Detective: __________________

Cold Case Files

You are a detective looking to solve the mystery of the century. One of the worst
disasters in the history of the United States occurred in Connecticut during a
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Nearly 8,000 people were in a 500
foot long big top tent when it caught fire and burnt to the ground. Your job is to
gather the evidence and determine who set the blaze. Was it an accident or arson?
Piece together what you think happened on that fateful day, July 6, 1944.
You will be visiting the following locations in your investigation. Begin with the
site highlighted below.
1. Pickaway County Jail
2. Eye Witness Interview: Maureen Krekian
3. Life of Reilly: New Conservatory Theatre
4. American Music Museum
5. Hartford Circus Fire Memorial
6. Police Archives
7. Circus Museum

Pickaway County Jail

What crimes did he confess to committing?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Why was he at the Circus on July 6, 1944?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What happened on his first day at the circus?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What did Segee claim he was doing when the fire broke out?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What evidence supports and/or disproves his confession?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Eye Witness Interview:

Maureen Krekian
Who was Maureen at the circus with?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What did she see at the top of the tent?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What did she see a man doing to get kids out of the tent?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
How did she escape?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
How did her uncle find out about the fire?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Life of Reilly: New

Conservatory Theatre
How did Reillys friend, Donald, get tickets to the circus?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What did his mother yell when she caught them going to the circus after she had told them no?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Where did Reilly and Donald sit?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What did they do when they saw the fire?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What was the band playing and why were they playing it?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

American Music Museum

What does it mean if a circus band begins playing Stars and Stripes Forever?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Why do you think they chose this lively song as the distress signal?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What does it mean if a circus band plays the 9th Street Band March?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Hartford Circus Fire

Memorial
Frank Bradley Memorial: How did Frannie escape the fire and how was she injured?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Grave: Who was buried there and why was one girl reburied?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Hartford Circus Fire Memorial: When and where did the fire start?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What did the circus performers do when they heard the Disaster March?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
How did some brave spectators save the lives of others?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Police Archives
How many people died and how many were injured?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Why did the tent burn so quickly?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
How many people were in the audience and why were there so many people there that day?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
How many exits were blocked and why?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What method of escape saved more people than it killed?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Circus Museum
Note that the poster has no focal point. What does this tell you about how long it took to notice the fire?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
What mood to the dominant colors in this poster convey? How does that differ from the photos after the fire?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Do you think this poster is effective as an advertisement? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Note the setting of the poster. How does this influence your view of the setting of the Hartford fire?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Final Report
Use the information and evidence gathered to create your final report for the chief
of police. Tell the full story of what you think actually happened that day. Yes,
there are eye witnesses, but are they credible? Did they lie? In the end explain
your conclusion as to whether you believe this tragedy to have been an accident or
a crime of arson and murder. Be sure to back up your opinion with the facts that
you have gathered.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Sincerely,
Detective ______________