Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-12-31

L
You remember the first series o
that bunch of fires was on South Mar
ket street, near the street car stable
The hremen had hardly gotten through
with aud put the engines in the housl
when (about l am an alarm SOUNDED
from box 40 North Nashville. | for
got to tell you, however, that the key
hole to the nearest box (No. 56) to tn,
South Market street fire was stopped
up with wooden pegs and had to b.
picked out by the police before they
could give the alarm. Box 45, from
which the alarm in North Nashvill,
had to be gwen was also stopped az
with wooden pegs. which had to b.
dug out by the police. If | remember
right they had to give the alarm By
telephone. You can now commence
to see the point. Surprising the fir,
department to be busily engaged in
South Nashville putting out fire; the
FIRE fend walks to North Nashville
and in the dark hour before the dawn
plugs up the key hole to box 40. II,
then sets John Smiths house a6re
Fortunately the Chief of the Fire De
partment had sent the North Nash
vile engine back, as soon as the South
Nashville fire was usder control
Smiths house was soon put out by
this engine, but while the Lea wa
playing on the fire the following con.
versation occurred between one of the
hremen and the suspected man:
How did you get along with the
South Nashville FIRE 2"
Fireman-"'Well enough; we pul
it outin q short time to get into Bee
when they telephoned US to come out
here
That's a new kind of fire alarm
amt it? Did it work WelP
Fireman-"It worked well enough
this time, but might not the next.
You will get one the next tint
you wont put out so easy.
This was said in a positive, forced
manner with an ominOus look anC
contracted eyebrows. The conse
| quence was, when the matter and th,
msn's manner was reported to Chic
Meadors, it set him to thinking.
The next night, as soon as tn,
Chief got to Pat Walsh's FIRE and 20
it under control, he ordered III,
North Nashville engines and SoutI
Nashville engines back to the houses
thinking it best not to have all of th,
hose played out at one time Now.
was at this fire at Walsh's myself, an,
| I'll tell you what | saw. | ran vi
stairs with Meadors, and we foune
the door opening from Walshs stort
room (up stairs on the hallway open
There we're three barrels Of whisky
blazing, and the FIRE was burninI
among these alone. Work Of an in
cendiary, said the Chief as soon as ht
saw it. Now, everybody knows that I
ire among barrels of whisky well il.
nited is the very hardest kind Of fir,
TO put out. By prompt action anC
deluging the flames with the biz
stream from the Siamese hose the irt
was put out. What next? The las
two engines had not left the scene Of
this conhagration when an alarm wa.
sounded from box Ne. 40. The Chiel
told me to look at a certain men al
Walsh's fire. | went out to the FIRE al
the Half Way House. Who should
| see standing where the crowd was
thiekest but tie man the Chief had
pointed out at the Cherry street fire.
This | found out since is the man
suspected Of being the fire fend.
What did We have the next night?
A FIRE in West Nashville. What
next2 By the time ,he engines got
back into the houses telephone dis
patch; Shaefer's lumber yard on FIRE.
The By this time we'll spotted FIRE bug
stood grinning as be watched both
fires. Next night the FIRE department
had just got in the house after putting
out small fire. A telephone dis
patch from Shaeier's mill: Key hole
70 box No. As stopped up with lead.
Fire in Shaeier's lumber yard. Whet
next The bug on hand in the lum
Der yard asking questions Of the FIRE.
men again.
These circumstances are all closely
connected, but there are others that
show method in the proceedings.
The FIRE at Mr.. Howell's store was
plainly the work Of an incendiary
The Fire Chief, when asked about il
BY the insurance men, took some Of
them down there and pointed out the
condition Of the place where the FIRE
began in the basement, and the deduc,
tions from what was seen there made
It clear that it was dene by deliberate
incendiary.
What about the Pepdleton,
Thomas 4 Go. FIRE? you ask. | think
that was as self evident a case OF
dendish ineendiarism as | ever came
across. and | am free to say Andy
Meaders agrees with ne. or eli
places 10 this city that Gre would
defy the efforts Of the department 10
put It out, that was the place. There
was deep cellar filed with the most
intiammable aud unquenchabIe sub.
stances, once fred, in the world oil
and spirits, a hundred and more bar
rels' No way to reach the flames but
through a small opening in the front,
where the burning lake Of oil sent nm
solid columns Of flames fifty feet high
the flames so fierce 10 front that tbe
hremen could scarcely approach Inc
building Nothing but the fact thai
that fire was drowned out. NOT
quenehed, ever saved that block. The
IRE bend was there with the same ssr
donlc grin on his eountenance
DO you connect the FIRE on Church
street J thursday night,wi the doings
OF ,ha fire fiend2' asked tho scribe.
Il do not replied the insurance
man, The goods were insured for
81 500, and have heard the stock "a
timated at from 5000 to 800. | noticed
when visited the scene Of the con
Migration yesterday, that there was a
aole burned through the floor thai
looked az If II commenced from N,
stove. Some Of the goods burned
quickly, while others nearer the doc,
are not much burned But that wa
not the work o! the wholesale Gre 6end
l have acknowledged that be was ON
OF town last night"
Have you heard, asked the 70
porter, anything about a secret VIII
lance committee having been forme,
In North Nashville for the purposo a
ynching the Gre fend, II they caugb
him" '''s"
IhSre was some talk Of that kind
and | understand the rope was Dough
70 do the work with, and the lam,
post selected. l think il the 6reme1
had caught him the night they had I,
throw down those thirty foot piles a
walnut lumber, plank BY plank. the
would have tied him to the fence an,
played the Lea hose on him until h
was frozen TO death"
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Mr.. John Sartain recently wrote {
his view Of Mr.. Hsnischs model {
the statue Of Calhoun which is 10 b