Year: 1873

CONFESSION OF THREE MEN CHARGED WITH ROB-


BERY-sEVERAL BUILDINGS SET ON FIRE TO


FACILITATE THEFT.


For some time past it has been the belief
Uf the Fire Marshal and police authorities OF brooklyn
that the majority Of the fres which have occurred in
that city during the past year been caused by in
cendlaries with view 20 robbery. The Fire Marshal


Immediately after the burning Of the BushwcE Railroad
stables in December last communicated with the Police
Commissioners, and they Immediately offered reward
Of $500 for the OF the noendares but even tins
did not put stop to the nefarous work and at regular


intervals there have been destructive fires the origin OF
which clearly incendiarsm Early yesterday morn
ing the police succeeded in arrestng three young men
on charge Of robbery and from their own confessions
IL is now almost certain that they belong to an organized
gang OF incendiaries. The facts are these


About IN yesterday detective Corr and acting Capt
Campbe of the Fourth Precinct arrested David DOwd,
Irving Smith, andgEugene Small, on charge OF being
implicated in the theft OF a diamond breastpn Dowd
owned the PIN and charged Smith and Small with hav-
ing stolen it. When the men were IN custody Small
turned upon Dowd and stated 10 the police that DOwd
and himself had been engaged In setting hre 10 dWeI


ngs and stables for time past, and mentioned par
tculary that they had fired the stable OF Mr. Ellis, in
Dodworth-st, hoping that the wind would carry the
flames adjoining frame dwellings "hich they de-
sired to rob- The wind however did not blow in that
direction and nothing the stable was burned lnvolv
ing loss of $1,000 Small alsolstated that Dowd had
admitted TO him that he had been engaged IN other IN
cendiary fires, including atNo lOs Lafayetteaye,
where he tore down the green blinds, broke them into
pieces piled them under the front WOODEN STEPS ana
then fred them reMarshal Ready took the aldayits
Of the three men, which in substance are as annexedi


Irving Smith testified reside near the Dekalbaye
Railroad stables and have known Davld Dowd or elght
years. he does nothing fora h oEe M s3d
l said, yes. how can do iti' ne said Dy burning
and maj then we could get the rewards said Would
Won get little fellow in prison 7" and he answered NO.
the authorities would not do nytbing 10 niue Iei0N


refused to have anytnng 10 10 VIII o e '11u t t @
that he sent Eugene Small IN hquOr store 10 get
matches Just before election day, and that they then
burned building in Dodworth-st that he set 1t on fire
up in haylot; he said they ran away ana then came
back again and helped 10 get some horses 9ut dlq nor
90 with MIN then Dowd told me he helped TO burn
down house opposite where he hyed III Blemeh-sti ne
did not say who was with him that Occahion those
were the only houses he told me he burned he is all the
time talking about thievery. - -


MI Eiss stable set fire the night before election
Dowd came to my house that night ana SAID " Let us
come on ont and get spec know where we can make
a spec :" went out at " O'Clock up Broadwdy ana


got some matches in 9uor 4ode at .t o eTtgt M oI
ave, and afterward TO the stable IN DOdwOrt-st Dowd
eimbed up on on AN wagon ana M he 'a sd We can't GET IN
here let look around and md door he then
pulled open door. went up ladder and set the place
on fire he then down and SAID US on iire now
let's co." this about II o'clock; We then ran away
up Broadway 10 Greene-ave; ana tneh went bacb
again TO the fire; asked hun to come
up and help put the fire out, and he dld 80;
then we went up DOdwOrthst TO Broadway he said
wish the wind blew this as TO set these buildings
on fire :" then went home; the next hre ne made
was under "a stOOp in Lafayctteave; he came around
the day and said 10 me, Did yo1 hear about the
firei" replied ayes. You did not have anything TO
do with it," He sald "Ycs did Two colored men
and went 10 Pliers grocery ana got nay ana put tdt
under the soop then TOOK on the Dna ana se "o1"em
gate and put them under the ttOop 700 ana SET All on
fire he said the got hold Of him and made
him run away with them 50 that he coud not tell on
Them he asked me several times this house fire
with hi NJ and said that could get In through window;
site his house that he a party night at Hart
st. and Broadway, and fire IN Hartst, ana got two
while IN the staonhOuse last night he called & not
TO hard him, and wanted me to make liar OF my
self after the fire in the stable Dowd told me OF plot
% U he sad he mad tried the locks there we both went
into the yard could not get any hay or other stuff to
Rroadway at DeKab-ave a week or two after, but did
not succeed Dowd the feDce, but came out
again and said there show there another night,
a7teT the fire i'm DodwOrth-st he took me down by
house, went into vacant lot, then climbed
over brick wall and upon the ROOF OF
house but there gravel on the roof he was afraid
of making noise and would 90 further; he said that
he had a hand III the tire IN frame house IN Bremenst
nor far from the BushWick Railroad stables but that he
dld not make anything; he told me that his object IN
making these fires 70 steal property When the nfcs
,Tere Going good he proposed to me to give boy
dollar Tor setting houses fire. that be could then
go down to the city Han and get money by informing;
papers that there "a reward offered.


Dowd was examined closely by Chief Campbell, the


This very Fellow small set fire to the stable in Dod
worth-st was with him; Small got the matches ana
we dropped a match in the hay; We were lighting
matches in the stable, and don't know anything more
about It that night we took some tools ron carpen,
ter-sbop and small said that he could sell them Small
broke pane OF glass in the window and threw match
in but 1t did not burn; this shop was near the stable
did not have any particular object in setting the stable
on fire 1 never set fire any other place did not set
ire to house in Lfayetteaye or To any other place
small told me that the fire III Hart-st and got


ookn gglass and has il IN ms house ne got
OF brass caps; have had no conversation with boys
about setting houses on fire.


Justce Walsh committed the prisoners til Saturday.