The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-06
THE ~INCENDIARY CASE.

= A"C Ahhn SouAS IN la 6O
of Setting Fire to the Naval Stores Yard
of Messrs. Robinson & King-Dickson to
| Have q Hearing Tomorrow.
The preliminary hearing in the case
Of ex-Policeman Fred P. Rowland.
charged with setting fire to the naval
stores yard Of Messrs. Robinson &
King, too place yesterday at Il m,
before Mayor w. n. Harriss in the city
court. The court room was crowded
with citizens.
The prisoner was in court with his
lawyers, Messrs. Marsden Bellamy and
Herbert McClammy. A. G.. Ricaud,
Esq, was present as the prosecuting
attorney.
The first witness called and sworn
was Clarence Pridgen, who testifes, in
the main as follows: 1 will be 10 years
Of age on the Goth of April. l live in
Pender county So miles from Whining
ton by water. Between II and 3 o'clock
on the morning of last Wednesday 1
was on a fiat in the river at the wharf
opposite the power house Of the Will
mington Street Railway Company, on
Water street. I was asleep in the cab
in of the fiat when the fire broke out on
the lower part Of Water street (the fire
in the Calder warehouse and the naval
stores yard OF Murchison & Coz When
the alarm vas sent in my father woke
me up and We jumped up on top of the
cabin to loo at the fire. I saw an
the other side Of the dock from where
o,,~ 90 1;-- - o-,
whose tar yard it was. My father had
gone to the other fire. While 1 was
watching the lower fire I saw a man
strike a match on the wharf Of the tar
yard( Messrs. Robinson e King's). He
messed with the mattel till it went out.
He then struck another match and
dropped it between some barrels. He
then struck another match and ~ a
few seconds I saw a blaze running to
the top of the barrels. The fire was
set on the part Of the building 'front.'
ing on the river. The place where the
fire was set was just across the dock
from our fiat. The barrels were IN tho
platform on the water side. / was
watching the other fire burning and the
man who set fire to the tar yard was
between me and the fire. I saw him
disticntly when he struck the match.
The light from the match gave addi-
tional light hat enabled me to see the
mar plainly. Witness being asked by
Mr.. Ricaud if he would know the man If
he saw him, answered yes. asked II he
had seen the man since, he pointed out
the accused man and said "Yonder he
is" Witness said he was in Mr.. ]. II.
Kuck's store on Wednesday cater the
fire. and saw Rowland there and rec
ognized him On the same day the
mayo sent for me n as 1 was going
UP Water street with the policeman to
the mayors office, We met him on the
street and 1 recognized him. l was NOT
acquainted with him and have no per-
sonal feeling against him. Being ask
ed if he was sure Rowland was: the
man he saw set fire to the barrels, wit
ness said I am positive he is theaman
l saw.
Cross examined by Mr.. Bethany wit
ness said: I live in Kaintuck township,
Fender county. My postoffice is Keith.
I live $50 yards from Black river. 1 was
born and raised there. My father is La
Fayette Pridgen. We came down to
Wilmington with a fat load of wood.
The fat was tied to the post on the
wharf. The cabin was on the end of the
flat pointing up town. My father woke
me up when the lower fire broke out
I got out Of the cabin and sat on top
of it. Witness again described the
striking Of the matches. When the man
was striking the matches, I saw an
other man on the wharf against Cop
posfte) me. He asked the man did
you find it," I suppose he was about
twenty OF twenty-five feet from where
I was. Our fiat j. sixty or seventy
feet long. After the fire I never went
back to bed, but lay down on h top
of the cabin. The man who set fire to
the place was standing up. I suppose
he was there two minuptes and a half.
His back was to the lower fire and he
was facing me when he struck the
match and held it up.
Albert Mintz being sworn, testified
as follows:
I am engineer at the power house Of
III tll1l1IlSuOu OlItCI 1Sdl1IOdO NO1Il-
pany. I was at the power house on
Tuesday night or Wednesday morning
when the fire was going on. I know
Rowland. I saw him between IL and 5
o'clock Wednesday morning. About z Is
o'clock Wednesday morning, I saw
Fred Rowland in the engine room oe
the power house. He was drinking.
He asked for some matches. J. P. Jones
CAV hin two matches. I then went
behind Rowland from the engine room
to the corner Of the building at the
a shed. When he left the corner he
went in the direction Of Robinson &
Kings naval stores yard. It was not
more than ten or fifteen minutes from
the time he left me till I saw the blaze
in Robinson & Kings yard. 1 waa
standing on the wharf and saw the
man on the roSin yard strike one
match. 1 then went to the engine room
door and spoke to the fireman and
then went to the roSin yard and saw
my cousin, John MintZ, puttingj out
the fire.
C~o-a ovoro;ro1 ~, A. Dallo-x- ~