The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1881-05-04
NATCHlT0CNES NOTES.
Some Further Facts Connected With
the Late Fire.
THE PRELIMINARY ExAMrNATfoE AND
DISCHARGE OF MCDANIEL.

CONDITION OF THE CROPS LAUaHABLl
DENTs--RAILRoAD NOTES.
Correspondence of the N. O. Democrat ]
NArcHrrocHEs, La,
April "a, 1887
In the hurried account of the re.
cent conaagration in this city, your
correspondent inadvertently stated
that Mr.. Frank Mcdaniel, proprietor
Of the Planters Hotel, where the fire
originated, had been arrested charged
with arson, when he was apprehend-
ed as being the instigator of the deed.
He was absent at the time the fire
occurred, in Marthayille. Pubic ex
citement ran very high on the night
of the fire, and there is every reason
to believe that he would have been
lynched or roughly handled could he
have been found.
From Friday morning up to yes
terday evening, his preliminary ex.
animation was held before Judge
David Pierson, District Attorney d.
c. MISUNDERSTANDING the pros
ecution, and Messrs. j. E. Breda and
j. NJ. B. Tucker defending the &C,
cused. A very large number of wit
nesses were examined, and deep in
terest was manifested in the proceed
ings, evidenced by tile number of
citizens who attended the trial.
The judge summed up the evi.
dence in a very lucid and able man.
ner, explaining the nature of circum-
stantial evidence and its application
to this case. He decided that there
was nothing elected to criminate the
accused, and circumstances furnished
strong probability that the fire was
purely accidental. The prisoner was
ordered to be discharged from custo-
dy. 1t will probably remain a mys-
terry how the fire occurred.
Yesterday some forty-two hands,
white and colored, passed through
here en- route for the railroad. They
were from St. Louis, Mo-, and Little
Rock, Ark. They seemed in great
good humor. passing the time while
here in singing and jig dancing.
AS far as we can ascertain the
crops are progressing satisfactorily.
There was an opportune rain in this
section Thursday night and yester-
day. Great complaint is made OF
the scarcity of hands. Recently
numbers of laborers have left. the
farms without any warning whatever
to work on the railroad. They prob,
ably thought the wages offered were
better than remaining in their com,
Portable quarters at home. They
will certainly discover that the
tempting inducement offered by the
railroad agents are not so renumera
tive as they imagined. When the
expense of living, as we'll as the con
tinuous and burdensome work is ia.
ken into consideration, they will End
that they have drawn an elephant"
rather than prize in life's tickle
lottery.
Last night the City Council held a
meeting and took steps to at once
organize fire department here and
to procure necessary ere apparatus,
Had the warnings which the Yindi-
Gator uttered repeatedly for several
months past been needed, the recent
disastrous confagration would doubt
less have been stayed; however, it is
not too late to prevent a like
occurrence.
Some very ridiculous incidents &C.
Cured at the fire, but I give only
two or three, in order to show hsv
are the acts of men under
excitement.
A ledger in the third story of the
hotel said that when he looked out
of the window and saw the yellow
glare of the flames, he thought Of
Mother Symptoms prophecy, that the
end of the world had como, and he
was not ready.
A citizen rushed out on the front
gallery of the second story of the
same building, carrying a small,
communicating glass, which be
dropped on the pavement below, and
then stood looking at the pieces,
holding on to the railing as if per-
fectly exhausted with his effort. A
gentleman on the other side of the
street shouted up to him, SHOW,
you've played hi, havn't you|
A we'll known and good natured
gentleman, whose business place was
destroyed, aided in carrying a barrel
of oats out of the building, but pu. it
down on the banquet before reaching
tie corner of Front and St. Denis