Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-01-09
A SENSATION.
A Pisniish Attempt to Destroy an Island
Building by Fire,
4 WELL-LAID PLAN FAILS TO WORK,
The Narrow Escape Of the Eilfco and its
Occupants.
F. FALLOURE ARRESTED And JAILED
CHARGED 0y the Police With the Commission
o! the Crime.

Yesterday was most exciting day IN
that usually quiet section Of the city, the
Seventh ward. All during the morning,
Virginia street, in the vicinity Of the IN
tersection of South Penn, swarmed with
people, who discussed the single topic up
permost in their minds with absorbing in
terest and a good deal OF excitement, but TINS
public agitation, great a. it was, IL not to
be compared to the sensation which reign
ed early in the afternoon, when one OF tue
best known citizens OF the ward was ar'
rested and committed 10 Jail without bui
upon warrant charging him with one OF
the most serious crimes named in the
statute books OF West Virginia firing
Of dwelling house in the night time.
The citizen thus arrested was Mr.. Frank
FalIoure, and the building he IS credited
with q desire to see a mass Of smouiIerug
ruins is the two.story frame No. ~ Nlr,
ginia street, owned by Mrs. Robert Camp
bell. and occupied by Robert T. Burt as
q retail drug store A very promising fire
had been Eiudled in this building about
four o'clock yesterday morning, and but
tor its prompt discovery tine house would
no, only have been destroyed, but possibly
the lives OF two people-NIr Burt and hts
acriGred as we'll
The circumstances of the crime, as tar as
they have been uurayeled by the police,
are a. follows:
Some time bstweeu the hours OF 2.3A
and / O'Clock yesterday morning
an incendiary went to the front Of
Mr.. Burts store and bored a small
augur hole in the woodwork beneath
the east show window. This hole
afforded an opening tor the insertion OF the
nozzle Of good sized syringe, and through
this a quantity Of crude petroleum vas IN
iected upon the door beneath the wIndo"
When these little prelImiuur!e5 had been
settled to the satisfaction Of the drebug, he
went around to the east side Of the house,
and proceeding along a narrow aIiey-"ay
separating the building he was DESTROYS Of
demolishing from an adjoining br.ck, he
reached a porch about SKIP feet IN dlmeu
siors which was used a. Il side entrance by
which the rear Of the house might be
gaiped withou, passing through the store.
room.
There were a few articles upon this
porch, the one best known 10 the incen-
diary being large galvenizsd IRON can
filed with thirty gallons OF gasoline THIS
can ant upoa a small box at the south end
Of the porch and at its outside OF eastern
edge, close up against the weather-board
inc which formed the rear OF the hall OF
the building aud over the can. su'pandsd
from a nail. hung an Old chair Setting
down hi4 vessel OF cru lie oil, the hte'bu&
nroceedsd to squirt the oil from his Syr'
inc over the can, the box the dor OF the
porch aud the Notwithstanding adjacent,
until he had made fr5t-cIas7 basis for
fire This done, a match was applied, and
in a second the whole southern end OF the
porch WAS on ire, the big can OF gasoline
being in the very midst OF the biaz'.
It was evidently the intention Of the IN
cendiary. after starting this IRE: t. run
around to the front Of the house, aud stick
another match through the augur-hoIe he
had bored uuder the show-window, but
either the R,e on the porch spread too rap.
jdly. or some chance noise frightened nun nm,
tor he was compelled TO fly without fully
carrying ont his plan. Wh.t ioi,"" I'VE. tn. ,nI
- ,oi5 in the words OF Mr.. Burt, the pro.
" 0T sta his statement being read in the
tE;abt affnrded by the following diagram oil
the grou l5-vIan OF the building: