Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-16
ANOTHER ATTEMPT
At InCendiariSm on the South Side,
This Week.
The Fact Only Became Known
Yesterday, and Occasioned a
Good Deal Of Excitement and
Talk in That Part of Town.

Cllh Ill IudU vi IOWu.
Another instance of an attempt at in
cendiarism on the South Side became
known yesterday morning in the lower
end of the city, and has caused revival
OF the excitement which was caused by
the Weisgerber and Henderson fires and
which was folloSed by the burning up
OF the Wilson property on McColloch
street one night last week. 1t is sig
nificant that the last attempt at incendi-
arism and arson occurred on Monday
night, the same night that the attempt
ed robbery at the La Belle saloon, on
Thirty-tirsC street, occurred.
The method Of this attempt was some
what different from the previous one,
but was as fully equal in ingenuity Of
plan and boldness of execution. That it
did not result as was intended, is GER
tainly providential. In this case it was
the boarding house OF Mrs. Christian
Neuhardt, located at the southeast cor
ner of Eoif and Thirty-first streets, that
was operated upon. Mrs. Neuhardt has
quite number of boarders at her house,
including employees of the La Belle mill
and Wheeling pottery, which are close
in the vicinity. The plan to burn the
house was discovered by accident. About
10 o'clock on the night mentioned, Mrs.
Wilson, a lady who has a room at the
end of the lower hallway of the board
ing house, detected the strong smell OF
artificial gas proceeding into her room
from the hallway.
She had retired for the night, but
so offensive and almost overpowerlng
was the odor of the gas that she imme-
diately came to the conclusion that gas
was escaping somewhere without the
knowledge of any of the other inmates
of the house. she proceeG9I to inves-
tigate and found that both the upper
and lower Railways were filled with gas.
She called other persons in the house
and they found that the gas came from
the jet in the hallway, Just at the end
OF the front stairway leading up to the
second story. The gas was turned on
with difficulty, as the valve required
great deal of force TO turn it. The fact
that the gas was turned on in the hall
caused immediate suspicious that some
thing was decidedly wrong, for this gas
Jet is never used and, according to the
story Of the occupants, has not been
lighted for eight months.
One evening about eight months ago
VIM. Dixon, the son-in-law of Mrs. Neu-
hardt, had occasion to get something
out of a trunk which was in the hall,
and lighted the hall jet to get sufficient
light. In order to do this it required
quite an effort. as the jet had not been
used for a long time, and the valve had
been screwed so tightly that it was
almost impossible to turn it. This was
the last time it was lighted, as the front
stairway is never used after night by
the bodrGers, who ascend to the second
story by means of the rear stairway.
The front door is also kept locked every
night after about nine o'clock, but for
several mornings previous to the at
tempt to start q fire the occupants were
puzzled on getting UP to find the front
door standing partly open. 1t was known
that none of the boarders had opened it,
as they do not use the front stairway
after night. as stated before, and only
one of the boarders has a key to the
door. The person who had the key was
in the house early every night and, OF
course, could not have been responsible
for the door being open.
A further investigation resulted in not
only finding the gas turned out but nu-
merous matches scattered on the floor.
handful of matches had been placed at
the foot of the door opening from the
hallway into the lower front ROOM which
is occupied by Mr.. Dixon and his wife.
The door of this room is nearest to the
front door and of course was the most
convenient to the devilishy inclined per-
son who evidently had planned to create
another horrible disaster such a one as
would equal the dreadful and fatal
Henderson affair The purpose of placing
the matches at the foot Of the door, ap-
parently. was for Mr.. Dixon or his wife
IN cause an explosion and confiagration
by stepping on them as they came out Oh
the room into the hallway.
The people living in the house all are
convinced that an attempt was made to
burn the house but cannot imagine what
the motive could be that would actuate
such a design. coincidence connected
with the affair is that James Brady the
room-mate of the Henderson who
were burned to death at Mrs. Farrell
boarding house. boards now at Mrs. Neu-
hardt's.
1t has been suggested that the last at
temnt was made by the same person who
caused the Henderson fire. and by some
one who has design on Brady's life.
This is A matter of conjecture, however
for Mr.. Brady is not aware that any
nerson has sinister motives against his
life. II is generally surmised that the
came nerson is guilty Of starting the
Welsgerber. the Henderson and the VIII
son fires. ard lastly to fire the boarding
house of Mrs. Neuhardt. All Of these
places are in the same vicinity and not
over three or four blocks distant from