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Show HAS HIS HEARING I ON ARSON CHARGE I w No Evidence Whatever Upon Which to Hold m Frank Mitchell, Charged With the V Burning of Local Saloon. K The preliminary examination or Trank Mltehell. colored, eharged with arson In the second degree In the burning or tho Hheep Itaneh saloon on thn morning of June 39lh, was held Ixifore Arthur J. leo. oily Justice of the peace for Trlee, esterday Tho hearing was at the dlnlrlrt court room and began nt 10 o'clock In the forenoon. fore-noon. It was & o'clock In the evening before It had been concluded. Fourteen Four-teen witnesses testified ror tho state. It was the contention or the stale Hint thn defendant, Krank Mitchell, used some explol lo blow up (ho building, which later resultod In a rire, and that the defendant In so doing do-ing wa severely burned aliout the race nnd hands. Thn evidence or tho witnesses for the state was purely circumstantial and none of the testimony testi-mony produced went to show that Mitchell I guilty or tho arson charge prererred. Defendant Mitchell admitted that ha was quite severely burned, but received re-ceived his burns while attempting to enter the rear or the building where hn was conducting n restaurant Just at the time the explosion I supposed to have occurred which later resulted In a riro that destroyed most or Ihn building and the content thereof, excepting, ex-cepting, however, the restaurant Hx-turcs Hx-turcs of Mitchell himself and upon which he cnrrled small Insurance, When Mitchell opened Ihn rear door, ho testified yesterday, thn flame struck him In the face, lie think ho ran direct to the power house to give tho riro alarm to ihn man (Draper) In charge there of night. Krom tho power house Mitchell went to his home, where his arrest followed later by the county officers. HI business was such that It took him In his restaurant res-taurant altout 3 o'clock lhal morning or, the morning of the fire, Ouy Thomas, who was sleeping In Ihn warehouse and ofrico building or tho Trice Commission company, heard Ihn explosion and Judged It about rorty seconds afterwards that he looked out tho window or the room where he wa sleeping and saw Ihn Hheep llaiich ablate. Others who are resident or that section or Houth Ninth Htreet told bIhuiI the same story nn did Ouy Thomas a to the time or the explosion explo-sion and seeing the fire that followed. Justice !.ee. arter hearing tho arguments argu-ments or counsel arter Ihn siihmUslon or evidence, discharged the defendant. Couuly Attorney Thumu Kouti repre-sontcd repre-sontcd tho state, while Ihn Interest or the defendant, Mitchell, wern looked look-ed urter by Judge I. R. Woods. The litate railed to show any motive ror tho crime charged against the defendant. de-fendant. kosses of Insurance on the building and content are r.nt ynt paid. The Hheep Itaneh had 13S00 on fixture and stock, and Hmoot-Nlxon Lumber company fCOOrt on the building. Tho mSk former was with A II Huntcn and laVai'" the latter mostly wllh It. II. Kirk- , B Patrick It Is presumed the Hnioot- WJJK Nixon people will rebuild. ! Kz!k |