The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-27
CHARGED WITH MURDER.
ROBBINS ARRESTED FOR BLOWING
Up THE BULLARO HOUSE.

800 - 1850 49, 80 49,
The Accused Transferred from the
Inflrmary to the County Jail-Many
Suspicious Circumstances Which Led
to Robbins Arrest-The Warrant
Sworn out In Justice Reynolds
Court by Mt Billiard - The Detect
ives Think Robbins Wanted TO Fire
the Bouse to Beat the Insurance
Companies.
John B. Robbins was arrested by Consta-
be Coleman at st. Joseph's Infirmary about
4:3O o'clock yesterday afternoon on war
rant sworn out in Justice Reynolds court
by W. J. Bullard charging Robbins with
the murder Of Mathew Lockline and others
by causing the explosion which blew up the
Billiard boarding house, on Congress street,
on the morning Of July "a last.
Robbins has been confined 10 his bed at
the 81. JOseph's Infirmary since the night
of the catastrophe, aud was under treatment
for injuries received by the fall Of the
building.
a SUBJECT OF SUSPICION.
1t is claimed by the detectives that sus-
picious circumstances have attached to
Robbins ever since the fatal night on which
three persons lost their lives.
The failure Of the coroner's jury 70 throw
any light upon the cause Of the explosion
led the detectives 10 take up the matter AID
investigate it. Their conclusions are shared
by others
The first conclusion was that the collapse
OF the building was caused by an explosion;
second, that a can of gasoline. which was
known TO be under the staircase, was the ex-
plosive, and third, that 1t was lgnlted by
some one, and that some one il is now
alleged by Billiard and the detectives was
Robbins.
THE POPCORN MAN.
Robbins is the nan who had popcorn
stand o. the corner of Bull and Broughton
streets last winter. The corn was popped
with heat from gasoline and the gasoline
was kept in a large can at Robbins board
ing house. Since last spring Robbins has
been unemployed and. so 1t IS said, was not
very flush of money. A few days before the
explosion Robbins took out an insurance
policy with Julian Schley q Co.'S agency
for $500 upon his trunk and other personal
effects This was a clew 70 the detectives,
as the value of Rob ms personal property
is said to have been slight, ana Mr.. Billiard
claims not worth over $l2. The question
arose why should he, a bohemian, take out
an insurance policy upon property which
he did not possess.
HAD NOT DISRoBED.
The next clew was that when Robbins
was taken out of the wreck that night he
was partly dressed. Another circumstance
was that Robbins hair was singed, aud his
eyebrows were scorched almost entirely off.
No one else seemed to be touched by fire.
1t was considered strange that Robbins
roommate escaped from the building almost
unhurt, while Robbins was severely in-
Jured. Combining all these suspicious
facts with other evidence which they Sc
cured the detectives formed the following
theory with regard to Robbins connection
with the explosion:
THE CONCLUSION.
Robbins. being out of funds, insured
property which be did not possess to the
amount of of $500 with the int ntion Of
setting fire to the boarding house so that
his effects would be destroyed, and be
would secure his insurance money. With
this money he could leave Savannah for
some other locality. Nothing was more
natural than that he should use the gaso-
line, of which be had six gallons or more
left over from tie popcorn business Wait
ing until all had retired that night, it Is
thought that he put on his pantaloons, and,
going down to the closet, on the first floor,
where the gasoline was kept, he
saturated tue floor with the inflammable
liquid and touched a match to it, being igno-
rant OF Its explosive qualities. Then followed
the flash and the explosion, and the build
ing came down with a crash.
INCENDIARIsM ARGUED.
Robbins calculations were made for a
fire, 1t is claimed, and not for an explosion.
and he was caught in the collapse with the
others. When taken out of the ruins soon
after the building fell he was raving and
continued to rave for some time after
ward.
Many of those who surrounded Robbins
that night were led to believe from some Of
his lncoherent expressions that he had some
knowledge of the cause of the wreck
When seen at the hospital by q MORNING
NEWS reporter the day after the wreck,
Robbins said he remembered nothing what
ever Of that night from the time he went to
sleep at IL o'clock until he woke up in the
hospital the next morning. When ques-
toned about the meaning of certain
expressions he had used, he said he had
no idea why he used the words attributed
t. him unless it was that he heard the cries
for help AMI was excited by them.
BlDING THEIR TIME.
The detectives have only been waiting for
Robbins to recover sufficiently to leave the
hospital to place him under arrest. Mr..
Billiard was informed Of the conclusions
arrived at, and was ready to take steps
against the man whom he believed to have
caused the death of his wife and friends.
Justice Reynolds said yesterday that there
were witnesses who would swear to Rob
bins suspicious conduct upon the night of
the explosion, and detective said the other
day that he had sufficient evidence upon
which to convict Robbins