Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-03-02
Prom the st. Louis Republican.
PACIFIC HOTEL MENTS
Charges Of Murder and Arson.

Horrors accumulate Affidavit was YES
terday morning made before Justice Herck-
enrath, by Capt. J. f. D. Couzins, that, to
the best Of his belief, one Charles l. Taylor,
alias Sanders. together with others, whom
he could identify, had wilfully and mali
ciously set fire to the Pacific Hotel, on the
corner Of Poplar and seventh streets, be
tween the 10th and 2lst Instant. charging
them with conspiracy, arson and murder
warrant was at once issued, and the par
ties accused, Charles Waldrup' Daniel W.
Strader, William Terrence and Taylor, were
Immediately arrested and taken before JUS
tice for examination, at 10 o'clock. To al
low the defendants time to procure and
counsel, the investigation was postponed
until to-day
The circumstances under which the war
rant was issued out, are, We understand,
about as follows:
Ephraim Doane, whose remains were ex-
humed from the ruins of the fire, had
the some of $4,000 in his possession. His
room was adjoining that of Taylor, a lank
partition, only, separating their apartments
At about 10 O'Clock preceding the morning
of the disaster, Taylor was known to 90
to bed. In the neighborhood of o'clock
uC OooCiNCu al OHC COTucT VI walnut uuu
Seventh, in company with sharpe, watch
man of ehotel, and Terrence. At a quarter
past three, he went to the Townsey House,
on Fourth street. without either boots or
shoes, and engaged bed, where he re-
manned until breakfast time When the
bed was made the sheets were discovered
to be considerably stained with blood Elk
animation of the person of Taylor shows
hat I,n hal
blood could have issued All this, in con-
nection with the fact that the papers by
which the body Of Doane was identified,
were bloody, as was also the straw out of
which the remains We're taken, makes a
group of circumstances fully justify;ng
Taylor's arrest. The latter's antcedents.
too, should not be forgotten. Not great
while ago he was apprehended for a robber.
ry at the Missouri Hotel, and the evidence
of his guilt, it is said, would been pretty
convincing, but the prosecuting witness was
obliged to leave the city before the trial
came on, and the accused was discharged
Moreover, report has it that while in Cali
fornia he was found guilty Of a State offence,
and was prisoner at San Francisco. His
| general character, furthermore, is bad, be-
ing that of a gambler, a rake and an ine-
briate.
The man Sharpe can scarcely be suspect
ed of any knowledge of the catastrophe be-
forehand, else he would not now belying in a
critical condition at the Hospital but may
it not have been that he was disignedly
made drunk by Taylor when Terrence and
he were out with him, in order that, in case
= a<ire, the flames might make sufficient
Roadway to destroy the proof of guilt before
he (Sharpe) could give the alarm?
Should the above be substantiated, or the
material allegation be sustained, it will not
be difficult to account for the fire and the
subsequent awful destruction of life.
We presume that the arrest Of Strader,
Waldrup and Terrence contemplates their
being he'd as witnesses. Terrence was in
the third story of the Hotel when the con-
hagration broke out. and in jumping there
from was badly injured The sworn evi.
dence of George NJ Hill, at the Coroner's
inquest. would seem to exonerate DIR. Stra-
der from any foreknowledge of the fire. OF
Waldrup We do not know SO much, but IN
derstand he is not implicated in the trans
action, any further than that he may know
something which he might not be willing to
divulge except on a legal investigations
| That the burning Of the Pacific Hotel was
not accidental, appears to be well settled in
the public mind, and the community will
look to the examination before Justice
Herckenrath to unravel some of the ~ yster.
les connected Herewith.