The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-09-25
A DASTARGLY DEED.
a Hotel Iliown Up because the Proprietor
Rosrscl To Stop Selling Liquor.
COLUMBUS, ONO, Srpt. Ii, 1879.

COLUMBUS, ONO, Sept. ID, 1879.
Westorvillc, in this county, tho head
quarters of Ottorboin University and the
backbone of the political prohibition
party, has just now sensation which
should incarceratc some Incorporate tenn
perance people in the penltentiary.
Four years ago Henry Corbin, saloon
keeper, was ordered to cease selling
liquor in Westerville or abide by the con-
SEQUENCES lie WAS arrested many times
and fined for selling liquor, for proiano
swearing and for all possible crimes, but
he refused to give up, and declared his
intention of staying by his saloon as
long as he wanted to- Ono night small
building, in which his saloon was situa-
ted, was badly damaged hy an explosion
Of q can of gunpowder, which some one
had placed in tho bar-room. The affair
created great excitement, and the leading
men of tho village-prcachors, teachers
and doctors-wcre arrested, and an at
tempt was made to discover who placed
the powder in Corbin's building, but all
to no purpose.
Corbin then removed his family from
Westervillc, but recently returned and
opened tho Corbin Hotel and Saloon.
His return awakened all the hostility
socially, he was ostracizcd. Last night,
at late hour, an explosion shook tho
entiro village, and people rushed out to
| find tho Corbin House in ruins and many
neighboring houses more or less dam
aged. Although there was number of
people in the hotel at the time, no one
was injured except Corbin, and he is
badly hurt, having had his teeth knocked
out, hole made in his head and his chest
hurt by heavy timbers, which fell on
him from an upper story.
Mrs. Corbin, who was uninjured, says
| that from the nature of the explosion
she is confident that the powder was
! placed directly under the room occupied
| by Mr.. Corbin, his wifo, babe and two
small children. Her first knowledge OF
the trouble was the explosion, followed
at onco by the crash Of falling timbers.
The bed sho occupied with her husband
and babe was blown from under them,
bed, were thrown into the cellar, but
they were only slightly injured. She
| found her husband under fallen timbers,
and too much injured to rise. This
morning a committee appointed by the
mayor made investigation, and decided
that the explosion was caused by large
quantity of gunpowder, which was
placed in the cellar and ignited by fuse
leading from the street.
Last night two twenty-siX pound kegs
cf gunpowder were stolen from village
storc, and this was doubtless used by the
dastards who did this deed. Citizens re-
port that just before tho explosion two
men were seen near the hotel with dark
lantern, but no one thought their pres
ence sufficiently suspicious to warrant
an interference with their movements.
|. Tho citizens say that they regret the
explosion, because it will injure the tenn
perance cause; but, although Corbin and
his family have been rendered homeless
and penniless by this outrage, no one
has como forward to offer them shelter or
comfort. The loss by tho explosion will
bo about $4,000, somo half dozen build
ings being more or less injured.