Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-12-06
THEY ROASTED HIM.
JOIN WHICH RESULT
YBRY SERIOUSLY.
A Crowd Of Colorst Men Pour Alcohol Over Sleep
ing Companion, and Then Sci Him On Fire
TasCrme Discovered Yesterday.


A practical Joke of a particularly NOR
atrous and inhumsn character was IN
earthsd yesterday, snd at ten o'clock last
nigh, fcur CT i've arrests Of parties impli-
Gated il the matter had been made.
Ii is just possible that very serious re-
suits may ensus, and that the PARTIES to
the crime-ior such it was-will find that
they are in for a good deal of trouble.
The victim Of the gang is Frank Robin
SOD, Of Emira, New York, and the scene
Of the Joke" was the barber shop Of J. A.
Hunt, on Cbapliue street, just south of
Sixteenth.
Yesterday morning Rev. J. B. Jackson,
of the A. 81. f. Church, called at police
headquarters, and informed Chief Del
brugge that a colored man, suffering from
serious burns, was lying in the room in the
rear OF the barber chop, and that be ought
to receive attention. The reverend gentle
man also intimated that his injuries had
been received in a manner calling for Of
fetal investigation, and the Chief promised
to attend to il at osce.
A short time after, Dave Grant called
upon a physician, and told him the same
story, adding that the il aries were serious,
and thst the man ought 10 receive medical
\ AID. The physician at once went to the
/ barber shop, where Robinson was found
/ lying in the dark in back room. There
were number of cOlored men in the
place, and the advent of the physician,
/ being entirely unexpected, created a good
deal Of a stir. Toe doctor went to the
patient, ard found his coat and vest
/ folded loosely across his chest and aldo
men. Lifting the garments to one side, a
very decided 0dOr of burned Hesh was
noticed, and light being called for, it
was seen that the entire front portion of
the sufferers body, from his neck to within
few inches Of the lower portion of his
body, was covered with what
looked like a piece of burned
| leather The covering was a layer OF
absorbent cotton, which had been satur-
a.ed with linseed oil. An attempt to lift
the cotton resulted in the discovery that il
had become matted into the burned tissues
and muscles of the body, and that its re-
moval WAS impossible. It was loGsened
enough to show that the entire body had |
been burned in a shocking manner, not
merely blistered, but the wound extending |
deep into the hssh. In the absence Of
proper medical attention, it was not, az a
matter OF course, in the best possible con-
diiion, and the physician was at once i'm
pressed with the feeling that be had a
serious case on hand.
He gave directions az to treatment, and |
wrote a prescription, and then set about |
ascertaining how the burn resulted. He |
WAS told, in a disconnected manner, with |
eyasions and conflicting statements, that
the fire was the result Of a practical |
Joke, aud that the victim had been asleep |
when the match wss applied. The physi
clan naturally denounced this inhumsnity |
in fitting terms, and then withdrew. He
did not drop the matter, however, but at
once notified County Commissioner Nc
Ginley that the man ought TO be removed
to some place where be could receive
proper attention, and about four O'Clock
wagon was procured, by direction of the
Commissioner, aud Rlb!nson was removed
to tbs County Iafrmary, at Elm Grove,
where he will receive all the attention re-
quired.
A REGISTER reporter called at the bar
Der shop during the afternoon, and made
enquiries concerning the case. At first
there was a disposition to deny eny partic
ular knowledge OF the affair, several color |
ed men present saying they did not know |
Rlbinson's name, although admitting be |
had been in Vine, Ing for two or three |
weeks, and had visited the town before |
A little cross questioning, however, show
ed that they knew more about the matter |
than they pretended, and by degrees the |
facts came out
The story is about as follows.
Robinson has been about town for some |
little time, doing odd Jobs wherever he
cold get them, and sesms to have been /
willing to work. Some time during Tues /
day night he entered the barber shop, |
where be had been several times before, /
snd where he was fairly we'll known, and |
after loatiug around with the rest Of the |
crowd which congregates there, went to
slsep in 8 chair. About half-psst Eve or |
six o'clock Wednesday morning some Of
the colored men in the shop concluded |
they Woald have some fun with Robinson /
by giving him what is known as shot |
leg" That species of practical |
Joke ia performed by pouring q few |
drops of whisky, alcohol, or rum on |
sleeper's leg, aud touching q match to il. !
The result is blue flame, q hurriedly |
awakened and badly frightened sleeper, |
aud generally hurried exit cf the victim. |
To carry the Joke" out on Robinson, |
bottle Of alcohol, by some said to contain q
pint and by others a greater OF less quan
titv, was procured, and the contents were
poured over h binson breast and stomach
while be sat asleep. Then a match was
applied. In y moment the clothing, satu
rated as il was with the highly iDaamma-
bic stuff, spTang into blaze, which reach
ed such proportions as to badly brighten
s,veral a. those in the room. Will
former and John Reiiz. the latter bar
keeper at the Arlington, ron TO hobin
sons assistance, and with considerable
trouble succeeded in extiDguishing the
ire. but not until Robinson had been
burned 10 the manner previously described.
The men IN the room at the time the out.
rage ives perpetrstcd we're J. A. Hunt,
the proprietor of the place, man named
Green, OF Parkersburg, said to have been
the ring-leaCer and instigator OF the plot,
Buck Tyler, Frank Thompson, John Proc
tor and Will Turner.
It seems to have bean agreed that moth
iDg ahouid be said about the matter, and
some linseed old M cotton were procured,
and the bum covered up Ia fuds way.
The man lay in the shop until yesterday,
when he was visited by the physician.
About four o'clock yesterday afternoon,
Will Turner vas arrested ana taken to
the City Hall, where Se YES locked mp.
This was a precautionary measure, az It
was not known Just what part William had
taken IN the matter. Later il was found
that be had Dsea energetic in the work Of
extinguishing the Aames, SAD he was not
included in the subsequent proceedings.
About half past eight o'clock last night
State warrants were issued by Justice Da-
Wis for Hunt, Green, Tyler, Thompson and
Proctor, and by hali-past ten O'Clock all
bnt Green had been arrested by the police,
aud we're in cells in the Lookup.
A time for the examination will be prob
ably liked this morning, and then the eE-
act truth Of the whole mrtter will come
out.
Dre.s Goods Reduced SIS LIS Per Gent.
5Oe All wool Cashmere at S14O