Henry Taylor and the Fire Bugs

Although a Conservative living in a Liberal world the Chief Ranger convinced M.P.P. Tom Murray that Henry was the man for the job of tackling the firebugs for he new the land, the people and who the suspects might be that were setting so many fires.

“ I felt kind of sorry about having to catch those fire bugs. After all if it hadn’t been for them I would never have got my job back. So I spread the word that I was out to catch them and that they should quit for if I caught them they would face a term in jail.”

The fire bugs just laughed at me for they knew I was tied to the phone taking orders from the fire tower. They also knew that even if I did catch one setting a fire I would need a witness to back me up and I was a lone Ranger.

In May of ’36 they started setting fires “ at full speed again.” For the first fire I gathered a gang of men but bypassed one of my chief suspects. After I had the men fighting the fire I circled back towards the suspect’s place. “ On a trail, where it crossed a creek, I found a man’s boot track pointing towards the fire and returning. The owner of those boots had nailed half soles on with shoe tacks putting a neat cross on each boot. When I made out my report at the bottom I drew a picture of the pair of boots with the cross on them that I had seen pointing toward the fire and my suspect’s house.”

When the fire hazard was over and the green leaves appeared on the trees Chief Ranger Legris and Policeman Bill Johnson from Renfrew  met me and we went to see my suspect, Mr. J* H** Sr. Of course he denied ever setting any fire. Johnson got down on his knees and started pulling boots from under a kitchen couch. One of the first pair had a cross on their soles and he asked me if I had ever seen those boots. I said, “ No, but I saw the tracks of them going and coming from the fire.”

Then the police officer asked who was the owner of the boots. Young J*H** said they were his and the officer asked him to put them on for fit. As soon as he did Mr. J* H** Sr. lit into the policeman and gave him a beastly calling down, swearing like a lumber jack. The officer took  young J*  into the yard to try them on. Mrs.H** came to the door and gave the police dirt. Officer Johnson told Legris and me to shut that woman up so I got up and shut the door. But she went out the back door and continued swearing at the policeman.

The boots fit the boy and Johnson gave them to me for safe keeping. “ I think J*H** Sr. is our man and that he put his son’s boots on to throw us off the track. I’m going into the house again to see the old man.” Inside Officer Johnson confronted J*H** Sr. with his thoughts and challenged him to be a man and own up or his son would go to jail.

J*H** Sr. refused to admit anything and his son was arrested and taken to Renfrew. After spending a few days in jail J*H** jr. squealed on his father. J*H** Sr. spent 3 months in Burwash for his reward.