The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-06
SENSATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
MORE ABOUT THE FIRES YES
TERDAY MORNING.

Ex Policeman Fred p. Rowland Arrested
on the Charge of Setting Fire to Robin
son s. Kings Naval Stores Yard-The
Loss by MIR. Calder and Messrs. Murchi.
son & Co. About $4,000
The loss by the incendiary fire yester-
day morning at 2:20 o'clock in the
Calder warehouse and the naval stores
yard of Messrs. Murchison & Co, at
the foot of Nun street, proves to have
been larger than expected. Mr.. Will
liam Calder had a lot of kainit stored
in one compartment of the warehouse,
and Messrs. Murchison & Co., had
spirits turpentine stored in the otner
compartment and about 1000 barrels Of
rosin in the yard. Mr.. Calder's ware
house and it's contents were insured for
81, 500, and he thinks that will about
cover the loss. Messrs. Murchison &
Co. carried Sc 1000 Insurance., and they
think their loss will be fully that
mount.
ATTEMPT TO BURN OUT ROBIN
SON e. KING.
While the fire was burning in Messrs.
Calder's and Murchison & Co.'S place,
and had been gotten about under con-
troll by the fire department, an attempt
was made to burn the nave stores yard
of Messrs. Robinson & King. on the
mali dI liz lOoI VI OIdI5C
Mr.. Clarence Pridgen, Of Still Bluff,
Pender county, a young man 10 years
of age who came down on a
fiat load of wood with his father, occu-
pied the cabin of the fiat as she lies at
the north side Of Orange street dock.
He was aroused from his sleep by the
fire in the Calder property and was on
the fiat looking at the fire when he saw
a man on the river sid Of Messrs.
Robinson & Kings warehouse deliber-
ately set fire to the place. He says he
saw the man strike at least three
matches and he looked in the cabin for
a double-barreled shot gun with which
to shoot the in~cendiary, but his father
had taken the gun up town to ave
some repairs made. He saw Police
Sergeant Thomas LOssin standing by
the carload Of coal on the side track of
the power house Of the Street Railway
Company, and he told the officer
Messrs. Robinson & Kings place was
on fire.
Mr.. Albert Mintz, night engineer at
the power house was standing on the
wharf at which the fiat was lying, and
he too, saw the matches applied to
Messrs. Robinson & Kings place. His
cousin, Mr.. John Mintz, is Messrs. Rob-
inson & Kings watchman, and he was
Immediately notified of the fire on the
premises.
The Waterman then ran to the spot
and put the fire out, and in doing so
got his hands badly burned. The fire
was found between two large barrels
of lightwOOd that was blazing away.
The fire had nearly burned through the
slaves on the barrels. It was also dis
covered that the premises had been
fired ten feet further down the wharf,
but it had gone out. A lot of paper
which had been set on fire and a mans
white crash cap with some oiled cloth
partly burned inside Of it were found
among the barrels. Tt is believed that
fire had been set earlier in the night at
the place where the cap was found, but
that it went out and that the sticking
Of the lightwOOd between the two bar
rels was a second attempt on the part
of the incendiary. Messrs. Robinson &
King kept the cap and oiled cloth to be
used as a clue to the incendiary, and
large number of people went dow to
see it.
Mr.. John P. Jones. fireman at the
power house. stated to a Messenger re-
porter yesterday that while the fire
was going on at the foot of Nun street,
a white man came to the power house
and asked him for a match. He said
he gave him some matches and the
man went back down Water street, to-
wards the fire. having to pass Messrs.
Robinson q Kings place, a few yards
from the power house. He. however,
did mo- see him again and does NOT
know whether he is the man who set
1re TO the place or not. lie cOl1l6 NpF
call the man by name but says he
would know him if he could see him
again.
SENSATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS.
Rumors were rife in the city yester-
day about the development of circum-
stances connecting certain parties with
the attempt to burn Messrs. Robinson
& Kings place. The sensation came to
a head at $3.50 o'clock yesterday after
noon when Policeman j. L. Sailing ar
rested ex-POliceman Fred p. Rowland
on a warrant charging him with at
tempting to burn out Messrs. Robinson
e King. The warrant was issued by
Mayor w. N. Harriss on an affidavit
made by John G~roetgen, a young white
man who makes affidavit that he is
Informed and believes hat the said
Rowland did willfully destroy or dam
Robinson and Charles King, to wit:
some tar barrels" Several policemen
had been hunting for h accused, and
at the hour named Policeman Sailing
found and arrested him at Mr.. Jos. F.
Craig's tin shop, at 125 Princess street.
between Front and Second streets. He
was carried before Mayor Harriss who
fixed his bond at $500 for his appear
ance for examination at IL o'clock to-
day when the city court meets. Mr..
Geo. w. Higgins gave the bond ana
Mr.. Rowland was released. He came
to The Messenger office last evening,
and expressed his indignation at his
arrest and denied the charges against
him. He states that when the fire
alarm was sent in at 2:20 o'clock yes
terday morning he was at home at
Fifth and Nun streets, asleep in bed;
that he got up and went to the fire in
Mr.. Calder's warehouse and later went
to Messrs. Robinson & Kings place
when some one came down and said it
was on fire. He says hundreds Of
others also passed Messrs. Robinson & ,
Kings, and he does not see why he
should be singled out and arrested. He |
stated to The Messenger reporter that |
he did go to the power house and get
a couple of matches to light his pipe |
and went back down Water street to ]
the fire. |
ANOTHER ARREST.
Upon being informed that the cap |
found at Messrs. Robinson & Kings
believed to belong to Martin Dick
son, an inebriate White man we'll known