The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-11
HE is CAUGHT IN The AC
Detectives Watch the Shadowy Figure
Creeping in the Night to the
House He Has Doomed and
See the Matches Flare
as He lgnites
Them.

Especial to News and Observer.)
Rockinghab, N. c., Nov. 1O.-It is prac-
tically certain that the person who set
fire to the Hotel Richmond about two
months ago and later to the Watson build
ing in this town, destroying in both fires
some nine or ten stores, the Hotel Rich
mond and the bank of Pee Dee, and
number of private apartments, has at last
been discovered.
There was ground to believe all along
that the fires were of incendiary origin,
and Mayor w. N. Everett went to Raj
eigh after the last fire and secured from
vices of a detective. He arrived in town
last Thursday and this morning landed
the fiend.
Suspicion rested on Henry H. Smith, a
man of very bad character, and the de-
tective had been keeping track of his
movements until last night. About one
o'clock the detective and an assistant, Mr..
]. NJ Hunsucker, from pace of con-
cealment saw Smith strike match and
set fire to the rcdr Il or of Arrenson &
Sussam's dry goods store. This is in the
block of buildings on the south side of
Washington street, owned by J. w. Brig
man.
After applying the match Smith ran
away. The fire then went out. In about
fifteen minutes he returned and tried his
hand again.
This time the flames began to catch
hold of the building and the detectives
put it out with his overcoat. He then
wen after the chief of police to effect
Smiths arrest.
While he was gone, and in about twen-
ty minutes. Mr.. Ch,.ies Anderson, clerk
in Brigmans bar, who was on watch from
the rear of the bar, heard another match
strike, and ran out to see Smith running
away from Arrenson and Sussman'S back
door, and the door on fire. This time he
had saturated newspaper in kerosene
oil and stuck J. under the bottom of the
door Anderson had no trouble in putting
the fire ol.t: not before the door was
charred, however.
Watch was kept the rest of the night,
and Smith was arrested early this morn
ing.
AT the preliminary hearing this after
noon the State was represented by Mr.. A.
S. Dockery, town attorney, and by Nor
rison and Whit,ock. The defendant was
represented by Messrs. John P. Cameron
and w. M. Kelley. The defendant was
held under $4,000 bond to answer to
the next term of the Superior Court.
which he was unable to give.
Smith has been known for long time
to be very dangerous man. He was
sent to the penitentiary two or three years
ago for the larceny of fountain pen,
and it was generally known at the time
that he committed number of petty
thefts about town After serving a few
months in the States Prison, he was par
doner by Governor Aycock upon petition
of large number of the people OF the
town. This petion was gotten UP out of
sympathy for his aged mother.
After his return he went into the mer-
camille business and up to the time of his
arrest was running a little store IN the
town
Recently he had some trouble with Il
brother of Brigham, the owner o. the
building occupied by Arrenson and Suss-
man and had bitter feeling against Brig
man on account of it.
A few days before the recent fire which
burned the Watson building. Smith had
some trouble with Guthrie Co, IN
whose store the fire is said to have org
mated. A few days before the burning OF
Hotel Richmond he had trouble with West
Bros, who had furniture store III one
Of the rooms under the hotel. They re-
fused to let him have a pair OF pants
without paying for them. He became
very angry, and remarked that he would
pay them. These circumstances and others
caused the unanimous opinion here that
Smith is responsible for all The fires we
have had recently.