The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-18
The FIRBAT The EXPOSITION
Absolutely No Ground for the Charge
That II Vas Of Iasendiary Origin.
ACCIDENTALLY FIRED By fRlIPS
il the Theory OF the Police Omccrs-firo
Department Onseisis DO Net Believe IL
Was Started for the Purpose Of Break
ing Up the Grady Meeting.
The Richmond Dispatch OF yesterday
al the follouiny editorial.

The Richmond Dispatch OF yesterday
had the following editorial:
I'VE wish TO call he attention OF our
esteemed Mckinleyite contemporary. tho
Richmond Times, to the offence that some
! OF its followers we're guilty OF Thursday
night in firing building near the Audi
torium, with the evident purpose OK
breaking up the Democratic meeting then
| IN progress in the Auditorium. IL the
Times would employ against those merry
mlscreants the same degree CT eloquent
| invective that II levelled at the youths
who interrupted Buckner and OFerraii
| AZ the Academy OF Music. 1t would be
| doing a service the general public would
| appreciate. Had the wind been blowing
night before last In a different direction
| there might have been a widespread con-
ragration and loss Of property upon the
Exposition Grounds. Indeed, there miSht
| have been loss Of life also, for as II
was. q panic among tn crowd In the
Auditorium was narrowly averted.
with these facts as basis. Tho Times
may easily warm up It's Indignation anu
nreach a sermon upon order and decehcy'
mich yca aoubt not would be enecuVe
,o- sood with the ''sourd-money' hood
,,,,s Of Richmond our meeting in the
Auditorium had TO contend with Srahu
spectacular display in the shape Oh a.,
illuminated street parade or costuineu
yheelnon, and might wei nave pee"
shared such an illumination as 'nat
,,,ich tho building burned near the Audi
torium afforded
TuE FACTS IN THE CASE.
~ viii be noticed that the Dispatch
makes the deliberate charge against wna'
A. terms some of the followers OF Inc
,r,nres Now. as 20 the facts In inc
case. No one who would fire oul'1ins.
for malicious purposes, Is ioiio"'' W
mo rires The Times never hesitates 10
90 ou its influence against arson, rlo,s'
onarc,,, and such charges as the us
patch makes above.
I called upon Major Howard yes.e'u"s
ona asked him II he had any e'io-"0o
,bot the remnants or puluilb "'"
tho Auditorium were fired lot th' pu.
nose of breaking up the iree-sn'e' -,
49,, 1hursday night. lie said ne SIMPLY
us 80. had been a nre out there.
bu, did not know the cause Oh 'n' IL.
IT, Ia no evidence 10 support the above
charges. -. ,,o headou7r-
,ors ~ the ,ire-alarm system IN the 'Ny
nm A report bod been turned III u'.'e
a.. tho orenen. who helped put on. ",'
,i,za at the Exposition GROUNDS III, ,
.a,o,, stated the fact that the'e - -.
- s,,cn a Gre. that the damage Vas
c,,,au and that the cause was
known ,.,-...,,,o, ~ the Fire.
Alarm Telegraph. stated tna' Wv" ,hs
,n the case led him TO pfileNe -, - ~
a. us not started for the purpose %
nc -, mn the meeting: that man
ia not run so dangerous risA WV"
- v,oe IN audience In large iI'''o
,.',,7,,r ,o,r bv. lie did not peHeN'
-, ,na O,. was rtartod for rnah''o"o
'..,.no..s hut some one carelessiy 'n''"
oi,,oratta or a cigar stump. Wnion III
come way fell into some very eo',ipu
me material. including 4 lot o. su"",
=, ,be nile of debris. 4 very smali hshe
or enark OF any kind would nave s'",..u
n fire I'm that pile OF dry h1uh' 'n'
couse of the fire, in his OPINION ""'
either from carelessness or an aS1'-
dent.
WAS DONE BY TRAMPs.
Assistont Chief OF the Fire Department
cb,v stated that report was turned
in after the fire. stating that the cause
,,as unknown. lie had no evidence wna1-
ever that the pile Of rubbish was sel
fire TO by any parties who wished 10
interfere with the meeting.
sergeant George " Epps, OF the THIRD
police district, was seen last hlght ABOUT
The case. Sergeant Epps was on du'y
N the Expositi0n-GrOunds a. the time
OF the meeting. Said he last night.
Il discovered the fire a very rev mo-
ments after II started. l was about the
first 10 reach the scene. Al that Time
the fire was not larger than u barrel.
| noticed several things to lead me 10 the
belief that the lire WAS not OF incendlaiy
origin In the lower part or the pile
of debris was lot OF dry straw and other
combustible material. NO ram had
fallen on this. and Il spark or cigar
stump would have set ire TO The place.
| noticed that there was piece OF can
vass under some OF the covering OF tho
old building, and there was reason 10
believe that tramps, who follow around
circuses and fairs. had been sleeping
there. Besides, the fire started, not
on the end next TO the auditorium, but
away over near the middle OF the debris.
There was every reason to believe that
some tramps had been sleeping there,
and had left some matches, cigarette.
or cigar stumps. or pipe with nre still
IN IL. and IL apparently caught from this.
| have no reason whatever 10 believe
that It was set fire 10 with any malicious
purpose"
a MALICIOUS FAl& %.
Now, The Times has no followers who
are tramps. SO far as | know. l have
tried hard. from ali authoritative sources.
10 ascertain the cause OF the lire. All
reports put down the cause as "un-
known" and yet the Dispatch makes the
open charge. without any evidence what
ever, except that there was fire on
the grounds at the same time the speak
ing was going on. For that matter all
the electric lights went out In the midst
OF ex-President Harrisons speech at
the auditorium. Would the Dispatch
follow out the same reckless way Of
making charges and say that the free
silver hoodlums turned out the lights
upon this occasion. In order TO interiors
with the speaking? There is as much
reason to believe the latter as the for
mer
believe that both are malicious fal~s.
hoods; all the evidence points to that