The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-05-26
LOCAL MATTERS.

1ncxSprAnrxs Yesterday morning William,
dave. hired to Mr. McGruder, and aged about
years, was arraigned before bis Honor upon 'ne
charge of attempting to set nre 70 IN OUT mousse
upon the premises of Mr. Joseph Berry, located on
9Th street, between Clay and Leigh Streets ABOUT
o'clock on Monday evening last
| Joseph Berry, Mr. BIS son, testihed 70 seeing the
boy 90 to the out house. watching him, seeing MN
rise. and fame of fire immediately burst out
The bow then jumped throughs hole In the fence,
and young Berry ran and put the burning straw out
| He found match there. woman and a man saw
| the boy come out through the alley. Inis boy
William lived two doors below with Mr. McGruder
This out house. the reporter would state, was neA'
to the stable of Dr. Andersons, that with IT'S con-
| tents and his horse, were burnt up soma weeks
since.
Mr. McGruder stated that William was very
sprightly for his age and that since this afar nad
| occurred he had resolved to send him into tna
country
The Mavor remarked that he had no doubt that
large proportion of the recent fires had been
| caused by boys and where they were OF respons
| Bile aee and intellect, should Of course be severely
punished In this case, the boy only attempted to
fire the house; he should, therefore, have him pub
| liclv whipped and require his hirer, Mr. MEG, to
give security in the sum of $500 for the good be-
hayior of William for IL months as projection to
| the city.
Jonn, another negro boy, aged about sixteen
| years, and hired to Mr. Herring, OF Adams Ex'
press, was then examined on the charge of setting
fire to room of Mr. Henry Mayo's, located on l4th
street, near the Exchange Hotel.
Mr. Fl. Mayo deposed that John had helped move
| his things into his room when he took possession
of it, and that he had been in and out of it two or
three times since. He, (Mr M some time last
| week, asked him what he was doing there and
was answered nothing just walking around. On
Sunday night last, shout half past " o'clock, Mr
Mayo was awakened by noise in a small store.
room adjoining his sleeping apartment, and
through which he entered and retired by some
one remarking, Mr Mayo, your room Is burn.
| ing up. Being very drowsy, witness lay mo-
| ment or two, when he heard a stamping and dash
| ing of water, when he jumped up, unlocked his
! door and found the storeroom full of smoke, and
| Tom, a negro who slept in the house, throwing
water. He found some straw and rags burnt, and
| the timber of the ocm considerably scorched.
| Thomas Cooley, negro in the employ of DR.
Patterson, and who attends to the rooms and sleeps
in the house where Mr. Mayo stays, stated that on
| Sunday evening, between 10 and IL o'clock, as he
| was coming into the door of the house in which
Mr. Mayo resided, he John creeping softly
! down stairs. He waited fer him at the door, and
| by the light Of the moon scrutinzed him closely
Asked what he doing in there and John replied
that he had been fixing up MIR Mayo's room. John
tool off hat md tines soid to bo
! would know him again. He had on drab jacket
| ne believed, and went towards the Exchange
| This was a few minutes before the fire broke out
| in Mr. McAllister's shop on Franklin street. Wit
| ness then went up stairs, smelt the smoke, went
| into Mr. Mayo's store.room, found the trash in
| there on fire, called to Mr. Mayo, then stamped on
the fire to put it out, and finally threw water over
it. He then came down stairs to look for the boy,
but could not see him.
Mr. Isaac II Marrow testified, that about 9H o'crk
on Sunday evening, while talking on the steps of
the Exchange Hotel with some friends they OBJ
served this negro John, who worked in the Express
Office, peculiarly dressed, playing ia front with
dog He had straw hat and long skirted coat
and shirt open. One of the party said he looked
like parson, and asked the boy to go with them.
upon them and did not go out of their sight until
about five or ten minutes before the fire broke out
| on Franklin street and the alarm was given.
| The Mayor stated that the conduct of the boy in
and around Mr. Mayo's apartments was suspicious,
and besides an alibi was not clearly made out-he
should therefore, send the boy on for trial before
| the Hastings Court in June next In the meantime
| he would require security in the sum of $500 for
future good behavior and appearance at court The
security had not been given when our reporter left
court
| free negro named Charles Scott, apprenticed
| to Mr. Samuel D. Denoon by the Hastings Court
| some three years since, was then examined on the
charge of setting fire to the foundry OF mr DeIoon,
on Main street, 9th street, on Sunday evening
| last.
| Mr. Denoon stated that his daughter gave Charles
a pass to 60 to st 2auls Church on Sunday even.
| ing between and o'clock. Soon after the alarm
| of fire sounded, caused by the burning of Mr. DIS
foundry, Mr. Denoon who was at h Jme with a sick
child, went towards his foundry and at the door
| found Charles He asked him why he did not
come and let him (Mr D. know of tine FIRE, aad was
told that he was at Mrs Aliens when the alarm was
given, and ran to help get the engine, of which ne
| was q Observation-Disclosures O-Cut, ana 10 aid IN put.
ting the fire out. Mr. d. then went round to the
back door of the smith chop, in the rear of the
store and there had his attention called to paddock
which fastened the door of the smiths shop which
gave admission to the foundry, ana which hung
upon the door unlocked but not forced open. He
had seen this paddock locked Saturday night,
and On going to the place where the key hung in
mis- own dwelling, he found it there So that The
lock had been opened by some other key.
The entrance to the yard was very difficult and a
high fence had to be leaped, SO that person must
be very well acquainted with the premises in order
to get into the yard He then left Charles TO assist
another boy named Robert to c an OF some CRATES,
wet with the water, and went Oft Soon after the
| alarm sounded for the fire which broke out in Mr
McAlister's shop, and on going back to his foundry
he learned from Robert that Charles off to the
fire as soon as tbs bell rung On his return, wine n
questioned as to his Absence he replied falterngly,
that some one had called him to SO, which Robert
said was not the case Next day MIR Bosher called
| n l., or3ar m from Charlaa "a kev 10 n.