It goes without saying that firemen are some of the bravest people on the planet. Unfortunately, sometimes the profession draws in the wrong sort of people.
In this 1921 case, eight young men within a Pennsylvania fire department allegedly caught the fire bug and were, thankfully, caught. According to their confession, within a few weeks, they lit at least 10 fires…
Firemen Held on Charge of Arson
LANCASTER, Pa. – Eight boys, from 16 to 22 years old, members of the Vigilance fire department of Columbia, Pa., awakened to the realization that their over-zealous services to the community were no longer in demand.
They are held in custody by the state police upon charges of arson and suffering for the first time the shock of recrimination for a record unparalleled by any volunteer fire department in the state.
The eight young men confessed to Captain McLoughlin of Lancaster troop state constabulary that they were responsible for 10 fires “of unknown origin” during the past few weeks.
These 10 they admitted having started. It is not known how many others they were responsible for starting which they assisted in putting out.
According to the confession of the youthful firefighters, they regarded the pastime of extinguishing fires a “joke” and gloated in the town over their record. Especially was this viewed with awe and admiration by the fair sex, who vied for the attention of the “brave firemen,” it was learned.
The young men were especially anxious to achieve something big in the town and used this means to command attention and elicit praise, according to reports received by the state police.
Source: The Calhoun chronicle. (Grantsville, W. Va.), 24 March 1921.
