The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-01-25
FIRE IN DURHAM
100000 Pounds of Tobacco
Burned.
BUILDING WAS BURNED
hNlTTING MILL AND PUBLIC
LIBRARY IN DANGER.
FURNISHING PURCHASERS OF CHANCES
much Criticism Of Methods Employed in Run.
ming Down Those Who Have Taken
Chances in Rafting.

durham, y. c., Jan. 24.-(SpeciaD-
Ihere was Il considerable blaze in town
last night and occurred about IL 81
O'Clock. Fire was discovered in the rear
emu of the large storage house on Cha
pei Hill street next to the Golden Belt
Knitting mill. On the first floor a store
room was cut off the upper side in which
was stock of cOnfectiOnarieS, DC. The
merchant occupied a suite of rooms in
rear Of the store. The remainder of the
'houSe was used by the American TObac-
co Company, in which was stored leaf to-
bacco. They had therein 200, 600
pounds of the weed and it all went up.
On. this stock there was insurance, but
just how much / was unable to learn.
The building was the property Of DR..
n. VI. Johnson. III is loss is. So, 500 on
which he had only 5000 insurance. Had
the wind been blowing all that part
of the city would have gone up in smoke.
As it was it took hard work by our very
efficient fire department to keep the
flames from spreading, Among the
many buildings, that were in jeopardy
was the beautiful home of the public IL
brary
Tie grand jury is in session again to-
day and / suppose the work of running
down those who have taken chances IN
raffles will go ON. Many people who
did not countenance these rafting
schemes from the very beginning and so
said plainly do not hesitate now to criti-
cize and criticize severely the methods
being used to secure indictments for this
offense. That the law was being violat-
ed no sane person will undertake to
deny. but does the good. Of the com
munity demand these wholesale indict-
mentS AS a matter of fact a great
many persons who took chances in these
schemes did so after being earnestly
solicited and most positively assured that
there was no illegality attached to the
whole transaction by the promoters there
of. The name of an eminent lawyer III
this city has been used and quoted as an
thority to the effect that there was not
even the merest faint of gambling about
the raffles. In this way money unsus-
pecting persons have been led into it ana
who are not able to pay bill of COSTS.
Justice and the good of the community
do not demand the indictments of such
persons. 1t does look like this matter has
been carried far enough. People are
demanding a halt.
Mr.. r. w Beasley will in a few days
open what has been known as the Stew
art mousse. For a long time Mr.. Beas-
ley was in charge of the Central Hotel
and always had his rooms full. The
Stewart is much more accessible to the
travelling public.
DIR. Jno. C. Kilgo preached at Wal
ker's Chapel and Pleasant Green yester-
day. two churches in the country.
The docket in the police court this
morning was a very light one. The
active work of those in charge Of the
Superior court seems to have frighten-
ed violators for the present at least.
Mr. Simon w. Sanders is here from
Wilmington.
Mrs. Thos. NJ. German has returned
from Danville, where she spent some
time with relatives.
Mr.. w. A. Slater has returned from
Western Carolina.
Rev. J. NJ Terrell. of Hillsboro cir
cult spent several days here last week
and was delighted with Durham and
her people. This was his first visit.