The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-06-09


Going in after horse met Bob coming GU
with blind horse. | went to the stall from
which Bob got his horse; the horse was groan
ing, but did not see him doing anything
When [ first saw the fire, it was in the wealth
erboarding and was blowing over the top 0
the carriage and curling alone. the ceiling
The horse | went to get was close to the car
rage. The fire was burning down toward thu
lower part. | guess the straw in the stall:
had caught but did not see it burning. i
was running along the managers like. Wher
| first saw it it was 25 or so feet from the
lower end of the stable. Don't know whether
more than one stall was on fire. | did moi
stay long enough to see. When went to the
back doors there was no fire coming out then
Just pulled them open and Harry told me
not to go in. 1t was half hour from the
time we left the stable till we got back. We
walked slowly going down the street and com
ing back, it took us about 10 minutes each
way; 1t is over square to Dorsey's house.
When we ran to the rear of the stable the fire
lighted up the street over by Morningstar S
stable. was not looking over that way;
did not see Dorsey"
Chas. Warfeld. colored. testified :-"On the eve
| ming ofthe fire met Dorsey at Haine's store; he
tapped me ON the shoulder and said, you are the
very fellow am looking for, let's play cards" We
a candle and lighted it. After playing while Dor
sey commenced going on and we quit playing.
to the stable to play cards We went straight up to
| the stable. Did not go the Montour House at all
Dorsey went to the Office and said he would ask per
mission to play, and came back and said they said
we could go into vehicle and play. We went to a
vehicle and Dorsey got in first. l sat opposite to
him. | saw him strike match and light the can
de- he did not light the candle till we were i'll the
carriage, The Office door was open and the light
shone down the stable and lighted us, followed
10 other liar Snf the
rear of the stable. We got to playing and played
two or three games, then Dorsey got to quarrellng
| and grabbed the candle and the money, jumped out
and slammed the door, We slammed the door open
| quick and jumped right out after him., We followed
him to the street and stood there and listened, we
did not hear him. we listened, we knew he could
not take wings and fly away, he never came ont OF
that stable We went down to the street to the rail
road and stood and listened. We could not hear
| him and went down to his house, we could not hnd
| him and went back TO the street We stood there
/ few seconds and heard some one running down
! the alley fast and knew it was Dorsey and ran
! back to his house as hard as | could, heard him
! go into the house the back way and called him.
| In few minutes he came out and looked up toward
! the stable, he kept looking up and said you want
out my dollar note and gave it to me- He was turning
his head toward the stable all the time and as he
handed me the money. he hallooed ''hre! ana
started up the alley hard as he could run holler-
| ing fire all the time.
Gross-examined-War told the same story with
Joseph Swinderman testified - live about II or
Is Yards from the rear ofThompson's stable On the
L
heard horses stamping and paving. got up and
looked out the window and saw II light through the
cracks of the stable, the light got larger and larger
as looked. man ran across the lot where the
new stable was to be built from the direction of the
livery stable toward Morningstars stable, he looked
back and saw il was man, but could not say
whether it was large or Il small man. he ran Il
cross the boards over the gully at the corner and
down the alley toward the railroad. | came down
sairS and went to INV back building and saw fire at
the gable end of Mr. Hers stable that was the first
fire saw. | had dressed myself in or minutes.
Nhnrn 1fhIa l-an
house between the livery and Hers stable. When
l first the light it seemed as if the fire was on
the lie # from toward Zebers"
Crossexamined the witness said II first saw the
light through the cracks i'll the end OF the stable.
After first the light, it was may be minutes
before l the man; l think it was minutes.
When first saw him he was coming over the foun-
dation about midway i'll the new stable l did not
see him jump over the foundation. After | saw
him left the window. | could see MOrninSstars
stable Hers stable was 30 feet above the livery on
the same alley Turning from the window put
pants and stockings i'll couple of minutes ran
down stairs. went out past my wash house and saw
the fire or feet high on the gable end of Hers
stable and the manure pile on fire. About 70 feet
from Hers stable to the chicken house and 90 feet
from that to the livery stable, no building between
Looked toward ThompSon's stable at the same time
flames were outside on the gable end bursting out
under the rafterS Flame was biggest then on slerrs
stable, could not see side toward Zelbers, could
see whole end of livery stable on the alley, that was
not on fire. went in and put on shoes and then
three men came around to end of stable Lutheran
church $50 yards away from Hers stable was burn
ing while stable burnt. After put on my shoes |
went into the garnet for buckets. 1t was = of an
hour after saw the fire on the stable before the
Lutheran church caught fire. The wind came up
after the fire was burning awhile and was up pretty
strong before the church caught. From what saw,
| can not say which was on fire first HerrS or
Thompsons There no wind at that time
Re-eXamined 1t was light like the moon shin
ing when saw the man running across the lot. 1t
it was not dark night. When saw the man he
was running 1t was before the light broke out much
He looked back when at MOrningstarS stable, and
ran on and did not look back again.
j. Daniel Bloom testified II have been confined
in the Jail for resisting an officer. had CONVERSE
ton with Dorsey in the Jail. He said should ques
ton Goodwin Clark and Warield about the fire and
see if they would say any thing of benefit to him,
and if they did and he got clear would pay me SO
for my trouble i'll questioning them"
Elias Squirrel testified On the morning after
the fire, near day. Warfeld and / stood talking i'll
front of Delrs house. Dorsey came up and asked
Warfield What are you talking about About
the fire said Warfeld. Dorsey asked What do you
know ABOUT it." Warfield said nothing. Dorsey said
You had better say nothing if you know nothing,
niggers always talk too much about things they
into trouble During the fire L met him and he
said to me- people all now what God AL
mighty will do" Before the fire while working ut
Mr. Fowble's i'll the last of March, Dorsey and were
putting in pump and we were talking about peo
pie not wanting to give what laborers asked for
their work. when Dorsey said that the people were
mean and that it sort of run in his mind that there
was something going to happen i'll this place some
big thing, and when he got through ms business ne
was going to leave because he wanted to be ahead
of that big thing
James W. White, ex-sheriff, testified When
Dorsey was convicted of burglary, was the sheriff
and took him to the penitentiary. He told me that
Zieber prowling around town to have parties
arrested and make money out of it and that when
he got back he would get even with the ola b.
CroSs-eXamined:- 1t was i'll May, 1877, for four
years." The records of the Court were produced to
Show this fact and the counsel for the prisoner in
formed the Court that Dorsey did not serve the full
time but was released eight months before his time
expired, on account of good behavior.
Andrew n. Stephan testitied:-"1 live on John
street. next door to Swindermam S. Hearing noise
ran to my window facing the gable end the sta
BILE and light and told my wife thought there
was fire. 1t was faint light, just the reflection
ran out of the gate and saw the stable all on fire
the inside. | ran toward Main street and met Dor
sey near the head of John street. he the
street from the direction of Morningsars store and
met me in the street He said nothing said dor
sey the stable is fire, come get on the roof of my
house" The fire bell then commenced ringing
Cross examined Dorsey went Oh my roof. 1t
got quite hot and after while he asked to be re-
lieved and as had other men there allowed him
to go. | no fire any where else than the stable
at hrst saw no M[e az mea[ az 1nat 5ne me
house is about 80 yards. From the corner of John
street on Main to the railroad is little further
over 30 feet When came out of the house saw
no preparation at Swinderman'S with buckets
When first looked out of window saw the refec
ton the light coming from the livery stable.
knew at once that it was fire. The stable was about
50 feet from me- Did not look any time at all put
clothes at once From the time of seeing light to
time of leaving the house. can't say how long it
was, not long moved quickly. l ran past the al
ley and saw the hole stable apparently on fire
down John street and none in the alley if they had
been there would likely have seen them. l was
excited If a man had been standing at Morning
stars stable, would have seen him. met Dorsey
within 80 or 40 feet of Main street. He came from
the side, was in the middle of the road. He was
nearer Main street than l when l first saw him.
When first saw him he was on the pavement. /
was in the middle of the street. When saw Dorsey
asked him to go and get on my roof. He hesitated
a moment and then went with me. The first cry of
fire heard was as met Dorsey, then the bell COM
menced ringing. Dorsey was on my roof for two
hours or more once he said it Was too hot and was
relieved He did as much work as any one else did
Some of the other were relieved just as he was
After meeting him went to my house and gave at
tention to my own property. From the time saw
the fire as L ran up Bond street until the whole
building was in blaze very short time an
incredibly short time. After got back to the house
in short time the Lutheran church caught fire. |
do not know whether other buildings except stable
were burning before the church soon saw fire
all around u.s.
Re-examined Next to Morningstar's is John T.
Anders property. A man could go down the alley
and come to Main street next to Anders' lott
The State then closed and the defense called Jo-
seph johnson, who testified ION the night of the
fire was at my house on the alley near the rail-
road. Goodwin came first to the door and raped
then came to the window and tried to raise it. /
lad 49, l.