Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-06-27

In custody Of the police and report
"a to have confessed three attempts
in twenty-iour hours 10 burn down the
main building Of the Ottawa colony.
Charles Horn, agoI 81 years, an en-
ployc Of the South Side institution
faces prosecution on state warrants
charging hm with urDudlIrism as a
result OF series of fire, discovered
late Sunday night ana e@Ny Monde.
morning
The arrest Of Horn was effected late
yesterday afternoon after investiga
tiOn had revealed strong traces Ct in.
cendiarism and suspicious pointed his
way as the instigatOr of the crimes
Presented with what facts they could
CLEAN, the investigators c4ruerol Horn
and after considerable QUESTIONING
finally eXactrd complete confession
from him At first Horn denied am
connection with the attempts TO de-
stroy the administration building bur
under close examination is said t.
have weakened, broke down and finally
made a clean breast of the affair.
Horn, who was employed in the
boiler room and spent part of his time
operating the power mower on the
lawn, has been In the colony's employ
only a short time His peculiar ac-
tiOns were frequently commented
upon by fellow workmon at the san
itarium, some Of whom thought him OF
unsound mentality His peculiar ar-
tions on Sunday night led to his final
downfall and implication in the triple
attempt to set the colony on fire.
He was seen to board the downward
bound street car at . o'clock and few
minutes later was discovered skulkinG
across the lawn as if to avoid being
seen by anyone, Nothing was thought
of this odd conduct until the repeated
fires were discovered under the base
ment stairway. The first fire WdaI
started at about $50 o'clock, folowol
by another at II and Third at 1880
Monday morning. All were discover
ed in the same place and all seemed
to have been set in the same manner
Connecting Horns wiord performance
earlier in the evening with the myG-
terious blazes found in basement, the
man was called in on the carpet amt
closely interroRated on his whore
abouts at all hours of the night he
fore, At first Horn denied any con
nection with the crime. Fearing that
he was about to be trapped he is sal
to have changed his story and con
fessed in full. Jealousy Of one of tn
other men employees and his inabilt5
to get a day off Sunday are said loI
have prompted him to get even" with
everybody connected with the COLONY
by burning up the administration
building. Those were the only tWOI
reasons he could give for his conduct
The first call sent into the depar'-
ment from the colony brought the de-
partment in response to "still alarm
at $50 An hour and a half later the
second call was sent into the station,
and at little after midnight the third
alarm was rung in. All three fires
were confined to the same place-.n
the partition under the stairs lcading
to the basement No traces could be
found of matches, oiled cloths nor
kindling wood, but the recurrence of
the fires, resumablv after everything
had been done to make sure Of their
being eXtinguisted, gave rise to the in
cendiary theory and the later man hunt
for the party guilty of the crimes. Dam
age In all instances was light because
of early discovery of the fires.
Horn will be given trial before
Justice of the Peace George KOenig
and probably will be bound to the
grand jury on the strength of his own
reported confession Steps to have
him taken before sanity commission
are also being considered.
Prosecutor Doubts Confession.
States Attorney Kelly stated this
afternoon that he doubted the guilt
of the prisoner. He claimed that Horn
made the statements which were con
sidered an alleged confession yester-
day while under 4 great nervous strain
and that he did not consider that 1t
was entirely responsible for what he
was saying at the time the statements
were made. He stated that he be.
lieved Horn to be of subnormal mon.
tality and was not responsible fer
what he said when he was excited or
frightened.