Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1842-03-24

-.sh "a ,av tbey would have lasted for forty or
| 6Gv wears We're | TO undertake to replace the
nroperty il would be at ronsijei able expense be-
yund my Insurance, and, IL it were offered for sale
a. il stands now. the sale, | should apprehend,
would be seriously affected by the circumstance.
that purchaser would loct to the heavy expense
he would encounter ia building, &c.-doubly heavy
in these times.
In what, then, am the gamer, and what could
have Influenced me TO SO vile actf
This Is the foundation Of the suspicion--what
has been built upon il I'll believe no one holds the
opinion. that, il all the reports that prevail and
all the suspicious tbst may be entertained, were
isid before Jury, they would be sufficient con.
Wet me but do not ask the advantages Of this
mode Of considering the matter-What are these
siaiemenisf
was self-po.sessed. on the occasion Of the
ire Thi. looked suspicious Why might dis
pose nf this, by asking-is II not ahsurd 10 rely
| upon -uch circumstance, as ssspicions when the
| natural course that the author Of the ere would
yursue would be the ofectofion Of oiarm and
anItety7 Bot hos did the matter sand The
propeit, Of very combu tible character. l..
rs p, udsnt man. bad taken the prccaufion 10 In
s,e It To .uch amount, l,roiect myself feor
| very .rrinu. or heavy loss. Thi- one Would PIE.
suu,e. "a. calculated to queil alarm, aad - be
at once, a source of eongratulation with me More.
over. tp-re Vas litle for do. in the way of
b,lstling about the FIRE. The buildings were wrspt
in a imrs in an instant almost. |, however, when
arrived at the Factory. secured some loose papers.
10 the dihce--directed carpet TO be taken from
the loom, which was down--unsctewed The Press
snd took goods. and aided ia removing other
articles OF property.
2. directed number OF persons. who were
about breaking the shesring machine, in order to
take it in pieces not to do soihat il mig as
h. bur hro .ha t.
acquainted with The machine, will understand. An
axe, however, was presently procured. and the
doorway enlarged, rs to allow IL to pass, after
separating from it an iron bar.-This has been
made the basis of an inference. that canfed the
machine to burn-when the Insurance on the ma
chinery, moreover, falls far short Of covering il.
3. | objected to the tenter bars (on,side the
building) being broken down, and was DESTROYS that
they should 6urn!-My reason was that. by saving
them of, short way down, they would be saved
They were torn down, however, and now Of lit
tie value. They were not insured, and is il
absurd to suppose that was anxious that prop
erty, not insured should burn down
Iobrcted too, TO the Dye house being pulled
down --Whyl Because the wind was blowing the
FIRE from il, and was sure II might be saved,
whereas. iftorn down. il would be of no value, and
might as well be destroyed by the FIRE.
S. was ut The saw-ml near the Factory, an
houf or Two before the IRE broke OUT IL sas there
with the haud.--detainrd until late hour. We
ief, there together and parted. when | entered my
own bouse, as they will testify. This was about
o'clock.
6. My partner Mr.. Jonathan DubIe, Il was said
had stated that he could put his hand upon the
that did it," and intimsted that was the
-" msr;' although IL did not appear that he had
assigned any grounds for his st0tement - THIS !.
A.. " cooradct~d by him. under his hand and
cer' ned TO have been con,rsdicted by gentlemen
h, were present Rnd noted bis statement with The
Utmost care See hts statement, E.
was seen on the bridge, near the Factory,
"a, d woman. or according another version, al
th- Factory. an hour or before the FIRE, and.
= ts,v minutes before, man dressed like the man
an the sidgs, WAS seen by NJ Flagg on the steps
of, the Factory who hastily hid himself under them,
and it VA. said, Mr.. Fagg had stated that he
tltousht was he person he saw.-Sse his state
NJ, F. and the statement, G. Of the woman who,
II SAID, saw me-showIng that :his also is an
idle Story.
g. There was small stock of goods and raw ma.
teta on hand and the .usplcion is, that removed
I rm make ready for the hre.-An entirely sat-
i,factory explanation Of this can be given. need
not here go much into details. IL is sufficient to
say, in the general. that, as is well known, had
rented the Factory for three ycars-the lease to |
commence the Is, of April. The FIRE took place |
on TIE 8rh of March. There II good deal Of
u ool on hand which, when concluded ,hatif new |
chains put in, they wo"i not D. completed |
-, the LIST Of April, was -"d and sent of -
The 6nrsh-d goods were taken from the shelves,
lr.,ed. and also removed. The manifest purpose
of s this was 10 work out the chains on hand, and |
Ia prepare the Factory Tor those Who had rented it,
] shall pursue the notice Of these statements no |
further at thi. trse. know Of none others in |
deed, that are not unimportant or pslpaby abb |
surd
Nor shall I introduce any statements from my
own family. | know. TOO well, what little conf |
dence /, generally reposed in this Kind Of testmo-
n.y. and | am unwilling TO expose her name, who, |
alone, could conclusivcIy sequt me Of this charge
The public Is entitled TO know. in what manner, |
in my opinion, the FIRE was communicated to the |
building. | believe il to have been the of an |
incendiary, and that the building was feed in the
cardng room Cup stairs,) or. perhaps in the gar
ret of the stone building. There were two keys
that unlocked the cardng room-one WAS in my
possession, and my partner kept the other The
room wa, entirely accessible, a. is well known, BY
means of ladder that has stood for long time, |
against the building The boys of the Factory fire.
ouenty passed in and out OF one o: the windows of
the cardng room, by the ladder As to the idea,
that IL must have been done by some scquaint-
ed with the room and the machinery IN it, have
only to shy, that it is manifest that any difficulty
that unaCuuainted Win the room might nave
ex pected to encounter would easily have been re-
moved. by an examination, at any time during the
day, as the room was accessible TO any one.
If Ihad determined to set fre TO the Factory is
il MT likely that would have reflected thus -
" My partner, M. Dube, ha. one key to the room,
and he othcr-one or the other OF us may be sus-
p,c,ed, and no will suppose that he did 1t.
will put the fire, therefore, in that room or in
the garrri."
II should not be forgotten, that several ate pts
have h-en made, within the las, year or two, TO
huro hp'idlngs IN the out skirts of tho town, and
in case, property actually destroyed by hee
slthnugh not much loss was sustained. These
things menifest that thees sxis,s, somewhere.
spirit Of reeklsssaes and depiimsnt 20 soy the
ea., of il. that would not stop short Of such act
a. the burning Of the Factory
rest tn. matter here fu the present NAV
no, confidently say, to fair iud ling public that
there DOES NOT sxia any reason tchy his inf mons
charge should be made against mel know with
,vh.t r,Yd,bess we believe evil Of one another
bn, | entreat my fellow citizens to render me jus
tice. TRUST that. fully appteciatng their position.
n. the Judges and raise, the accused, they will
not determine this accusation against me, unless
they find sufficient and satisfactory cause 80 to do.
EZEKIEL SHOWERS.
March "a, 1912.
p S. have M comment tn make upon the SIN
yuI,r statement Of M Jarathan Duhie that has
epp.sred in the Vngin,a Rel ublcan. lSee It IN
.ao,h-r column Of the Garrue.1 leave him IN the
/ Iii IA nj