#criminal arson

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“Guilty of Arson, Goes to Prison,” Montreal Gazette. September 26, 1931. Page 4. ---- Russian Convicted After Fire and Explosion in Lachine Dwelling --- Found guilty of arson, George Charuk, a Russian, of 3708 De Bullion street, was sentenced to three years in the penitentiary by Judge Money in court of sessions yesterday.

His arrest came about following a fire and explosion in the wooden two-storey dwelling house on Fifth avenue, Lachine, last April. Evidence showed that Charuk had purchased five gallons of alcohol at St. Laurent and three gallons of gasoline at Lachine on the night of the fire. Traces of these essences were found in the house by Lachine police after the explosion, while Charuk, blown out of the house was found sprawling in the roadway.

He was arrested along with Nicholas Lebiznuk, proprietor of the building, who is at present standing trial before Judge Cusson on charge of a conspiracy to commit arson. While there were no tenants in the house at the time of the explosion, Eric Newman, investigator for the Fire Underwriters’ Association, as well as Chief Desrochers, of the Lachine police, have issued warrants for the arrest of John Scuttalnick, brother-in-law of Lebiznuk, who occupied the top floor of the dwelling, on a charge of conspiracy to commit arson.

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“Believe ‘Fire Bug’ At Large In Oshawa,” Toronto Star. October 8, 1930. Page 01. ----- Four Blazes Occur During the Night in City and at Harmony ---- Oshawa, Oct. 8. - Four different fires which occurred in Oshawa and Harmony during the night, are believed to be the work of some dangerous ‘fire bug.’

All night long the fire department was kept busy attending these outbreaks which began at 11 o’clock and lasted until 4. An empty house, belong to George Semanchuk, 231 Annis St., was destroyed; a barn, belong to Edward Black, in South Harmony, was gutted; a blaze that threatened; a barn, belonging to Edward Black, in South Harmony, was gutted; a blaze that threatened a barn belonging to Mrs. Elizabeth Twilliger, on King St., was extinguished, and the final blaze destroyed a pile of lumber and building equipment, stored in a small shed on Annis St.

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“Committed To Asylum,” The Border Cities Star. November 6, 1930. Page 26. ---- BROCKVILLE, Ont., Nov. 6. - Harold Dicket, 25, of Escott township, arrested early yesterday in connection with recent fires in that district, was examined later by physicians and committed to the Ontario hospital for the insane.

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"Ils ont mis le feu à 50 immeubles," Le Petit Journal. October 1, 1933. Page 3. ---- Arrestation imminente d'un bande d'incendaires - De faux 'ajouteurs' d'assurance - Personnes influentes compromises - Débarrassions Montreal de cette plaie!

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"ALLEGED ARSON GANG HELD ON HEAVY BAIL," Toronto Star. May 16, 1933. Page 2. ---- $15,000 for One of Accused and $10,000 Each for Five Others ---- Appearing in police court to-day before Magistrate Robert Browne, Sam Bornstein, Max Kadeshiwitz, Russell Dingle, Alex and Monte Beder, and Frank Kornbloom, facing charges of conspiracy in connection with an alleged "arson gang," were each remanded on bail until May 30. Bail was set at $10,000 for all except Kadeshiwitz, who was released in $15,000 bail.

"I want this set over for two weeks and retake bail," stated Crown Attorney McFadden. "If the bondsmen are willing?" he added. A group of men and women bondsmen parked beside the accused nodded assent.

Another Break For Bill As Probation Officer Freer thought he could still do something for William Pratt, despite the fact he had been charged with stealing a bicycle while already on probation. The court gave Bill another break and handed him over.

It seemed that young Pratt had taken a bicycle belonging to a messenger boy from in front of a grocery store on Danforth Ave. An officer stated Pratt had been arrested while in the act of taking another on Borden St.

"He was put on a year's probation January 23," commented Mr. McFadden, "for stealing 100 pounds lead piping."

"Give up stealing." warned his worship. "And if you come back-you go to the reformatory."

After hearing the evidence in the case of Henry Crowder, charged with stealing a car from S. B. O'Connor, the cadi decided it would be a swell idea if a civil court tried to figure it out.

According to evidence complainant O'Connor gave Crowder a car to sell and said he wanted $100 cash, any-thing over he could keep. Crowder. doing his best, sold the car for cheque of $30, a note for $70 and another used car. O'Connor refused to take it.

Warning to Cheque Jugglers A court, already overburdened with its duties of collecting payment from "hot cheque artists," announced its intention of washing its hands of future trivial amounts.

"They tell me," declared his worship after Tom Archer had been ordered to pay costs of court in the matter of a $16.25 cheque, "this court is called a 'collection agency.'

"Only one way of stopping them." went on his worship speculatively. "A few jail sentences will stop it."

"What about civil court?" suggested the bench as another solution.

"They've got their money now," pointed out the crown. "They won't go to the civil court now."

"In future," decided his worship, "I'm not going to issue any more summonses unless for amounts over twenty dollars they can go to civil court."

Then a charge of fraud was withdrawn against Geo. Graydon in the matter of an n.s.f. cheque upon the payment of $3 costs of the court.

"Cheque was paid after he got summons," stated complainant.

Theft Charges Withdrawn Charges of theft against Sam and Max Rumack were withdrawn upon condition certain candy machinery taken from premises of candy store in which Sam's wife and Max Sherman were partners, was returned.

Judge Had Poor Judgment Charles H. Judge allowed his love of fast driving to overcome his better judgment, In liquor and traffic court today, his driver's permit was cancelled for three months by Magistrate Jones and he was fined $10 or 10 days.

Harry Fortnum pleaded guilty to reckless driving. An officer who arrested him said he had found Fortnum in no fit condition to be in charge of anything let alone an auto-mobile. "I was just on my way home from the barracks," said Fortnum. He was sentenced to $10 and costs and seven days, and his driver's permit was cancelled for 30 days.

In early police court to-day John Papis was the only drunk touched for a fine. His was $50 or one month. No money was evident. Five other revellers were told to go away and stay away.

The usual quota of "tourists" put in an appearance upon charges of Vagrancy, trespassing and one thing and another, the usual result of going places and seeing things.

Of the seven such, August Van Lewen, Hilding Binder and Gustov Hermanson "order of the bath," to be brought were about by $10 (which they didn't conferred the have) or five days.

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"FOUND NO TRACE BURNED BEDDING OFFICER SWEARS," Toronto Star. April 16, 1934. Page 1. ---- No Cigarette Butts in Dr. Pratt's Home After Fire, He Adds ---- WITNESS IS BARRED ---- Red Cushions Brought From Anglican Church for Use by Jurymen ---- Special to The Star Perth, April 16. The brown metal bed on which Eva McLean was fatally burned on the early morning of Dec. 31 in Dr. Wilton Phatt's bedroom at Smith's Falls was set up in the court-room here to-day in front of the jury hearing the charge of murder laid against the 71-year old physician.

The crown produced Provincial Constable Wannell of Perth to swear that none the bed clothes-full of burns, apparently from cigarettes, and submitted earlier by the defence -had been on any couch or bed in Dr. Pratt's house on Jan. 2.

Neither had he found any trace of cigarette butts or containers in the whole house when he searched that day. It was only in March last he discovered a container with cigarette butts on a book-case in the upstairs hall near the spot where the dead woman had slept.

Sheriff Ebbs had the jurymen examined last night by the jail physician. The long trial has begun to tell on their nerves, it was claimed, and a couple of them had not been sleeping. The sheriff requisitioned some of the red cushions from the church.

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"BENNY FISHMAN SE DECLARE COUPABLE," La Patrie. October 6, 1933. Page 9. --- De s'être parjuré en cour. - Un incendie criminel. ---- Benny Fishman s'est avoué, hier après-midi, devant le juge J.-O. Lacroix, coupable de s'être parjuré devant une autre cour, il ya quelque temps, touchant l'incendie criminel du Tiffany Art Studio, rue McGill, près de Notre-Dame, en avril dernier. Il recevra sa sentence mardi prochain.

Deux autres personnes, accusées de l'incendie, Charlie Weiss et Harry Turkins, subiront leur procès ces jours-ci.

Fishman, le lendemain de l'incendie, reçut une lettre comminatoire, lut défendant de témoigner pour la couronne dans cette affaire. Plus tard, il fut brutalement assailli et disparut pendant plusieurs semaines. Une fois repéré, il comparut en cour, et nia avoir reçu la lettre et les blessures. Hier, cependant, il avoua avoir trompé la cour. Il devait recevoir, dit-il, $300 pour l'incendie du studio, et Weiss $100. Il ne toucha rien, au contraire de ce dernier.

Un jeune homme, le fils du concierge, sauf erreur, fut grièvement brûlé dans cet incendie.

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"Barrie Mother Gets 3 Years for Arson," Toronto Star. March 10, 1934. Page 1. --- FIRED HER HOME WOMAN IS GIVEN THREE-YEAR TERM ---- Mrs. Mary Ann McEwen, 55, of Barrie Sentenced for Arson ---- WEEPS IN COURT ---- Judge Promises to Bring Circumstances to Attention of Authorities ---- Special to The Star Barrie, March 10. - Weeping copiously as she was led from the court room, Mrs. Mary Ann McEwen, 55 years of age and the mother of two small children, was sentenced to three years in Kingston Penitentiary by Mr. Justice Nicol Jeffrey at the conclusion of the spring assizes here to-day.

Mrs. McEwen was found guilty by a jury Thursday night of wilfully setting fire to her residence at 189 Bradford St., Barrie, on the after- noon of Feb. 9.

After she was taken to anteroom she broke down.

Addressing the prisoner his lordship declared arson was not only a serious crime, but people who set fires do not stop to think that fire not only destroys property, but endangers the lives of others.

There was this aspect of the case, that the fires were not set during the night. In that respect at least it was not in the same category as a fire set at night. The whole thing was so silly.

"You were driven from pillar to post by financial worries," he went on.

His lordship said he had no doubt she was under the influence of an- other person, but could not comment on this as he would like to do. He was satisfied that the thought of setting fire did not originate in her own mind. That she was the mother of two children was most unfortunate and she had been most unfortunate throughout her life, but the jury could do nothing else under the circumstances.

His lordship was doubtful that in some respects she was responsible for her actions or fully realized what she was doing. He said he would make representations of all the circumstances to the proper authorities.

[McEwen was convict #3390 at Kingston Penitentiary, and was one of the first women held in the new Prison for Women nearby. She was paroled July 1935.]