The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-03
j. B. ROBBINS REMANDED
HIS BAIL BOND FIXED AT FIVE
THOUSAND DOLLBRS.

Mr. David Douglas Tells OF the Pow
erful Explosive Power OF Gasoline
Strong Circumstential Evidence
Against the Prisoner-The State Said
tr Have Other Testimony in Reserve.
John b. Robbins, charged with the muir
der OF Matthew Lockline, by causing the
explosion which demolished the Bullard
clearinghouse July "a last, was taken be-
fore Judge Falligant yesterday morning on
writ of habeas corpus, and, after hear
ing, the court held the prisoner in the sum
OF 5000 bond 10 answer at the December
term OF the superior court Robbins, in de-
fault of bail, was remanded. w. W. Os-
borne, acting solicitor general, conducted
the case for the state, resisting the
efforts Of the prisoners council to
have his client discharged. and it is under
stood that the state, if il had deemed it
necessary, would have introduced additional
testimony against Robbins. w. S. CHS
holm, ESQ, represented the prisoner. Judge
Falligant said, in holding the prisoner. that
il was a case that should be investigated by
the grand jury.
ROBBINS ROOMMATE CALLED.
J. A. Rimes, VINO roomed with Robbins
whom Robbins expected TO prove that he
was in bed in the same room with Rimes at
| the time of the explosion, was first called.
Rimes did not testify to that effect. He
said that he did not know whether Robbins
retired that night or not. Rimes saws that
at the time of e explosi he
noticed sonnet thing at tn, door, but
he was unable 10 say whether it was
/ Robbins or whether it was clothing hang
ing on the door, When the witness entered
the boarding house on the night Of the ex-
| plosion, and at about 0:45 O'Clock, Rob
| bins, Tate and Robbie we're sitting in front
of the house drinking beer. Rimes says he
went up stairs and sat up for half an hour
in his room in conversation with Lockline,
| after which be retired. Later, the witness
| got up and went to the closet, and very
| shortly after he came back and lay down
| he saw the fash and heard the explosion.
THE PRISONERS STATEMENT.
John B. Robbins made statement in his
| own defense, in which he said he is per-
| fectly innocent of the crime with which he
| is charged. He says that he retired at
about II 80 o'clock on the night in question.
Tate, ROBBIE and himself had been drinking
beer in front of the building, and at the
| time mentioned Tate went up stairs, closing
the door, followed by Robbins, Robbie COM
ing up last. In explanation of
the fact that he was found
in the ruins with his pantaloons
took his coat, vest and shoes off, and had
been asleep some time when he heard the
loud noise and called to Rimes, and then
jumped for the open door.
George T. Steinecker, the only dissenting
member of the coroner's jury, testified that
he did not then think there had been an
explosion at the house, and does not now
| think So
William Falconer, who roomed in the ad-
joining building on the east, testified that,
directly after the explosion, he heard noise
as of some one running up Congress street
and then south on Montgomery street.
Deputy City Marshal E. J. Kelly, who has
been working up the case for the state, was
next called.
OFFICER KELLY's INVESTIGATION.
Officer Kelly superintendent the clearing
away of the ruins of the Billiard house. He
was instructed by the city marshal to watch
carefully for any signs of an explosion.
When all the top part of the debris was re-
| moved, and the workmen got down TO the
first floor, the witness discovered that the
front part of the first floor was missing. He
| testified that in the parlor a large part of
the floor was missing. A portion of the
| floor in Mrs. Everetts room was missing.
No furniture was found on the parlor floor.
The witness found some evidence of fire.
The table cloth from the dining-room was
in the possession of Mrs Everett.
He also found some singed rats.
In the backyard Mr.. Kelly found an
| empty gasoline can. He found nearly all
of Robbins clothes, which were put in a
| trunk. Robbins made no complaint then
of having lost anything. The wearing APP
parel consisted of two or three jackets
| stained with paint; two or three coats,
| second hand; two pairs of trousers, hat,
| some shirts and other underwear. All OF
these things the witness did not consider
worth s.. Mr.. Kelly testified to receiving
| an insurance policy, which Mr.. Everett had
picked up in the ruins. 1t was issued to
Robbins by the National Fire Insurance
Company for $500 on July II, just week
before the explosion. On crosse xamin a.
ton Mr.. Kelly stated that his first
theory was that the explosion was
caused by gunpowder or dynamite, but
| after Investigation he changed his mind,
aud believed it was caused by gasoline.
GASOLINE AS AN EXPLOSIVE.
Mr.. David Douglas, president of the
Mutual Gas Light Company, who has had
several years experience with chemicals
and explosives, testified that the vapor from
gasoline sprinkled on floor would form a
vapor or gas. Eventually the vapor would
ditfuse with the air and would then become
powerful explosive. The proportion would
be about one part of gasoline vapor to
twelve parts of air.
The witness did not measure the room.
but supposed that the front parlor In the
Billiard house was about IL by Id, and per-
haps ten or eleven feet high. The vapor
from small quantity of gasoline, say
pint or a quart, mixed with the air, would
have been powerful enough to wreck the
Bullard house. A quart Of gasoline would
make about twenty cubic feet Of vapor A
gallon would make eighty or ninety cubic
feet A room ten feet every way would
contain 1000 cubic feet. That room prob
ably contained 1900 cubic feet. Anywhere
from quart to gallon of gasoline, hav-
ing vaporlzed in that parlor and become
thoroughly mixed with the air and ex.
ploded, would have blown the house to
pieces.
Mr.. Douglas found no evidence of gun
powder. dynamite or gas having caused the
explosion. He gave reasons for not believ-
ing that either of those explosives caused
the disaster He was sure, though, that the
wreck was caused by an explosion of some
kind,
BULLARD ON THE STAND.
w. j. Billiard, whose wife was killed in
the ruins, and who swore out the warrant
for Robbins arrest, testified that he got up
about fifteen minutes before the explosion
and found Robbins in the hallway, and
when he spoke to Robbins about getting
In late Robbins made no reply Billiard