Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-07-19

Little Rock, Ark, July 1S.-The town
Of Malvern, Arkansas, at the junction of
the Ho, Springs railway, was almost en-
tirely wiped out by fire at an early hour
this morning. - g
Malvern was little city of about 5000
inhabitants, the business portion Of the
place being clustered around the rail-
road station. All this section was de-
sroyed, only three business houses re-
naming. The total loss is variously es-
timated al from S2OO, COO to s400, 600, only
q small portion OF which is covered by
insurance. The burned buildings in
clude the railroad depot, two hotels, the
bank and all the principal business
houses of the place. The fire is without
doubt the result of a plot TO destroy the
town. The blaze broke out about mid
night in three different places and as
there was no apparatus the fire burned
itself out. Four men are under arrest
charged with starting the fire, and the
people of the town are in such a state
of excitement that there is a strong prob
ability that the incendiaries will be sum-
marily dealt with.
The principal losers are: z. Adams,
loss $4,000, fully insured; Hughes &
McRay, s25, ,OGO, partially insured; w. S.
Cooper & Bros, Sl5.cG0, insurance $S,-
600; H. A. Butler, $4,000, insurance So
OOO; H. Barnett, $500, no insurance;
William Duhie. $4,000, no insurance; l.
NJ. & S. NJ. railway depot, $4,000; R.
/ Cleary, S4.50O, insurance $500; a. M.
Dufie, $4,000, no insurance; Bar Of
Malvern, $4,000. partially insured; j. e.
Chamberlain. $4,000, partially insured.
The report ta3t a negro was lyrched
! proves erroneous. No one was actually
lynched this morning. hut a white tramp
/ came near forfs.ting his life in an endeavor
| 70 flch morey from the excited citizens.
! He remarked in a crowd that for the con-
/ sideration Of $500 he would reveal the iden-
| tity OF the fire bug. He was promptly ar
| rested with the hope that he would d.
vulge the information at a more reason
| able figure. Somebody procured a rope
! and the crowd seized the tramp and pro-
[ ce5Ged 10 string him up TO force the in
! formation. from him.
! But he then protested that he knew
nothing about the crime and begged pit
eously for his life. He and pal were
/ then locked up. Every tramp or suspicious
| character around the ruined town was
/ promptly arrested. Four men, two whites
ard two negroes. are believed to have been
! implicated In the crime, but Il seems tnat
| they went about thsir work in system
attic manner. The fire was first started in
a cottage in the suburbs about IL O'Clock
/ last night This blaze attracted the at
| tlntion of the people, and while efforts
were being made to eXtinguish IT, the
torch was applied to the business portion
of the city in several places simultan-
eousIy. and before the people were hardly
aware Of it. the whole town was in flames.
When the fire had burned itself out the
only business mouse left stardng was tnat
occupied by Berg5r's store. Every effort
/ is being madz TO apprehend the incendar-
/ ias. and if positive evidence against any OF
the men under arrest can be found there
is hardly a doubt that they will be lynch
cd. if not an even more horrible punish
nsnt be meted out to them.