The daily gazette., 1882-06-10
COMMITTED FOR ARSON.
Fannie Smith Given Hearing and Sent
to Jail Without Bail by the Mayor.

| TO jail without Bail by the Mayor.
| Fannie Smith, the young colored girl
arrested for attempting to burn the kitchen
of James Todd, No. 907 West Ninth street,
was given hearing before the Mayor last
night. A number of witnesses were ex-
amined and the details of the arrest were
| given with the addition of a few points of
| Importance, one of which being that some
one was with the girl In Todd's yard, thus
eorroboratmg the story in measure that
she told GAZETTE reporter on Thursday
| morning. The substance of the testimony
was as follows, which was about the same
as published Thursday afternoon
| James Todd identified the prisoner and
| told how he ran out In the yard to catch
her. when notified by his neighbors, the
| Pyles, that some one was setting fire to the
house.
Robert Pyle thought some one was prowl-
ing around his house, walked out and went
down his back yard. Hearing the commo-
tion made by Fannie's flight he jumped
| over the fence and helped to catch her. To
avoid capture she ran through the puddle of
| water In the lot three times. He found
| three burnt matches and tin corn can con-
tanning coal oil, with a piece Of brown paper
| In it outside the back gate.
Samuel Pyle, son Of the above witness,
| saw man and woman in the yard. He
woman was noticed to bend over and pour
something on the side of the kitchen. She
then struck match, and he saw her face
plainly and identified the prisoner. lie nOti-
fed the Todds that an attempt was being
made to fire their house and chase was
made. The capture was described.
Mrs. Mary Pyle saw two persons standing
in Todd's yard and watched their move
ments. She could not tell with certainty
whether there were two or three persons in
the yard, but they came up and stood III the
corner and then were seen to lock the front
gate. She saw the light when the match
was struck, but did not see the striking
She called her sons and they and her nus
band assisted in the chase after the girl.
Fannie had lived with the Todds during
March and was not dismissed for cause,
though after her departure some articles
were missing.
Isaac s. Baird of No. 003 West Ninth
street, who also figured in the pursuit,
found coal oil in can in the yard standing
up straight which he thought was an evi-
dence that the girl had accomplices, for If
dropped while running, it would have upset
and spilled the oil. THE cam" he said,
must have been put there by some one before
the girl put the match to the boards.
Officers O'Neill and Bernhart detailed
their examination of the premises on We'd
nesday night, and the finding of the can
with oil and the girls straw hat, and also
the unsuccessful hunt for her accomplices.
The officers and one other witness declared
decidedly that an attempt had been made to
lire the Kitchen and that the boards had been
burned in two places.
A colorcd lad named Dumpsey was present
at the hearing having been suspected as one
of the three colored men, who, according to
Fannie's story, induced her to commit the
deed. The prisoner could not identify
Dumpsey, although she stated on Thursday
that she could recognize the three mysterious
blacks If she saw them again.
Arson was defined to the girl and the
penalty known to the pris-
oner, who was committed to jail without
bail An effort viii be made to secure the
three unknown characters, whose names
have been given to the officers.