This is Part 2 of a two-part series about an arsonist who targeted downtown Barrie businesses in the late 1800s. Find Part 1 here.
As the Wright block fire of April 1881 cooled, interest in the case heated up. The quick action of passersby and the fire brigade stopped the blaze in its tracks and laid bare a multitude of evidence left behind.
“The painful result of the investigation into the recent fire is one that the whole community will sincerely regret.”
The editors of the Northern Advance did not want to believe it any more than the man on the street did.
“An old and esteemed citizen of Barrie, who has borne a blameless life during his residence among us; and no one who knows him but will feel shocked to hear his name being associated with, even in the purely circumstantial way it is, with the heinous offence of incendiarism. Everybody, we feel sure, will hope and be rejoiced to find that he will be able to prove the innocence he now so positively asserts.”
If the residents of Barrie were expecting to see a shadowy character, a ne’er-do-well, a half-witted drifter from out of town arrested for arson, they were in for a surprise.
It was Samuel Wright himself, the building’s owner, who found himself in the prisoner’s dock.
The physical evidence did not point in any particular direction, not at first. Anyone could have been responsible for placing oil-soaked shavings onto various shelves, or tossing a match into a barrel full of kindling and sawdust.
The seeds of suspicion were sown on the day after the fire. Mr. Wright was the first witness called at the coroner’s inquest where he testified about being roused from his sleep, early on the day of the fire, and brought to the scene. He claimed to be as surprised as anyone about the attempt to burn his property.
Left on his own, Wright swept away the wood shavings and cleaned up the premises before anyone had a chance to advise him not to. The physical evidence itself wouldn’t put Samuel Wright before a judge but his own testimony, and that of other witnesses, would.
Things started to go badly for Wright when the questioning turned to his business affairs. It had been some time since his shops had been rented by anyone. He had some outstanding loans but the lenders had not been pressing Wright for payment. However, the tax man was getting very impatient and had set a deadline of Saturday, the day before the fire, to receive payment.
It was suggested that a little insurance money would have gone a long way to solve Samuel Wright’s financial problems. As it turned out, Wright had a lot of insurance on his building — $6,500 through three providers.
With a motive suggested, the case was brought to police court where some new and interesting witnesses were presented.
W.B. Capon, the paint shop merchant who was among the first to enter the fire scene, testified that the window shutters of the Wright building, normally open, were drawn shut a few days before the fire.
Charles Durham, a local machinist, testified that Samuel Wright visited his shop and purchased a quantity of wood blocks and shavings, something not out of the ordinary for any citizen.
Samuel Hurst, a carpenter, and his assistant, William Robbins, recalled Samuel Wright’s visit earlier in the week. He had purchased a bag of wood shavings and kindling from them.
However, just before Wright entered Hurst’s shop, William Robbins broke his chisel and tossed the handle into the barrel of shavings. Mr. Wright’s cleaning attempt wasn’t thorough enough to include the chisel handle which had been found among some partially burned debris.
In a jaw-dropping moment worthy of a modern-day crime show, Robbins easily matched that wooden handle to his own chisel right there in the courtroom.
Samuel Wright was committed for trial and would have his case heard during the Fall Assizes. The judge denied Wright’s request for bail and it looked like the nearly friendless man would have to remain behind bars.
Merchants M.H. Spencer and Humphrey Bennett stepped up and acted as his sureties. His freedom would prove temporary as Samuel Wright was convicted for his crimes in September 1881.
Each week, the Barrie Historical Archive provides BarrieToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past. This unique column features photos and stories from years gone by and is sure to appeal to the historian in each of us.
