them may be dead.
Loss of the records, 1t is stated
might mean the return of much prop
erty which otherwise probably will be
retained by the government. Inspector
Grant today assigned Detective Scriv-
ener to make the investigation for the
police department.