Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-11-05
ARSON IN YoLo COUNTY.
Examination Of Edward c. Muil'-He Is
Held to Answer in the Sum of 81 ,6co

/
The examination of Edward G. Muir,
charged with setting fire to the Washington
cannery, was resumed before Justice Buck
ingham in Washington night before last and
continued throughout yesterday. The ut
most interest was manifested in the case by
the people of Washington, as it was believed
that whoever set fire to the cannery could
also explain the burning of the school-house
and other buildings recently in that town.
Officer Jackson of this city. who worked
up the case, assisted by Constable Cantrell,
appeared as the prosecuting officer in the
case. The people were represented by Dis
| trict Attorney c. 4. Garoutte of YOlo coun-
| ty, and |. s. Brown of this city, aud the de-
! Tense by D. E. Alexander The fire at the
| cannery occurred on the morning OF the 18th
! of October-there being one at soon after
o'clock ON that morning, and another about
4 o'clock. Muir was arrested on the 9th.
The evidence in the case az given upon the
examination, Is entirely circumstantiai, and
may be briefly summarized as follows: Frank
| Pntchard met Muir at about / o'clock that
morning, Immediately in front OF the can
merry. He seemed excited or as If he had
! been drinking. He remarked to Pritchard
/
| three or four miles, all around town, and that
they had slipped him right there, and asked
| if IL wasn't as good a place as any
to stand and watch for them.
| Muir then went down thelevee to the Wash
| ingson House, where he was met by Nc
Inerny, whom he asked where he was going,
and AicInerny explained that he mad Just
quit work in the ship yard. Mum told HIM
| he was patroling the town. That there had
! baaD rT1n,arous fires recautlV and he WAS
watching out for the fellows that were out
! late at night. From the hotel he went two
blocks west and then north TO the railroad
track, where he first said he discovered the
fire, and went to the bridge and gave the
alarm by calling Irwin, the bridge Waterman.
Irwin went and rung the bridge bell, and
Muir states that he went TO the cannery
building,
BROKE IN THE GLASS
In one window, went in and woke up Rob.
erts, who was Waterman in the cannery,
aud they two, with another person. put out
the fire. Roberts then fastened up the build
ing, with the exception of window on the
back side that there was no way to close.
Roberts and Muir then went to the Railroad
Hotel and took drinks. They then returned
to the bridge watch-house and sat down. Ir-
win testifes that between the time Muir so
came back there after the first FIRE, and the
!
afterwards. Muir went out several times
stating that he was sick, and was
gone several minutes each time. The |
last time he was absent fifteen or twenty
minutes, and shortly after his return the |
newshoy came across the bridge ard gave |
alarm that the cannery was on fire. Roberts /
was still at the bridge watch house, and |
when the second alarm was given he and |
Muir ran to the cannery. Roberts ran around |
to the back part, where the window was net |
closed, and got in, and when he got to tbs |
place in the building where the fire was he !
found Muir there, having gained an entrance |
some other way.
Roberts had some difficulty with Muir in the
matter of putting out the fire, and thought |
Muir acted very strangely, and finally told |
him that he had his opinion as to the origin |
Of the fire. At this Muir threw down the
hose and said Roberts might put out the fire
himself, which he did, and nothing further |
was said upon the subject The next morn
ing it was found that board had been pulled |
loose on the north side of the caunery that |
night. It was loosened at the bottom but |
hung at the top, and could be pulled out so |
person could go in and then it would swing !
back to place.
TRACKS WERE FOUND
On the ground by this opening, made by
person who had been back and forth toward |
was also traced down the levee and around |
part of the circuit which Muir had taken in !
the night 1t is the theory Of the prosecution
that this board was taken off by Muir prior
to the first fire, and that he entered there to
set the fires, and also went in that way at the
second alarm. After the authorities had re-
qussted Chief Karcher to investigate the
matter the above facts were developed, and
led officer jackson to believe that Muir was
0 ; H. 10 han 10
self iuto Muir's company, and on tie
day after the fire Muir stated to him that
he, Muir, wassuspected of setting the fires. He
said he was running for Constable and Night |
| Watchmap, and on account of the suspicious
he should withdraw as a candidate He
than told jackson his story about the whole |
matter connected with thu cannery fires, and
they went together to the building, when Muir
stated through which wiadow he entered the |
building when the first fire occurred. The up
RI hit partition pieces in the sash were still
unbroken, and only 81 inches apart. The
bottom of the window was over five feet from
the ground jackson inquired how he got
up to the window and through it.
Muir pointed up to a beam over
this window on the inside, aud said
he Jumped and caught hold Of that and
pulled himself through. The oacer noticed,
he says, that there was an unbroken spider
web entirely covering the beam, and that
the web WAS heavily loaded with dust, show
ing that it had long been there. jackson
then wanted him to go through the window
again as before. He at first refused, and then
said he would. Upon going outside he made
several attempts to JUMP and catch the beam,
but could not do So aud then claimed that
there was pile of brush there at the time of |
the fire. Ut was shown at the examination |
there had been no brush there or anything |
else) After getting q block to stand upon, |
and taking off his coat and vest, he finally, |
after three trials, made his way through, but |
not without breaking the upright partition |
of the sash. He was then arrested by jack |
son. Afterwards jackson found that between |
the first and second fires Muir had taken the |
greater part of the previous Saturday RECORD |
UNION out from the bridge watch-house, |
leaving but small portion. In searching |
the materials left with which the last fire was |
kindled part of this copy of the RECORD |
! UNION was found IN the cannery, which |
agreed with the portion left at the watch |
house. Muir claimed that between the first |
and second fires he had not parted company |
with Roberts, but the latter and Irwin both |
| testified that he went out several times, as |
stated, under claim of being sick. The de-
/ PENDANT, it ia claimed, also gave contradictory
! statements to various parties as to where he !
! was when he discovered the first fire. and |
some of which he placed in locations from
which the cannery building could not be
seen.
| At the conclusion of the testimony the de-
PENDANT was held to answer in the sum of
$1,000, and will be taken to-day to Jail at
Woodland.
The EDUCATED HoRsEs-To.night will be
the last but one of Sherman's educated horse
exhibition here. The tent is pitched on K
street. between Eighth and Ninth. and is ca
pable of seating some 800 people. The exhibit
ton is one in every way worthy, full of
interest, and very entertaining. 1t differs
very materially from tn trained horse ex-
hibitions usual to the circus, in fact has few
features that are seen in the circus, but
great number that are new, and all are effect
ed by word of command to the horses and
without biting, signs, straps or harness.
The horses seem to understand every word
their master SAYS to them, and to have for
him warm affection. The intelligence they
manifest is marvellous.
A RUNAWAY Boy sterday George r.
briggs, yard foreman of the Central Pacific
Railroad in this city, received letter from
DR.. o. V. Thayer, of San Francisco request
ing his assistance in learning the whereabouts