Public Ledger

INCENDIARY.
The Court-House Fired Twice Last Night by Incendiaries.
The Firemen, After a Terrible Fight, Succeed in Suppressing the Flames—Damage Done Estimated at Ten Thousand Dollars.
At nine o'clock last night several gentlemen in front of the Jewish Synagogue, on the corner of Exchange and Main, discovered smoke issuing from the top of the court-house. The smoke poured out from the roof and windows of the fifth story. Mr. Sim Barnds, Clerk of Police Headquarters, drew his whistle and gave the alarm. In a few seconds the Main street engine-house bell sounded the alarm which was taken up by the other engine-houses. Before the engines reached the court-house flames burst through the windows of a room in the fifth story. The roof now commenced smoking and suddenly there was a noise and a puff and the tin roof opened up, giving way before the blaze that at once shot up far above the building. It was with great difficulty that the long line of hose was carried up the iron stairway to the upper story, but through the energy of Captain Madden, acting Chief of the department, and the officers and men of the different companies, the work was accomplished in a very short time. The fire had gotten under the roof above and was spreading to the right and left to the fire walls. A dense smoke filled the upper halls and fire commenced falling down the elevator trap to the ground floor.

CONFUSION AMONG OFFICIALS.
It became the general belief about this time that the immense building would be destroyed, and to save the records and papers became the order of the night. Clerks, deputy sheriffs and hundreds of others went to work clearing out the different offices. State and County Tax-Collector Frankland removed to a safe place all the books and papers of his office. The records of the Criminal and First Circuit Courts were also removed. The offices of the Criminal Court Clerk and Sheriff were cleared of almost everything. The records, papers and books of the County Court Clerk and Register were locked up in the fire-proof vaults. Nothing was removed from the United States Court-room. First and Second Chancery Court-rooms, these rooms and offices being in the third story. The fire had now been burning an hour and was being hemmed in and controlled by the gallant fireboys, who carried the nozzles right into the heart of the flames and stood beneath falling rafters and timbers that upheld the burning roof. The flames, however, continued to blaze up fiercely high above the building, and to hundreds of people it looked as if the building was doomed to destruction.

THE INCENDIARY AGAIN.
On the west side of the court-house fronting on Center alley or Court place, a private stairway leads up to the top of the house. In the third story are situated the sleeping rooms for the Criminal Court jurors and other rooms used for court purposes. A number of people went up this stairway to save whatever property they could find, but the incendiary went up also. In a private room adjoining the sleeping rooms, was locked up a large lot of clothing and other articles taken from criminals, and these articles were stored there to be used as evidence on the trials of the accused. The incendiary, while confusion reigned and people were all over the building endeavoring to save property, broke into the clothing room and piling it up against a partition set it on fire, then getting out he closed the door and mingled with the crowd. In a few minutes the cotton goods and some furniture were in a blaze, but it was discovered by Messrs. Bob Malone, Bun Price and others, and they bursting in the door went to work and pitched the burning stuff out of the windows. Had this discovery not been made the third story in the rear would soon have been ablaze, and the firemen who were controlling the flames in the fifth story in front would have had to retreat to the streets and surround the building with their engines as to protect adjacent property from destruction while the Court house was burning down. The City Hall property on the west would, in all probability, have also been burned to the ground.

THE FIRE EXTINGUISHED.
By 12 o'clock the flames were suppressed, and firemen clambered all over the roof with hooks and axes, cutting away and tearing down burning timbers. Captain Braun had placed a police guard around and throughout the building, and all suspicious characters were closely watched. When all danger was over the crowd of excited citizens returned homeward leaving the building in charge of a squad of firemen, who kept watch on the dangerous localities throughout the night. County Court Chairman Holman was on his way to a friend's house in the country, and when two miles out he looked back and saw the fire. It occurred to him immediately, and he knows not why, that the court-house was on fire. Turning his horse's head, he rode rapidly back to the city, only to find his strange impression to be correct.
The watchmen had been through the building before closing it for the night, and were in front on the ground floor when the smoke was discovered issuing from the roof. It is evident that the incendiary had performed his work before the doors were closed, and had left a slow match or fuse in the room which he expected would not develop into a fire for some hours, when people were in their beds, and when it would have been almost impossible to save the building.
But little damage has been done to any of the public offices, all the papers and records being saved, and the clerks are all ready for business.

INSURANCE AND LOSSES.
The insurance on the building is as follows: Greene & Lucas, agents—Liverpool and London and Globe, $5000; National Insurance Company, Hartford, $4000; Phenix Insurance Company of Brooklyn, $3500. J. G. Lonsdale, agent—North British and Mercantile, $12,500; Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, $5000. Ben Phelon, agent—Fire Association, Philadelphia, $5000; Bluff City Insurance Company, $5000; Planters Insurance Company, $5000; Memphis City Fire Insurance Company, $5000. Total, $50,000.
The damage done to the building is estimated at from five to seven thousand dollars. The insurance on law library is as follows, but no loss accrued: Tomlinson's agency, Royal of Liverpool, $2500; Memphis City Fire, $2500; total, $5000. In the Home Insurance Company there was an insurance of $1250 on the stock of drugs in Goodyear's store, on the corner of Poplar and Main. The losses are only nominal. Workmen will be employed immediately to repair the building. The damage done by water was equal to that done by the fire.
Court Building Fire.