Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-03-06

were between them at the fire; thinking they were
better protected, left them till last; when went
to them | met the fame and scorched my hair;
my family were all asleep, but got them safe out ;
| the porter and the dining-r room boys had TO pull
| by the hair; my own room door had left open !;
was accustomed to watch part Of the night but the
watch was then Mr.. Sharpe's afterwards armed
that Sharpe lay asleep on the sofa when dis
covered the fire II was making its way up from the
passage to the rear; can form no opinion as to
whether the fire originated in the drug store not;
whole part Of the house covered In with
| boards; think not five minutes elapsed from the
| moment took the alarm till the whole house was
on fire; it went almost like powder; tie fire came
bursting up the stairs, which we're made of light
pine wood; lost all my clothes remember but
| few ofthe persons in the house, was wholly un-
insured; think the Waterman was drunk that night
he was in the habit of drinking deep but was usu-
ally faithful at night; an occupant of room No. l6
| was drunk that night, and did not get home, and
thus saved his life; the front entrance of the hotel
was cut off from the drug store, and partitioned
from it by boards only / discharged two servants
about two weeks ago in consequence Of an alter
cation which rose among the servants; think they
were good honest boys who would not do such
| thing as to lire house did not keep the books;
they were all lost; from seventy-fye to one hun
/ dred persons were in the hotel.
Samuel j. Gordon testified was clerk in the
store; slept there; was first walked by the tramp
| ing Of feet overhead and the alarm above; got
| up and went. to the front door, and saw the light
| from the fire; then returned to my room in the
back part, got my trunk and brought it out; there
was then no fire in the store but saw light out
| OF the back windows; took the hnnk out and
placed it opposite the hardware store near, and
| went back now found that the steps over the
i front ~ tbo ctor he ataira all an
| fire; was afraid they would fall, and SO did not
| go in cannot say where the fire began; first saw
the light in front, and two men were coming down
stairs think the fire must have swept right through
the house the stairs were of light boards, and if
on fire would soon fire the store; we had half
barrel of spirit gas, some turpentine and varnish,
and such chemicals as usually in drug store;
i had been but three days there; heard no explo-
sion during the fire; the fire could not have origin
ated in the drug store.
Geo. w. Hill testifed-Am member Of Birchs
minstrels; boarded at the hotel; had been to the
| theatre after performance; thence went to the
Townsley house, and from there home, in company
with Mr.. Jones 1t was then about one o'clock;
Mr. Jones went up stairs, and sat sometime
smoking by the fire in the Office went to my
room, the same in which Dr. Strader was, at about
half past one A. NJ; there was fire on the hearth
| and in the stove; left no one at the fire; after
wards / was aroused by the barking Of the dog
| and by d.. Strader calling fire; by the time had
drawn on my boots the fire was rapidly coming to
| the room was in; Mr.. Cassidy, also member of
the troupe, was in the room, but got out little
before me; found the flames passing the door,
| and was obliged to rush through them; got to the
street door and kicked at the drug store, being
| told that some one slept there the door was
| opened by person who also propped it back he
then went back presume to his ROOM looked
in the drug store aud saw no fire there could not
say where the fire originated; first saw it coming
up the St irway leading to the rear: had smelled
no gas about; when coming home we met Sharpe,
| Mr. Terrence, and Taylor at the corner Of Walnut
and Seventh streets; they said they were going
for oysters, and invited us; it was then near one
o'clock Sharpe was in liquor, and the others APP
| peared the same; i advised them to go home;
have not since seen Taylor, but heard that he was
burned up; two others Of our company boarded
at the hotel; Mr.. Boyce was not at home that
| night; | think the most of those burned are
| strangers; was at supper that night, and should
| judge that from ninety TO one hundred were at
| supper-more than usual; the gas lit in the hall
| when we came in; there was burner from the
| ceiling and one or two from the wall when got
out assisted Dr. Strader in getting his family out;
| have been in house on fire, but never saw fire
| so rapid; never saw Sharpe drunk before; have
heard no threats made against the proprietor; the
! front hall door was always open before knocking
at the drug store door heard fall at the head of
the stairs, and went up and found it was Sharpe;
| his clothes were crisped and his hair was burned
off; / think I've might have got out easily and
safely if he had not been drunk.
1t appears that the Pacific Hotel disaster
an account of which is given above-was the
result of the most diaholical incendiarism Tie
St Louis News says:
r. al, fo,t.
mates who was supposed to have lost his life by the
FIRE. and whose remains we're recovered from the
ruins retired ~ bed about ten o'clock, in the room
adjoining that usually occupied by man named
Charles L. Taylor alias Sanders, and separated
from il by board petition, reaching only part Of
the way to the ceiling. About one O'Clock on the
morning of the fire, the Waterman of the Pacific
Hotel met Taylor in the street, and, in converse
ton with him, Taylor SEATED that Doane had $4,000
| in his room.
"At two o'clock the same morning, Taylor went
| To the Pacific Hotel and went 10 bed. Ataquarter
| past three o'clock, he went TO the Townsey House
and took beed for the night and slept there. He
| had no boots OF, at the time In the morning the
bed in which he slept was found considerably stained
| with blood, end no wound was on the person Of
TAYLOR. The room at the Pacific Hotel occupied
| by Doane was in part Of the building sffording
the best chance for his escape, had he been alive
When his remains were recovered, they we're upon
the bed on which he had slept and il was saturated
nth blood There were other unmistakable indi-
| cations that he had been murdered
"Taking all these circumstances into considera-
ton, suspicion rested 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 reputcd proprietor but II now appears that
he had not a dollar OF interest in il; but that il
belonged to persons with whom the Doctor was at
feud He, also has therefore been arrested on the
charge Of conspirng with Taylor in the preparation
Of this demoniacal act"
WAKE UP, IDLER.
awake up, wake up, you sleepy fellow If