Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-21

No. 4, by which the Federal Trade
! Commission and two Labor Depart
men bureaus robbed of their
quarters reminds the writer that so
far no one has been accused of setting fire to
the structure for the purpose of destroying pub
lie documents In the early days of the city
this accusation was generally made when fire
occurred in a Government building, and some
times it was really true.
When the War Office burned on the evening
of November g. 1900 and when fire broke out
in the Treasury Office on January 20, 1901, a
newspaper published here for a brief while,
called the Cabinet, charged that the Federalists
were responsible for setting fire to the building
as a part of a scheme to destroy the records
and thus get out of the way the evidence of
disagreement and misrepresentation.
In connection with the Treasury fire of 1901,
even the former Secretary Oliver Wolcott,
whose resignation not month old when
the fire occurred suspected of completely
in the burning of the building by his political
enemies, just because he happened to be at the
fire and rendered patriotic service in superin-
tending the carting away of boxes of valuable
papers from the building. So it every time
a public building burned Immediately it was
suggested that it set on fire just to destroy
evidence of malfeasance in office which rarely
was the case
However, the burning of the Treasury De-
partment Building on March 81, 1888, which at
first was considered accidental, was later actu-
ally proven to have been the work of two
brothers, Richard H. and Henry White who
it appears were hired for the purpose to destroy
evidence in fraudulent pension claim on file
In the old Treasury, which for many years stood
on Fifteenth street northwest Just about oppo-
site F street.
A HUNDRED years and more ago the news
papers rarely printed extended accounts
of such minor incidents as the burning of a
public building, some appalling marine disaster,
or perhaps an earthquake in which several
thousand people were killed, rather preferring
to give page two Of some Senator's dry
speech, or what some public thought of
the political situation in Squash Center Gas Mr..
Bergman would say), and generally the type
of news that no one today would consider as
front-page matter. In this particular case,
however a mistake must have been made, for
this fire was covered in elaborate style and the
National Intellgencer of April l, 1888, tells us,
in part:
I'VE are sorry to have to announce that the
public building east of the Presidents Square
occupied by the Treasury Department was con-
.sumed by fire yesterday morning between
O'Clock and sunrise The fire was first discovered
in the room adjoining that of the chief clerk of
the department, usually known among the
clerks and other officers by the name of Mr. F..
originated in the floor or the ceiling of the
room, the whole being in blaze before any one
approached 1T, but no doubt appears to be enter
tanned that the fire accidental The whole
room on fire before the alarm was given,
and until the alarm was given even the watch
walking the pavement in front Of the Branch
Bank (near the Spot), perceived nothing of the
fire (the building of the State Department in
terposng). Every exertion made, as the
people gathered to the spot, finding that it
would be in vain to attempt saving the building,
to rescue the books and papers of the several
Offices. great deal was saved by the clerks
and other citizens considering the circum-
stances. 1t Is hoped, indeed, that few books or
papers of much consequence are destroyed.
IAN the books and papers on the ground floor
are believed to have been saved Gin great dis
order, of course), and all those IN the third
IN the apartments Of the second aoor much
the greater part were saved"
Indeed, much more of a write-up was given
than we here find necessary to quote, since the
White brothers are entitled to some attention
1t was not long after the fire before the
opinion Of the public ofhcials was changed re-
garding the cause Of the disaster, and the two
firebrands apprehended and brought to WASH
1ngton for trial. And here, again, the Intelli-
gener comes to our assistance by giving notes
ON the trial, IN which Francis Scott Key and
J. r. Key were counsel for the prosecution and
w. L. Brent and r. J. Brent appeared for the
defendants.
ON January S, 1887, the case against Richard
H. White came on for trial, the jury being
made up Of Joseph Harbough, Benjamin Burns,
John O. Robinson, Samuel Chew, John Pick