The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-07-01
INCENDiARIsM
Attempt 10 Burn the vieksburg House.
Michael Mccarthy Arrested for the
OGensc and Held 10 Hail lbs the Sum
of ~. 900.

Oarnsc aud Held {" Hail {" the So"
of 1000.
The alarm Of fire given Wednesday
morning. between and . o'clock. was
occasioncd by the discovery of fire In the
basement of the Nicksburg House. on
Commercial avenue.
The fire was first seen by three young
men, boarders at the Nicksburg, who
were returning home. Upon investiga-
ton il was found that the house had
been fired in two places. on the north side
and front of the building. with pine and
cypress wood, saturated with carbon oil.
The Young men had, 1t seems, few min
utcs before. walked up Ohio Lcvee. aud
when opposite the saloon of Michael Nc
Carthy. the divorced husband ofthe pro-
piictrcss OF the Nicksburg House. saw
Mccarthy come ont OF his house with a
bundle under his arm. and start mp the
lcycc.
One of the party, knowing the ill-fecl-
ing that exists between Mccarthy aud
his former wife. suspicioned that all was
not right. and the three determined TO
watch his actions. They walked ont TO
the Illinois Central railroad track, think
Ing hat Mccarthy would shield himself
If he detected their intention. and allowed
him to get some distance ahead OF them.
when they started after him
They saw nothing more of him until
the corner Of Twelfth street aud the lc-
wee wa, reached. when they discovered
Mccarthy standing Oh Twelfth. in the
shade of llulcn d Wilson's commission
house. They paid no attention TO him.
aud walked on up the lcvcc, with the pre-
tense that they had not seen him. to
Fourteenth street. and turned down to
Commercial avenue.
When they arrived at the corner. OPP
pO.lte Fitzgerald saloon, on CONNER
cial, they stopped and renamed few mo-
mcni-, and while standing there. one of
the party saw the flames issuing from two
different parts Of the house. They ran
down and put out the fire, and while try
ing to cXtinguish the flames were Joined
by officer ~chuster.
The young man who had first noticed
Mccarthy come out of the house, cx-
planned to the officer that lac believed he
was the party who had done the deed.
and they started in pursuit Of and came
up with him on the corner of Twelfth
and Commercial. When he was arrested
on the lcyec, after the fire was discovered
and put out. lie had no bundle with him.
aud it j. the general belief that the pack
which he carried when he left his house,
contained the pine and cypress wood with
which the fire had been kindlcd.
He asked them where the fire was. as
If IN ignorance OF it, whereabouts. The
officer was requested by the young man
10 search Mccarthy after he had been ar
rested. which lac did. and relieved him of
pair oil brass knucklcs and billy"
He was taken TO the lookup for the night
and arraigned before Judge Bird yester-
day afternoon for carrying concealed
weapons fined five dollar. and discharged.
Sheriff Irwin. however, worked the
matter up, and after taking some of the
wood that had been used "a kindlinc to
set fire to the house. and comparing it
with kindling found in Mccarthy house
on the levee, he came To the conclusion
that Mccarthy was the man who had at.
tempted 10 burn the Nicksburg Hotel.
and arrested and had him tried before
Judge Bross, when evidence to the effect
of the story told above. was elected from
the witnesses.
The evidence for the defense, was
almost a. bad against Mccarthy rs that
advanced by the prosecution, and he was
held to trial in the sum of two thousand
dollar, to answer the charge at the next
term Of the circuit court. He was con-
fined in the county jml in default of bail.