Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-08-15
ShOemaker.s Wanted.
ssg-A Destructive F1RE-A REMARKA


hubble are respectfully invited aug6
sSA DESTRUCTIVE F1RE-A REMARKA-
sLr CASE OF INcENDIARIsM.- Yesterday
morning. about half past three o'clock, Mr..
Jacob Langfried, who lives opposite, dis
covered that the Hornbrook buildings, on
Main street, owned by Thomas Hornbrook,
Collector of Customs, were on fire. The
alarm was given, and in short time
number of citizens had collected about
The buildings. The basement of the build
ing is occupied by jeremiah Clemens, fur
niture dealer and George R. Taylor, dry
goods merchant. Between the two rooms
occupied by the gentlemen named, there is
ware room in which lot of Government
arms and ammunition are deposited One
Of the rooms on the second story is occu-
pied by S. NJ. Mathews, wig and PERU
merry dealer, another by Mr.. Hornbrook as
business office, and in the rest are stored
articles of more or less values
The front door of the building, which is
usually left open, was found to be firmly
barred from the inside, but this was bro
ken open, when the stairway was discov-
cred to be on fire. There were five persons
sleeping in the different rooms up stairs,
none of whom we're aroused until the
flames had swept over the greater portion
of tho building. All, however, escaped
without injury, except Mr.. Mathews, who
was sleeping upon settee in his rooom,
and who was completely surrounded by
fire before he was aroused. he succe eded
in making his escape with what apparel he
could secure at grab, but was considera-
bly, siuged about the hair in passing thro'
the flames He lost everything he had,
amounting to about 5000, upon which he
had an insurance in the Home Company of
$500.
The FIRE buried slowly, and as there was
no air stirring, the dremen and citizens soon
extinguished the flames, when the building
was found not to be materially damaged,
the fire having fed chiefly upon the con-
tents of the rooms.
An examination of the establishment
discovered one of the boldest specimens of
incendiarlsm on record. The house was
set on fire in FIVE different places by COM
bustible material brought for the purpose.
The doors of the rooms being securely
locked the fiendish sco1udrels threw balls
of fire over the transuns above the doors
upon the beds and upon such other mate
rial as would speedily ignite. After haT-
ing thus fred the building up stairs the
incendiaries came down to the front door
"Here siiVJ tsrO up the flooring, fred the
floor aud tLes,- ..f.vr- s,'s,,srOty -vtsrrTug the
door from the inside to prevent egress from
within or ingress from without, they made
their escape from hall window and dis
appeared Not being satisfied with having
fired the rooms the fiends tore off the plas-
tering and set fire to the latin between the
rooms. The design was evidently not only
to destroy the whole building but to burn
up the innocent human beings who were
sleeping in the rooms, and it Is almost a
miracle that they did not accomplish their
hel'ish purpose.
The whole loss will not exceed three
thousand dollars, which we understand is
fully insured. Suspicion has not yet been
publicly attached to any particular person,
but it is generally believed that the incen-
diaries were persons who designed TO
crafty settled malice entertained against
Mr.. Hornbrook, the owner of the building,
who is at present absent in Cincinnati.-
Mr.. Matthews, when he retired to bed on
Thursday night, observed two men lurking
about the front door of the building, and
Mr. Henry Robinson asserts that while him
self and others were endeayoring to ex-
tiuguish the flames, he saw woman, in
the room occupied, occasionally, by Mr..
HOrnbrook, setting fire to Mr.. HIS papers.
Altogether the case is a most singular one
evtdenciug hellish malignity and des-
perate purpose on the part of the guilty
parties. The safety OF the lives and prop
erty of our citizens demand that the affair
should be thoroughly Investigated:
Mr.. Clemens succeeded in saving nearly
oil of his furniture and will snffer only
such damage as may result from the water
aud inconvenience. Mr. Taylor was fully
prepared to move his goods as the flames
progressed, but fortunately he was not put
TO that necessity.
G9-FIGuTMa Up IN WAsHlN0FoN, PENN-
sYLvAEIA.-We understand that our neigh
bors up 10 Washington have lately been