The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1851-08-14
RES, VOL 2 NO 20.
tablishment. be Alta California sars:

the Alta California Office, was blown up, but
It did not stop the flames The jackson
House and Lafayette Restaurant and build
ings in the rear were all on fire at once, and
the flames were at the same tine enfolding
the wooden building formerly called the St.
Charles, which stood between the Alta Office
and the fire proof Bella Union. Thus sur
rounded and enYeloped in flames, all our eff
forts to beat back the DESTROYER were vain.
With plentiful supply of water and fire
engine, in addition to two force pumps of our
Owl, wewere perfectly powerless Yeta do
zen men contended long and manfully, risk
ing their lives and doing all that men could
do, but in vain. Then, and not till then,
they left, when they could no longer breathe
within the building, and rushed through Gin
dcrs, sheeted fame and dense smoke to the
Plaza. Here most melancholy sights met the
view A large portion of the goodsremoYed
/ there for safety were on fire and totally con
sumed Among them was much of our own
/ stock of stationery and material. But more
horrible than all, two or three corpses-one
of aman who was moved on account Of sick
ness, in his bed, tothe square, and there died
while the fire was raging
The following are additional items of in
terest concerning this calamity:
From the evidence collected yesterday, we
are satisfied that the fire of Sunday was the
deliberate work of an incendiary. Nor was
this the only attempted the kind made during
the day. We have heard of four different
places to which fire was applied while the fire
was raging IN the upper part of the town,
VIZ: Pacific street wharf; cigar store next
J to Marvin & Hitchcock s, in Montgomery St;
a house in Sacramento street, and one on
: Kearny street The gang, it seems, were de-
tailed on duty in different parts of the CITY,
!, so that the destruction might be total and the
ruin overwhelming. Had the attempts in
Montgomery Sacramento streets been sue
5 cessful, all the eastern and southern portions
9 of the city, which have fortunately escaped,
? would have been swept before the flames be-
Iyond the possibility of redemption. These
incendiary attempts, aside from their fendish
malignity, display degree Of recklessness,
considering the excited state of the public
mind, and the consequent risk if detected,
that is positively astonishing The halter
would be almost too mild punishment for
him who should be Enthusiastically detected in
such an act. The crime of arson in this city
is more heinous than even murder; for, be-
sides the immense destruction of property,
? and the suffering to thousands arising there
: from, it presupposes, and thus far has invari-
:. ably been accompanied with, great loss of
r life. But unfortunately it is crime which
= is very difficult to detect
y DIR. Delyah, French physician, residing
" on Pacific street, nearly opposite the Polka,
discovered his premises on fire in the rear,
to long before the fire had reached it from the
70 adjoining buildings, when he was shot in the
j heel with a pistol ball, probably by the in
y cendiary.
g A Mexican was discovered carrying off a
d. bale of goods from Washington street, when
ar he was seized by the owner and ordered to
lay down the goods. This he refused to do,
!, when number of persons around threw him
u down and literally stamped him to death.
lg The thanks of the citizens of San Francis
Q, co are due to Lieut.. MCGOWAN, of the reve-
IN nue. cutter Polk, who, with twenty-five men,
r. labOred manfully in combating the flames on
- Washington, Stockton and jackson streets.
a. Mr.. Wilcox, of Connecticut, was murder
on ed at the Kanaka Greek by the Indians
ne A lump of pure gold worth 50, 14O was
he picked up a short time since at SCOTS Bar
n Sixty tons of quartz have been shipped to
Europe by Messrs La Grave & Co., of Gras:
to Valley, for the purpose of having it tested
nd by machinery.
ed The Committee of Vigilance seems to b
he extending its operations. The followingis az
DIV account of its doings, given by the San Fran
cisco Herald:
5& They now number over four hundred o
to the best men in the city One-fourth of thi
force is constantly on duty, day and night
and particular member seems TO have devote,
&c himself to the discharge of his duty with al
- enlightened zeal that has produced the mos
IT surprising results. The testimony alread
;oJ collected fills large volume, and has occu
t;H pied the exclusive attention of one man i
=, transcribing. The committee commence
with making notable and severe example
vas 1t had the effect of proving that they were
,o+ earnest IN the prosecution Of the work the
~ had undertaken. Since that time they hav
ac99 been employed in bringing to light the var
- GUS places Of resort of the criminals still &
,a1 large. A large number of those cribs,
a,,o they are called, have been discovered, and a
: i ter being duly warned, have been closed.
an The keeper of one of these establishment
49,, notorious individual named Hetheringtol
.o,I+ whose house was known to be den whel
5oi scoundrels of every description congregatet
81 was warned by the committee to leave tt
sot country in FIVE days. He disregarded the n
f ~ tice, and when his leave expired appeared
49, termined to hold out against the viii of Il
a;e9 committee Immediately detachment VI
.,nS despatched to arrest him, & about IL o clOC
40 yesterday morning he was taken from Il
toI midst of his associates, having offered no I
: - sistance, to the room of the Committee
ame Vigilance Here be was formally tried, al
: of the proof being positive, it was decreed tn
tbe he should leave the country 1t is unneee
vim sary to say that measures are being adopt
the to put the sentence in execution. Hetherin
han ton, who apprehcnded some penalty less mil
3 in seemed not dissatisfied with the decree. {
trov his person quantity Of jeWelry was foun
hos and we understand he has told policem
that before leaving he will make disclosul
nod which willimplicate persons against whom
.aJs suspicion is now harbored. OF course t
az accusations of such character must be tax
ear with much caution, but they may lead to soI
hem important discoveries. nevertheless,
'arts The rniners about Trinidad are ayeragi