Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-03-05
INVESTIGATE THE FRI.
Zoo Serious a Matter to Be Dismissed
With a Sheer.
The Ascertained Facts are More
Than Suspicious: They Point TO
Arson and Murder - Only a
Thorough Enquiry will Satisfy the
Public The circumstances AGAIN
Reviewed.


serious q matter 10 be dismissed with
sneer. q smile. or an assumption of ac-
cident built upon false premises and I'M
proper conclusions.
The Register is not in the business OF
compiling accusations. but regards the
strange fatality which has cast something
Of horror over the community o. too
serious a. matter for either jest or sum-
mary dismissal.
The Register did not cry out that
crime had been committed, but said that
all the facts and evidence in the case
pointed TO this conclusion. despite the ef-
forts Of a few people to make it appear
otherwise.
As narrated in yesterdays Register, the
circumstances concerning the oil on the
floor the location of the pipes, the spot
where the fire originated, are all fae.s
that cannot be controverted either by lack
of apprehension or falsehood. In view Of
these evidences and circumstances OF
mystery surrounding the affair. the Reg
lister fees it its duty TO again call public
attention to them. so that an earnest and
searching legal Investigation may be made.
This is the general opinion, and the In
teligoncer. instead Of trying TO cover up
facts. should assist i'm urging that the
Prosecuting Attorney instruct the Coroner
to proceed win an Investigation.
The theory that Henderson and his son
set fire to their own bed by smoking Is
neither probable nor reasonable. Grant
ing. even, for the sake OF argument that
Henderson or his son had fallen asleep
with cigar or pipe i'm their hands and
the ashes had set the bed clothing In a
blaze. then The fire would have originated
at the head Of the bed instead of at the
loot; Henderson and his son rarely
smoked anything i'm the room but their
pipes. and even the Inteliigencer admits
that when Brady came into the room he
saw Henderson sitting before the fire In
the CRATE smoking a pipe The location
of the pipes when found after the fire, is
pretty substantial proof that he did not
carry it to bed with him. The attempt TO
make Henderson out a drunkard because
he is alleged TO have drank five glasses OF
beer day. is also lamen,ably ridiculous.
But the boldest piece of misrepresentation
that has occurred in the annals of local
journalism for some time I'm the attempt
reporters statement in regard TO the in
terview with James Brady. one Of the
victims of the fire. Mr. Brady was seen
yesterday afternoon by a Register report
er. and stated that he was ready 10 sign
his name to a statement denying the truth
of the assertions put i'm his mouth by the
IuteIigencer. He stated positively that
the statements credited to him I'm the al
loged interview were twisted and gar
bled. Mr. Brady said that while he could
no, believe that any person would COM
mit such crime yet all the facts pointed
10 the idea that one was committed He
said he did not believe that Henderson or
his son set fire to their own bed by smok
ing. His reasons for this belief were
sensible and quite clear. He stated, in the
first place that he knew that the fire
started from the foot OF Henderson's bed,
as the fire was all located there when he
was awakened. The foot of Henderson's
bed was about four feet from the side Of
his own bed-romething over the width Of
the hall door. which opened between them.
Brady described that when he was awak-
encd and saw the fire blazing at the foot
board Of Henderson's bed, and saw the
room filed with smoke, he threw the
covers off of him and over the fire, step
ping on the covers in his bare feet. and
got out into the centre Of the room with-
out being burned. lie called to Hender-
son, and went over to the side OF Hender-
sons bed and shook him thoroughly TO
arouse him, and told him that the house
was on fire. Henderson and his son were
both sleeping souudiy. and because of this
fact. Brady strongly believes that neither
Henderson nor his son were ever burned
while I'm bed. He believes that they were
both burned by cropping through the
smoke in the room while attempting to
get out In answer to Brady's cry Of dam
ger Henderson called out for Brady to go
ahead and he would get ont himself
Brady succeeded IN getting out of the
room. after getting lost and being render
ed nearly unconscious by the smoke. He
went down stairs and after rousing the
rest Of the household. ran back up the
stairway through the front room and into
the room where Henderson and his son
still were. He found Henderson crawling
on the floor with his son claspcd i'm his
arms. He got them both ont finally. but
was burned himself while doing so. Brady
also corroborated the statements Of others
about oil being found on the floor and said
the proof of this was uumistakable.
The denial of this fact by the Intell-
eeucer and the attempt TO compare the
odor of carbon oil with the chemicals used
by the department is also something that
amazes people generally particularly
those who know something about the diff
ference between the two fluids and those
who knew enough TO go i'm the room where
the fire was and see for themselves. In
the first place. the evidence of oil on the
floor ut the foot Of where Hendcrson's
bed stood is uumistaklble and clear. The
portion Of the floor saturated with oil
includes an area of q couple Of feet at
least, and the odor is strongly prevalent.
Scores Of people passed I'm and out Of the
room after the fire. and all agreed that
oil had been put ON the floor in some
manner and. from an appearances. quite
recently. a score of people even took
out their pocket knives and carried away
strips of wood which had been wet with
carbon Oil Persons capable Of judging
all pronounced unhesitatngly that these
pieces taken from the floor had carbon oil
on them. John Freazer. of the Freedom oil
Company. called ut the Farrell house.
and after digging out piece of wood
from the floor, said positively that carbon
oil and nothing else had been poured on
the floor. The dremen at the Eighth
ward hose house got a piece of the wood
yesterday and stated that the wood con-
tanned oil and that they were satisfied
that the origin of the fire warranted the
supposition that it was the work Of in
cendlaries. As to the confusion of carbon