The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-02-06
Say Gackle Man Admits
Setting Numerous Fires

Setting I
Confession duplicates Many
Others in Community; Pool
Hall Man Also Held
Announcement that they had UNI
covered a professional fire bug" at
Gackle, Logan county, was made to-
day by Frank Barnes, deputy state
fire marshal, and j. w. Pennisten,
Chicago, special agent for the ma
tional board Of fire underwriters.
Barnes made public q confession,
said to have been obtained from John
Blaskowsky, Logan county farm hand,
in which the latter told Of taking
contracts to cause fires and then let
ting SubcontractS to men who actual
ly applied the torch.
BlaSkowsky was arraigned on ar
son charges Thursday before Justice
o. L. Mennes at Napoleon and waived
examination. He will go before the
district court to plead to the charge,
Barnes said.
J.. p. fIillius, Gackle pool hall
proprietor, also was charged with ar
son in connection with a fire at a
meat shop. He waived examination
and was bound over to district court.
Names Of several other persons
prominent In the Gackle community
were mentioned in the alleged con-
fession and Barnes and Pennisten are
continuing their investigation.
Text Of Confession
The confession, made public by
Barnes, follows:
II, John Blaskowsky, Of Gackle, N.
D.. do hereby make the following
statements which are true, that in
the year of 1924, I was residing on the
Katy Schlinker farm which is located
about two miles east Of Gackle. N
D., which I had rented from j. A
Zimmerman, the banker Of Gackle
N. D., and that he called me in the
bank at Gackle, one day about the
first OF October, 1924, and said to me
that he would allow me $500 credit
on my note which he held against
me II I would set the barn On fire al
the Katy Schlinker farm.
Il agreed to do the job for him in
a few days later, and about q week
later I came home from Gackle, and
Christ Schneider was there at the
place and I told him that I would
give IS to him If he would 60 up In
the hay loft Of the barn and set fire
to it, we were in the yard at the place
at the time Of this conversation. HI
then went to the barn and I went to
the house, in just q few minutes the
barn broke out In flames. and the
barn was burned to the ground. This
was about three o'clock in the after.
noon. Two OF three days later I saw
Zimmerman, at Gackle, and he sale
the Job was all O. K. and that just
as soon as he collected the insurance
money on the barn he would give nj
credit on my note for the $500.
/ Active In 1925
"And I further state that the fol.
lowing year. which I believe was 1925
he agreed to allow me 500 II I woule
set fire to burn the barn which wa!
situated on the Jacob Ruikka farm
which Is located about six miles south
Of Gackle. N. D., Logan county.
believe that it was about the middle
part Of November, 1926. when he ask
ed me IL I would do this Job for him
A few days later I saw Jacob Franz
the renter who was living on tn
place, and I told him that I woult
give $40 If he would burn the barr
down, and he said to me all right
That was about noon. and about twt
o'clock the barn burned down. I saw
Zimmerman a few days later at tn,
bank at Gackle, and he said the jol
was O. K. and that he would allow
me the 500 as soon as he got hi.
settlement with the insurance com.
pany.
II hereby make this statement
which is also true that during thu
month Of January, 1880, one. J. p
Hillius, Of Gackle, Logan county, N
Oak, did approach me with q PROPOSE.
ton Of setting fire to the Adam Kurt,
butcher shop, which Is q two story
frame building situated on the wes'
side Of the main street Of Gackle. N
Oak. Hillius, In part said to me
John, I know that you are hard w
and I will give you SIS, 1t you vii
do this Job for me- I said yes, I an
hard up and I will do it. When de
you want it DONE and he said 'tht
sooner the better, but be sure thai
wind Is from the north so 1t will bl
sure to burn the Gackle Mercantile
company store down which Is located
on the same street south Of the Kurt
butcher shop. He said that he woulc
leave a five gallon can OF gasoline
from his Uaillius) car shed. which
Is located In the rear OF his (Hillius)
building on the corner north Of the
Kurtz butcher shop.
Did Poor Job
"About two o'clock in the morning
a few days later I took the five-gal-
Ion can Of kerosene from his (Hillius)
car shed and went up the back steps
in the rear Of the Kurtz Butcher shop
to the second floor, which was vacant
I found the door was not locked
Hillius had told me that this door
was not locked. ! opened this door
and poured the contents Of the gaso-
line can on the floor.
II then lit q match to some cotton
rags that I had with me and placed
them on the floor to ignite the gaso-
line. I then picked up the empty
can and hurried away from the place
and took the can back to Hillius' car