Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1858-03-05
The r.e,ae Ho.e. n,.. Mur4e'

The Pacific Hotel Diss ster Suspected Murder
and Arson.
The st. Louis Aet1S OF the 25th states
that strong suspicious have been entertained
that the burning OF the Pacific Hotel was the
result Of incendiarism and the SuperiDten-
dent of Fires, Capt. Cousins. has been ex-
aiming into the matter. The result of his
investigation led to the arrests already nm
nounced by telegraph. The Nezos gives the
following particulars:
It appeafs that Mr. Dosnc, one of the un-
fortunases who was supposed to nave lost
his life by the fire, whose remains were re-
covered from the ruins. retired to bed about
ten o'clock in the room adjoining the one u
sually occupied by d man named Charles L.
Taylor alias Sanders, and separated from it
by q board partition, reaching only part OF
the way to the ceiling. Abou, one O'Clock
on the morning of the fire, the watchman
of the Pacific Hotel met Taylor in the street
and in conversation with him. Taylor stated
that Doane had $4,000 in the room with
him.
At two O'Clock in the morning, Taylor
went to said hotel and went to bed. At a
quarter past 3 O'Clock, he went to the
Townsley House and took bed for the night.
and slept there. He had no boots on at the
time. In the morning the bed in which he
had slept was, found considerably stained
with blood, and no wound was on the per-
son of Taylor. The room in the Pacific Ho-
tel occupied by Doane was in a part of the
building affording the best chance of his es-
cape, had he been alive. When his remains
were recovered, they were upon the bed on
which he had slept. and it was saturated ,0ith
blood. There were other unmistakable indi-
cations that he had been murdered.
Taking all these circumstances into con-
sideration, suspicion rested 70 strongly upon
Taylor that he was arrested on the charge of
murder and arson.
DR.. D. w. Strader, the landlord of the
hotel, was its reputed proprietor, but it now
appears that he had not a dollar of interest
in it, but that it belonged to persons with
whom the Doctor was at feud. He also has
therefore been arrested on the charge OF con-
spring with Taylor in the preparation OF
this demoniacal act.
Taylor was committed to Jail, DR.. Strader
detained under surveillance, the suspicion
against him being very slight. Waldrup the
Waterman of the hotel, was also ARE sted
and detained as a witness merely.
Taylor is described as a good sized good
man. and somewhat noted for his
reckless dissipation. The Neus gives him a
hard character.
Taylor has been in St. Louis occasionally
for , long time, and a few years ago was
clerk for Choteau & Barlow. He was also,
a. one time, Assistant City Engineer, as we
are informed. 1t is also reported on pretty
good authority, that he had been convicted
Of q felony in California, and had served a
term in the chain gang of San Francisco.-
. few months ago he was arrested for an ex-
tcnsive robbery at the City Hotel in this city
but was discharged on account of the man
who was robbed not remaining to prosecute.
lie was SO alarmed that he fled the CITY a
minutes after the robbery.
Ephraim Doane, the man supposed to
have been murdered, lately resided in Chi
cago. and was engaged in selling patent
rights-a spoke making machine, for car
builders. He had lately sold q portion
of his interest and received Their efor a farm
in Michigan and a considerable sum of mon
ey- He lief: Chicago for ST. Louis in pur-
suit Of his business.