Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-06-05
THE INQUISITION.
PROCEEDINGS BEFORE ALDERMAN
BARB,

BARB
Alexander Lemon, the Alleged Incendiary,
Makes u Statement.
Alderman Barr and the jury summoned
by him-Francis Kilburn, Martin Kreider,
J. 3. Nondersmith, J. L. Binkley, ". L.
Sutton and W. S. Shirk-sat in the alder
mans Office on Saturday evening to prose.
cute an inquiry into the cause of the late
attempted burning of Marckc's tobacco
shed on Rockland street for which Alex.
Lemon and Michael Shallcr, the detective
who caught and arrested Lemon, are under
arrest.
Besides Lemon and B. F. Eshleman. his
counsel, Schaller and w. L. Hensel, his
counsel, District Attorney Davis was pres
ent and participated in the examination of
witnesses.
Before tho investigation opened Mr..
Hensel suggested that as Lemon was
already ommitted to Jail to answer and
Schaller was to have Il hearing on Tuesday
and as these were the only persons sus.
pected Or accused of this inccndiarisu, the
present investigation might with entire
prOpriety be abandoned or at least deferred
until after the other proceedings were con-
cluded. The alderman Overruled this sug
gestiOn and directed the inquiry to pro-
ceed.
Mr.. Hensel then made formal objection
to the jury as constituted and called the
attention of the alderman to the fact that
one of the number. Francis kilburn, had
expressed, printed, published ard circu-
lated the following opinion and false state
ment concerning this fire, the publication
of which disqualified linn as a fair trier of
the case:
The " fire bugs" were out on Saturday nigh
last and three attempts at firing buildings
appointed wOuld-be detective, named Shaller,
encouraged young man OF vicious habits
into the commission of arson. He drank with
ted him in preparing his nef,rious plans and
even gave him the match whercwith 10 fire
the building. This done, he knocked the tcl-
low down with club and arrested him.
Lead us not into temptation " Is our con.
slant prayer, yet pious men C) encourage
smeh Sonny er Sic h. %al M,i
a night patrol on the Now York u Hartford
railroad and an accomplice. recently placed
distractions on the road and then pretended
to have discovered them. for the sake of re-
ward, and they are now both in Jail. Our act
of Assembly provides that any person who at
tenDts, or who aDctS, encourages and cOun-
sells with another to commit arson shall be
deemed guilty OF q misdemeanor: The law
does not cOnstruc this into the detection OF i
person committing the act.
II
lishcd this ; but in response to District
Attorney Davis suggestion, he promptly
declared under oath that he could, never
theless, try tic matter fairly and the in
vestigation proceeded.
Lemons Statement.
Alex. Lemon, being sworn and being
advised by his counsel that heHeeG make
| no answer which which would criminatc
| L;s,colf <acf;fsoH frl1OvvS
"Last Saturday night was at Brecht's S. ..
| loon between Q and 10 o'clock in the eycn-
ing as entered the door Michael Smaller
was standing at the lower end of the bar /;
he called me down and asked me whether |
would take glass OF beer l told him |
would, and called Mr.. Dceblec and asked
| him if he would not take one along ie
did and paid for Doebler's beer ; Shall
ler then asked me to take 4 walk | said
I did not care and that | would so along !;
We walked out south Duke street to North
then to RockIand, and out ROckland to
| the school house there he said let's put
fire to this place--the tobacco shetland
I said it is no use to dc that !; then We
went over the fence, walked back to the
shed, then to the side of the shed at the
back part; he said :" come i'll now and let
us 60 to work - said no, it is no use then
Shaller said, we'll guess ! will go and get
some beer; | said all right > he said,
wait until 1 come back said would.
but he staid rather long and ] came out
again, jumped over the fence and walked
in Rockland street as fur as the corner of
Low street Mike was in the saloon ut
tho corner getting 4 jug full of beer !;
Shaller looked around and said,
hello A!eck, are you here:' l re
piled that was VIC walked out again,
Jumped over the fence, both of us, and
went back in the shed !; then he said let US
set. this place ON iile; Shaller whitfield
chips; Smaller got some lath down and put
it in the south cast corner; Shaler used
his own knife in whiting chips; it was :,
two bladcd knife Ia knife was shown to
witncss] that is not the knife Smaller
used decline TO answer whose knife it
is; l was pretty full that night; made
the attempt to get over the fence but was
too full and Shallcr pushed me over; had
lost my cap when went to GrocZinger's :;
when Sha!ler asked me where it was told
him must have lost it then he asked
where and told him that supposed in
the shed on going down found it on the
sidewalk and told him that found it !;
Smaller arrested me in the field ; he hit me
on the breast that Jared mo back, he then
caught me by the throat, put out his foot
and tripped me, jumped on my breast and
commenced to halo fire; then two other
men whom l didn't know came in; they
brought me into town as far as the corner
of Duke and Vine streets Officer Shay put
tho nippers on me while We were walking
along Duke street and was telling Nj.
Shay how it happened, Mike said, shut up
Lemon or III knock your brains out then
they took me to the station house and l
was telling some gentlemen that were
there Shaller walked up and struck me
in the eye whi.e l was in the statiol
| house."
Upon cross examination witness said
| that he took only one g lass of beer and a
little from the jug with Shaller that he
found his cap on the sidewalk nearly half
!, square from a lamp; that when Schaller
whitfield the chips the door of the shed
! was ajar and the nearest street lamp was
over a square away.
Other Witnesses.
2. Kuhlman testified that Syhallcr
called at his saloon for a jug of beer and
he could not furnish him with jug.
| Michael Brecht testified that Lemon was
drunk when witness sold him the beer
| over the bar at Brecht's saloon and
John Groetzinger testified that when the
men got the jug of beer at his saloon
Lemon was sober.
Henry COPELAND had visited the scene of
the fire the next morning after it occurred,
saw signs of q struggle in the plowed
ground, the broken jug, the charrcd
opI 1oth auI Saw A lIoruon