Shehan - John fire bug 1909 - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Two more barns were burned Wednesday night through the nefarious work of Crawfordsville’s fire bug who apparently intends to kindle blazes every night now instead of every Saturday night as has been his custom. The big barn in the rear of the home of Robert Larsh on South Grant Avenue and rented jointly by Mr. Larsh, Mrs. Mary Snyder and James G. Wedding was the first structure set on fire. This was just about 8 o’clock. Ten minutes later the barn of Fred Doherty, 804 Perry Street was discovered to be on fire. It was burned to the ground.  Both of these fires were clearly of incendiary origin.  The fire in the Larsh barn was started in the south end which was rented by Mrs. Snyder who in turn had sublet one of the stalls to Township Trustee Chas. V. Hodgkin. Mr. Hodgkin put his horse in the barn for the first time at 6 o’clock Wednesday night. Two hours later his horse was cremated in the fire. The horse of Robert Larsh in the middle part of the stable was badly scorched by the flames but in some manner was saved. The barn was very badly damaged but was not burned to the ground. The north part rented by Mr. Wedding was not materially damaged. A quantity of hay and grain owned by Mr. Larsh was burned. The buggies in the structure were removed without being burned. The flames communicated to the barn of Mrs. WC Lydick across the alley and her barn was slightly damaged.  In her barn were the horses owned by Harry T. Stout who has already suffered two big fire losses this winter. His horses were removed from the barn in safety. J. Harvey Canine who rooms at the Lydick home phoned in the alarm.  The alarm for the Larsh fire was answered by both the central and the east end departments. Two lines of hose had just been laid and the fire ladies were just getting the streams of water upon the flames when the alarm for the Doherty fire was sounded. Doc Griffin and a part of the force at the central station hastened off for the Doherty fire.  Upon their arrival the barn was a mass of flames and the structure couldn’t be saved. The Doherty barn was a large new barn, 90 x 40 feet in size and had been built to be used for transfer purposes. The barn was fitted up with electric lights, a light being stationed at every stall.  A number of vehicles were being kept in there but they were all removed safely.  There were no horses in the barn at the time as Mr. Doherty has delayed buying any horses until the fire bug is caught. Mr. Doherty carried insurance but the loss will amount to something like $500 more than the insurance.  About 10 o’clock Wednesday night a couple of hours after the Larsh and Doherty fires a third alarm was sounded. The alarm was caused however by the burning out of some soot in the chimney at the home of Mrs. Shirley on South Grant avenue. No damage was done and the services of the firemen were not needed.  The great frequency and startling regularity with which the fires are occurring in Crawfordsville has aroused the citizens to a high state of excitement. People are FRANTIC!

Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Review Friday March 26, 1909 p 8

Another barn has been burned in Crawfordsville by the city’s fiendish fire bug. This fire which was kindled at 9:30 o’clock Tuesday night burned to the ground the barn of Frank O. Maxwell who lives in Whitlock Place. The structure was not discovered to be on fire until it was a mass of flames.  

Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Review 4-2-1909 p 2

Realizing that the grand jury which has been in special session since Monday morning was sure to hear evidence that would prove him to be the “fire bug,” John Shehan who was arrested Friday night and lodged in jail on suspicion of having kindled the fire that burned Fred Doherty’s barn on March 24 has made a full confession in which he admits that he set fire to no fewer than a dozen barns in Crawfordsville during the past three months.  Following Shahan’s confession, the work of the grand jury was quickly concluded and Prosecuting Attorney Fine prepared three indictments charging Shahan with arson.  These indictments were returned this morning. They charged Shahan with burning the Robert Davis livery barn;  the Harry T. Stout elevator and the Fred Doherty barn.  Several other indictments could have been returned but these were considered sufficient. Shahan was notified of the returning of the indictments and given an opportunity to come up before Judge West this afternoon and plead guilty.  This he intended to do.  On account of the nervous collapse which his poor old widowed mother suffered this morning while she was at the jail hearing from the lips of her own son the pitiable story of his downfall and his wild career as the city’s terrorizing fire fiend, his hearing before the judge has been postponed until Thursday morning. Shahan says he is anxious to plead guilty, receive his sentence and begin his term in the penitentiary. The penalty for arson is imprisonment from 2-12 years.  In this confession made to Prosecuting Attorney Harry N Fine, Chief of Police Joe T. Prewitt and Officer John Brothers, Shahan implicates no one, claiming that he was alone in all his nefarious work.  Shahan assigns no reason for turning fire fiend.  He merely says that, upon every occasion, he was drinking more or less heavily and had an uncontrollable desire to start a fire and witness the consequences.  Shahan’s confession together with evidence that has been secured against him as a result of the grand jury investigation shows he invariably helped the firemen fight the fires and in some instances he helped them lay the hose. At other fires he would not be seen for he was then busy on his way to kindle blazes in other barns.  Of the fires believe to be of incendiary origin that have visited Crawfordsville this winter, Shahan admits he is responsible for all but three.  He says he did not start the Montgomery Hardwood Lumber Co fire and he also denies that he set Frank Maxwell’s barn on fire on the night of the county local option election.  He refuses to admit he started the fire Jan 26 that burned the barns of Albert T. Hornbaker, Willis Sharp, John Hatter and Will Fry.  Shahan’s confession does not clear up the mystery of the buggy with the red running gear and drawn by a bay horse, invariable seen driving rapidly down the streets on the nights of the fires. He says he does not know who owns the buggy or who was driving it.  Shahan’s actions since his confinement at the jail led the police officials to feel confident that a confession would be forthcoming. Shahan says that on Friday night, when he was arrested he thought he would “come through” with his confession to Prosecuting Attorney Fine and Chief of Police Prewitt but thinking that possibly there might be some way of getting out of his trouble, he refrained.  Sunday afternoon he sent for Officer Brothers, intending to make his confession to him but when Brothers came he changed his mind.  He first began to weaken Monday afternoon and made some admissions to John O’Connor, turnkey at the jail which convinced O’Connor that he was guilty.  Later, he made more admissions to O’Connor and Officer Brothers.  Prosecuting Attorney Fine and Officer Brothers visited Shahan Tuesday night when for the first time he made his full confession.  He repeated the confession at the jail this morning to Chief Prewitt. When confronted by Mr. Fine and Officer Brothers with some of the damaging evidence connecting him directly with the Doherty fire, Shahan could hold out no longer.  He admitted his guilt and then began unweaving the web of mystery that has surrounded Crawfordsville’s fire bug and kep everyone in the dark as to the identity of the man who was terrorizing its citizens.  Evidence that Mr. Fine had secured traced Shehan to the Doherty barn and from it, passed the home of Mrs. George Harlan on Liberty Street through the field north of the Harlan home, past Fullenwider’s home at the extreme end of Milligan Street and east on Milligan street through the college campus back to the Larsh fire.  Shehan was recognized by several people. When he ran past the Harlan yard after setting fire to Doherty’s barn, Mrs. Harlan saw him.  Her son, Merle Harlan saw him and watched him run through the field to Milligan street.  When Shehan turned east of Milligan, Merle Harlan and Lon Gillis who were near there ran east on Liberty north on Gibson and then east on Milligan. They caught up with Shehan before reaching the college campus and recognized him.  Tom Little, the Plasterer who was also running to the fire ran along with Shehan through the college campus.  Little said to Shehan as they be burned to death himself. Shehan admitted Little was right. Harlan and Gillis ran ahead of Little and Shehan and as soon as they arrived at the Larsh fire, they believed Shehan had set the Doherty barn on fire as they had recognized him as the man seen running away from it. Herbert Linn, 10 years old, living on Liberty Street is another person who recognized him.  Others who saw him running and gave a good description of him to the grand jury were Mr. and Mrs. Tolliver Hawkins and children; John Barker, Morgan Lindamood and John Hunter. Newton Fullenwider also saw him running away from the fire but couldn’t recognize him. Ambrose Campbell recognized him as did also Stella Vanscoyoc who lives with Mrs. Hankins back of the college.  The police could have arrested him easily on the night of the Doherty fire but they did not feel sure then that their evidence was convincing. Next day, Thursday, Shehan went down in the country to visit some relatives and to do some work as a tinner.  He came home Friday afternoon.  His home was watched. Just as soon as he returned the police officials knew of it and the entire force with the exception of Chief Prewitt hurried to the scene in an automobile. The arrest was easy as Shehan was found reading a newspaper.  The first fire which Shahan confesses to kindling was the one that burned out the rear of Ben McKee’s feed barn on South Washington street Dec 22, 1908.  Shehan had been drinking rather heavily that night and had started home about 11:30 o’clock. The fire alarm for the McKee fire was sounded at 11:43 and it was 1:45 before the fire out alarm was sounded.  “On my way home I went down the alley at the rear of the barn,” Shehan says. “When I saw the hay sticking out of the hay mow, I thought there was a chance to start a fire.  I had known that this was a wooden fire trap anyway and I thought that corner might as well be cleaned out.  I struck a match, touched it to the hay and then saw the blaze start.  From there I went down the alley to Walnut street and upon reaching Wabash Avenue went east to the Masonic Temple and ran into the big barn.  I notified Hicks, the night man there that McKee’s barn was on fire and the alarm was turned in.  I helped get some of the horses out of the big barn.”  Although Shahan will not confess that he started the fires that destroyed the barns of Albert Hornbaker, Willis Sharp, John Hatter and Will Fry at the intersection of the alley west of Blair Street between Pike and Wabash Avenue on the night of Jan 26, 1908 the authorities feel sure he started these fires. Shahan says that he was at home when he saw the blaze.  He says he at once ran to box 15 to turn in the alarm but the but the box would not work, he claims.  He then started across to the fire. The alarm was sounded from box 13. Whether Shahan admits starting this fire or not the fact remains that he was at the fire almost as soon as was the department for Fire Chief Hurley remembers distinctly that Shahan helped him connect the second line of hose that was laid before the department started to throw water upon the fire. Shahan was drinking that night, too.  In fact, he admits he was nerved by strong drink to kindle every fire that he started.  “I started the fire that burned down Harry T. Stout’s elevator on the Big Four railroad,” Shahan says. That fire occurred about 7:30 on the night of Feb 1.  “I had been drinking that night and was going home down the railroad track,” he says. I went into the cob room of the elevator and at once thought there was another good change to start a fire. I lighted a match to some stuff that was laying on the cob pile. I ran out of the elevator, started north and then came down to the fire with some of the people who were running to it.  I helped fight the fire.  “I also started the fire in the coffin factor’s lumber yard,” says Shahan. This was on the might of Feb 3 about 9 o’clock.  For some reason the fire burned itself out without causing any damage. The fire was kindled in one of the lumber sheds near the west end of the yard.  Probably the most disastrous fire that Shahan kindled was the one on the night of Feb 7 that burned the livery stable of Robert Davis on Pike Street and brought death to 11 horses.  In his confession, Shahan says: “I had been at a dance that night and was drinking.  I had come into town in my buggy but asked my uncle to go to Davis’ barn and take the rig home.  On my way home about half past 11 I went into the barn and walked back to the rear end. No one saw me come in. The hay chute looked like a good place to start the fire and I struck a match and lighted it. The fire started quickly.  I started to free two or three horses and then ran out at the west door and came around in front.  I was there when the department arrived and helped put up a ladder to the front window.  Shahan confessed that when he started the fire, he cut the halter straps from 2-3 horses but the smoke soon made him flee.  Shahan telephone to Frank Davis the tinner that the barn was on fire and he helped the firemen get Davis’ desk and papers out of his shop, located in the rear of the barn, fronting Pike Street. Shahan says that on the night of the John Walter livery barn fire at 9 on Feb 20 he was walking down Green Street and started up the alley by Ramsey’s blacksmith shop.  He noticed that in the rear of the Walter barn, the door was partly open and there were some bales of straw there. Here was another change for a big fire, he thought and struck a match and started the fire. He says he ran west up the alley to Washington street and soon came around in front of the barn, mingling with the people that were attracted to the fire.  The next fire was at 7:05 March 13 at Harry Sout’s feed barn on East Market Street. Shahan started this one he says. On this same night he kindled three other fires. The first one burned the barn of Henry M. Clark and badly damaged the barn of WW Watson on East Jefferson. The fire started in Joe Fisher’s barn on South Washington did no damage. The third fire burned to the ground the barn of Mark Hays on West Main.  Shahan says he darted up the alley from Market Street near Stout’s feed barn and kindled the blaze at the corner of the barn near the alley. He then came back to Market street through the same alley.  He saw the flames shoot up, witnessed the gathering of the crowd and then, crazed for more drink, bought some more liquor and started down South Green Street.  He went east to Water and then started east on Jefferson to Plum and entered the Clark alley from Plum Street.  He says he looked into the Clark barn, saw no horse there and concluded to fire it. He threw the match in the hay in the mow and then ran away.  Presently he found himself in the alley near Joe Fisher’s barn. He says he thought it was Herman Kostanzer’s barn that he was firing.  From there he hustled on down town bought some tobacco ate some raw oyster and drank some more booze. By this time he was pretty well soused but he wanted to start another fire. He entered the Hays barn and kindled the fire in the hay mow. He stayed around there and helped the police and other early arrivals get the wagons out of the barn. Saturday night, March 20 he says he started the fires that burned down the barn of Mayor Ed Voris on West Main at 11:30 and the barn of Alf Lookabill in the suburbs about 12:30  “After starting the Voris fire, I ran west and at the home of Judge Snyder, stopped and watch the fire from that distance,” says Shahan.  “I had a notion to turn around and go back. But I had a pint of whisky in my pocket so didn’t need to get any more booze. When I reached Lookabill’s home, I entered the barn, set it on fire and then ran down to the railroad. At the railroad, I drank the whiskey and watched the fire burn. I then went home.”  Although denying that he started the fire in Frank O. Maxwell’s barn on March 23 Shahan freely confessed as to how he started the fire in Robert Larsh’s barn and Fred Doherty’s barn on March 24.  He was drinking again and had started home.  He went down the alley from College Street near the big barn owned jointly by James G. Wedding, Robert Larsh and Mrs. Mary Snyder. Entering the barn, he started the fire in a bale of hay in the part owned by Mrs. Snyder and rented by trustee Charles V. Hodgkin. This was 7:10 o’clock.  Shahan ran down the railroad and crossed over to Doherty’s barn which he set on fire starting the blaze with a match in the hay mow.  “If I had run away from the Doherty barn like I started to do at first,” he confessed, “I wouldn’t have been caught.  Bur I ran out north over the vacant lots to Milligan Street near the Fullenwider home and then started east on Milligan street to go back to the Larsh fire. Several people saw me there and I began to think they would recognize me.  “That was the first time I felt I had been recognized and all the next day which I spent in the country near Ladoga, I feared the police would come. My uncle told me that the fellow who started the fires ought to be thrown in them.  This certainly made me shudder. Thursday night I went to a euchre party in the country and some one remarked that the fire bug must be in the country as they had heard of no fires yet.  I thought then that they were suspecting me.  I came down Friday though and soon afterward was arrested.”