New-York tribune., 1873-01-08
Az EXTRAORDINARY ARsoY C4sE.
Dec 81, is72

A MERCHANT LAYS A TRAIN TO SET FIRE TO
WAREHOUSE.
An extraordinary case Of attempted arson was
narrated TO Fre-Marshal Mcspedon, yesterday.
The clerks OF Plat Boyd wholesale dealers in win
dow glass at Nos. 70 and 81 Murrayst, discovered on
Monday afternoon that from the snow melting on
the roof of the building leaking through the scute
door upon valuable stock on the fifth Aoor.
tinsinth was sent for, who upon arriving was told
70 solder with lead the apparently broken surface of tin
which covered the outer side OF the door The tnsmth
said that the leak was not due to any wearing away OF
the tin but 10 large hole which had been bored through
the seutte door by burglars. clerk at once went 10
the roof and after examining the seute door walked
over the roofs OF the adjacent buildings to see
IL any similar attempt had been made by burglars TO
force open any other scute door He discovered that
three holes had been bored through the seutte door
leading down into the fvestory building No So Murray
st. Tho first floor occupied by produce dealet anu
the second by william H. Kidd wholesale liquor mer-
chant The three upper floors are vacant ana are IN me
charge OF Mr. Kidd, who had Key 10 door across inc
stairway on 1.-THE secondhoOr landing. which prevented
all strangers from ascending into the upper part OF the
Messrs Platt & Boyd on hearing Of the condition Of
their scute and also OF tna OF hplr sem IN
clerk jacob Beberch inform Mr.. Kidd OF the evident
attempt that had been made to rob him. or perhaps 10
the buildings on fire. MI KIDD said that tneie was
not much property IN tle uPpIt plt oa Ms rs & &
burglars could steal aud that he had no Key @h WnGh
TO unlock stairway door, 10 90 up and
If there had been anything slOen' nr' beo-
erich then told Mr.. Kidd that he could 60 up
through Mossrs. Platt u BOyus 10 ol
buildings Mr.. Kidd accompanied Mr.. Beberck to the
roof k they were going through the store OF Messrs
Platt & BOYD, they were Joined ny Albert r. Hughes
another clerk OF tho firm. On reaching the roof the
three found that the scuttle OF MT klId store
ycS ss be foot U Of the STAIRS long board on the
on the face OF which fastened three cande-sucks
nr the ladder clerks examined the board and found
that pieces OF fuse were hanging around the candles AS
they were ascending the ladder Mr. Hughes accidentally
dropped his pen and in STOPPING TO pick It up saw IN
large ball Of fuse containing at least 800 or 400
Another piece Of fuse started om the foot Of the lad
der ran along the floor to the onl OF the building
res TO the third floor aud thence by tue Dack starway
to the door 0penhs G upon K5d I o tSe eeond and
third floors the fuse laid upon brown tuse-paper
having q train OF gunpowder alons the brown paper
Going back to the top floor. the clerks made another
startling discovery. They found long strP Si board boar
feet in length Tackled the board were several lines
n I'm case Of rain. Filled with alarm, the clerks left Mr.
door eanfed the distance between that and the scut-
tledoor Of Mr., Kidds building aud found that it was
about feet distant just the length oI the DOald covered
The clerks Informed Messrs. Platt Boyd that there
was to suspect that some one IN Ar KIDD
building had laid a train through that building 10 the
root and across the roof TO their warehouse for the
purpose OF setting the latter building on fire The suse
coud have been lighted the door Of Mr. Kdds store
and from thence the fire would have glided slowly, but
surely, up through the building, out upon the roof
tervenin roof the protecting board and thence
down into the glass warehouse where thefe was great
amount OF inhanmable material.
Messrs. Patt & Boyd Informed the Third Precinct
Police OF their suspicious, and Detective Mcdonald was
detailed 10 the duty OF nyestg eating the case on reach
ing the building the detective found Fire Commissioner
Galway and the two men examined, IN company, Mr.
Kidd They found all the preparations Tor hiring the
building described before and also auger which fitted
the holes bored in the cuttledOOrs OF each building It
was discovered that the hole IN the scute-door of Mr.
Kidds building had been bored from the inside of the
building while that In the scuttedoOr OF Messrs Platt
q Boyd had been bored from the outside.
From Mr. Kidds office boy, Isaac Sheppard, age IA, OF
No 322 GOld-st., Brooklyn, they learned a most i'm
portant fact He said that the Saturday before he
purchased qure Of brown paper, and that Mr.. Kidd
had boiled the paper for several hours In an from
ure. paper found beneath the fuse the up
per floors and upon examination discovered to have
been saturated In sapeter The boy also said that he
saw Mr.. Kidd make the fuse.
Detective Mcdonald arrested Mr.. Kidd and took him
before Justice Bowling, at the TOmbs Police Court,
where committed and reDaDded 10 the charge Of
Fre-Marsha McSpedon, before whom the testimony of
which small summary has been given was taken, yes
terday afternoon The examination of witnesses will be
continued today No reason whatever can be given for
the attempted arson, except desire to obtain large
insurance.