The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-08-03
A 'FIliIEN,Dl.IsH PLOT.
BuRs a ATssEME.lN1
In New York cIty-oyer Titty Livea Eadan'
rsrsd-rhs preparations Made to Fire
tho House-rhe Fire smother saii
highland piseoyersd Just In Time. !

NEw YoRK, August 1-lntormation o.
an elaborate incendiary plot was sent u
police headquarters to-day by Chiei
Kehoe, Of the Tenth Fire Battalion. The
fiye.story tenement, No. 20 Canal street,
was found to be mined and prepared In
the most thorough manner with powder
trains, fuse and shavings, soaked in al.
cohol for nocturnal blaze which would
have imperilled half a hundred lives. The
plot miscarried by accident. The proprie.
tor Of a barber's saloon on the frat floor,
an Italian named Franz Sciacca, had fed,
and Is hunted by the police as the proiec-
tor OF the crime. u
The house No. 26 Canal street stands on
the corner Of Rutgers street. SIX families,
counting in all nearly half q hundred
members, occupy the four floors above
the BARRIERS shop, and in the Gel Slat Is
the soda water factory Of Samuel Cohen,
who lataly moved in from Market street.
The barber Sciaeca, or Frank Lilly, as be
was called in the neighbofhood, has been
a tenant in the house only o few months.
He fixed up the shop In frs.-rate style
when he moved in, and did a good busi-
ness. It Is not known for how, much his
stock was insured, but the sum must have
been considerable to tempt him 10 the
crime OF which he stands accused. No
other motive can be imagined. Joseph
Carrbella, bootblack, WHO had stand
in the barber shop, was in the habit OF
closing up the place and went 10 do 80 last
night. Contrary toexpectation, he found
Sciacca etill in the shop, busily at work
sharpening his razors. He said that he
himself would shut up shop. The barber
went In and shut the doors. Itwas nearly
ten when the housekeeper, happening 70
look out, saw him go away.
It was a bright day, and the neighbor.
hood had begun TO stir this morning when
the bootblack came TO begin his days
wort. Policeman John Smith, standing
on the opposite corner, saw Carribella
heekoning excitedly 70 him, and hastened
across to see what was the matter. Smoke
was putfiog through crack IN the fan.
light over the deor Of the barber shop.
/ TIE DISCOVERY.
The door vas locked, but with power
full kick the officer smashed IL in. Just
inside the Canal street door lay heap Of
bran dust, that proved to have been the
filing Of a pln-cushion shaken out and
soaked through with alcohol. The end
Of a long sheet Of muslin that hung from
a baIber's chair standing near almost
touched the heap. The sheet ran along
and across the line OF four chSirs, touch
ing and connecting with four others that
we're looeed over the lookingglasses and
the cup.racks on the wall, 80 as 20 expose
every particle OF the light woodwork TO
the flames. Between the chatrs were
heaps OF shavings, across and through
which the fire ran. At the angle in the
wall II burned aud was led toward the
Rutgers street front, across piles OF
cruripled paper in the washstands to
a chair standing alone In the coraer OF
the room, around or about which Il
was hoped to make sure that there should
he no miscarriage. Even-a baby's chair
standing by and cane-bottom chair were
not forgotten, Towels that had been
soaked In alcohol had been hung upon
UPON tilHE1. l9h kAS AfASASN9AS0 sS%stf1h
every one OF the five chairs towel sihi-
larly treated had been spread. An empty
gallon demijohn that stood upon the table
In the middle Of the room, and four half
gallon tin cases also empty on the floor,
testified TO the amount Of spirits wasted in
the attempt to make the fire. They had
al contained alcohol. Abott!e Of kerosene
had NOT bean touched. Had Us contents
been used nothing could have saved the
buildings or the lives Of the innocent
sleepers overhead. The alcohol eyapor-
ated too quickly in the close atmosphere
OF the hot room, leaving only the water
behind, aud the saw-dust in the pin:
cushion did not fash up as designed, but
smouldsred all through the light with
much smoke and no flames. So convinced
was the incendiafy probably Of It's rapid
action that upon applying q fuse TO the
heap he shut the door and hastened away
as quickly as his legs could carry him,
fearing to turn back even for q look.
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