The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-20
DELIBERATE INCENDlARISM
THE MOST REMARKABLE CASE ON
RECORD IN THIS STATE
This Is What the Insurance Commits
sioner Says About This Fire In n.
H~auser,s Store-The Scheme Laid to
Burn the Place Is a Perfect Curiosity

r. Young, who came here Tuesday night
to investigate the very suspicious fire on
last Sunday night at $50 o'clock in the
two-story brick storeroom. at 122 mar
ket street, occupied by H. Hauser. the
Swiss matchmaker and ieweIer, return-
ed to Raleigh last evening.
Colonel Young says this instance Is
the plainest. most deliberate. thoroug-
1y planned and elaborate attempt at in
cendiarism that he has ever had to deal
with. The guilty nan whoever he is.
certainly left nothing undone to burn
everything in the building and had not
n fire been discovered SO early in the
night, the building and. perhaps, sew
eral others would have been DESTROYED.
The building is owned by Mr.. Louis
Hanson and was occupied by H. Haus-
er as a matchmaking and jewelry shop
and in it he also manufactured "Haus-
er's Medicinal Wonder Soap" made by
H. Hauser's Medicinal Soap Manufac-
turing Company"
The store is under the same roof with
the store occupied by Mr.. a. Goldberg.
10 Market street. 1t IS only separated
down stairs and upstairs from Mr..
GOldberg'S premises by a plaster wall,
n it is very probable that instead of
its being a case of incendiarism, a case
for arson, punishable by death, could
be mad out. Where a place occupied
as a residence is set on fire the statutes
make it arson. Mr.. Goldberg's part of
the building is occupied upstairs by
himself, wife and six children. If 1t
had been a midnight fire. they could
hardly have escaped with their lives.
Mr.. Hauser and his wife lived up
stairs over his store, but h is absent
and only Mr.. Hauser is at home. He
was. however, at WrightSville when
the fire occurred. He got news of
the fire occurred. He got news Of
came up Sunday night by private con-
Veyance, aVing gotten left by the train
when it passed at $50 D. m, bound for
the city. He and mis- umbrella to a
friend on the train and went back into
Mr.. Pauf Cases saloon to get his satch-
Ell and thus got left. Mr.. Hauser was
arrested on Monday, charged with set
ting fire to his store. and in the munich
pal court on Thursday he was bound
over to the superior court. Yesterday
in that court the grand jury returned a
true bill against him and he will be
tried today. AS a defense. he sets up
an alibi, having gone to Wrightsville
Sunday afternoon and was there, eight
miles away. when the fire broke out in
his store. There is no direct evidence
that he set fire to the place and the
state will AVE to rely or the strong cir
cumstances. Solicitor ROdOlph Duffy will
prosecute and assisting him will be City
Attorney William J.. BeIlamy. Herbert
McClammy, Esq, and Marsden Bel
1amy. Esq. Mr.. HauSer will be defend
ed by the law firm of Bellamy & Bel
1amy, composed of Congressman John
D. Bellamy and George L. Peschau,
Esq.
The investigation made by Insurance
COMMISSIONS Young shots pretty con-
clusively that the fire broke out in a cab
met clock. a wonderful piece of mechan-
ism invented and made by Mr.. HauSer
When the fire department reached the
scene the biggest part of the fire was in
the desk-like framework of the clock.
The clock was about midway down the
store, on the first floor. and the fire a
spread out to some infamable material
on the first floor, and had also
icated up to the story above through a
scuttle-hole in the floor. The fire, how
ever, had creeped along on the second
floor a distance of about eight feet along
a trail of hay m papers, when the fire
department reached h scene and
smOthered the fire with the chemical
engine.
When the fire had been put out, the
evidence of incendiarism was over
WnGllllQS. IN lne CIOCh NdS lOUilu d
half gallon bottle that had been burst
ed. It is believed to ave contained
some imf1amatory material, probably
gasolene. as five other vessels Of that
fluid were found in the place.
From the clock to the shelly
ing ran a trail of old newspapers
and hay. and underneath h shelving
the lockers for the entire length of the
store, on both sides, were filled with
old newspapers hat made a continuous
link from one end Of the store to the
other. At intervals along these shelves
were gallon jars or bottles or gasolene
and much OF the paper was saturated
with kerosene oil. The curtains to the
front windows were pulled closely down
and no one could see into the store from
the outside.
Over the clock was a scuttle-hole in
the floor about 4 by 6 feet in size
Hanging down from the hole were a
lot of old table cloths. sheets and other
combustibles. These communicated to
a trail of hay, excelsior n old news
papers tina began at the scuttle-hole
and ran along the floor towards the
front. The trail Of this material was
nearly as large as q mans body anO
made a splendi track for fire TO follow,
The fire had burned along the trail
about eight feet from the Scuttle-hole
and was within three feet OF a gallon
hottie OF gasolene that had been set II
the straw. In the bottle was q stopper
of that had the appearance
of a bouquet. StreamerS OF paper huns
from the stopper to n trail OF he!
Ten feet from the scuttle-hole the trai
ran under a bedstead and it was unde1
the he'd that the bottle of gasolent wa
found. The trail ran on the entir'
length of the floor and over it wer'
small plank boxes OF little drawers
chairs, tables and other furniture. From
the main trail other trails made o
old led to the sides OF tn
room on both sides, leading up to bu
reaus. clothes closets. trunks, caplneIs
etc. In all the furniture contalnln:
clothing. the clothes were pulled out an
hung over to connect with the trans In
clothing was saturated with keroSen
oil. and on this floor were the Vessel
holding a gallon each OF gasoIene- l
is hard to describe the manifestations Q
the trails of straw. excelsior ana paper
but there was not a chair or piece {
furniture that did not nave a trail leao
ing up to it. Old newspapers were lal