The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-10-25

dAu a SOsSiAAuCAAe SA1ocAAS1, Liza
Pumbly, was in the lower front cell.
All the prisoners were marshalled into
the hall on the arrival of Officers Schlap-
bach and Bull, who were the first police
men to reach the spot, and marched to
the guard house where they were stored
for the night, cowed, silent and fright
ened after their startling awakening
from sleep. This left the building
deserted, and the few personal effects
of Jailer Powell We're removed, leaving
nothing but thestone shell for the fire
to work on.
The fire department got on the field
of action, little delayed from the long
interval of freedom from practice they
have gone through, but did fine service
when the water was started. The Pal
metto engine located at the cistern
nearest Main street and turned on the
first water, followed by the Lees, whose
steamer was planted in Broad street
almost opposite the burning building.
The Hook and Ladder men had arrived
first after the Lee reel, and their ladders
were thrown against the building to
assist the nozzlemen in their work and
to allow their men to get at the roof,
where they set to work to cut through
into the burning hole of the cell.
After the steady streams from the
engines had flooded the room and cut
of the blaze there leaving only the
smouldering planks Of the floor, came
the scene of greatest horror. The cell
door was opened and search made for
the body of the wretch who was sup
posed to have perished to the fire. 1t
was found in the corner of the apart
ment furthest from the door, burned,
charred, hideously misshapen by the
tongues of flame that had been the
doomed mans shroud. The body was
drawn into a heap, the man having
apparently crouched in the corner with
his back to the wall, his knees drawn
nearly up to his chin and his face look
ing downward. The black flesh had
been burned off; the head was clean
shaven by the fire, not speck Of cloth
ing remained and the flesh was all
over crisp and hardened. The firemen
who brought out the horrible sem
blance of man, under Captain Mac
keys directions, revolted at the ghastly
sight. They had seen the furnace
glare from the red hot dungeon; had
watched the long gusts of flame that
came from the narrow barred windows
but the spectacle had not given the i'm
agination the horrible picture that the
reality yielded.
How the unfortunate negro set fire to
the building is not known. Jailer Pow
ell says that there was nothing IN the
cell to kindle fire from, and that to
his knowledge the lunatic had no
matches Or other means of starting
blaze. How he obtained those means,
if he did, is mystery. How the fire
could have started other than by the
crazy negro's act, is greater mystery.
The theory of accident is barely plausi-
bic, and the explanation accepted on
the first blush was that the insane
man had by the crafty ingenuity that
often comes to the insane, secured
matches and had deliberately set fire to
the floor of his cell and made for HIM
self q living furnace Of torture.
At the hour of going to press, the fire
has died down to great extent and the
fremen are still busy about the smould-
ering, partly burned prison. The
building is badly damaged, but not de-
stroyed.