William Chatham Confesses to Blowing Up Nissen Building; Half Million in Damages, Aug. 26, 1922

Winston-Salem Has Half Million Dollar Fire Today. . . Nissen Buildings Burned and Other Structures in Heart of City Threatened. . . White Boy in Custody for Causing Flames. . . William E. Chatham Confesses to Police That He Blew Up the Building. . . He had an Old Grudge. . . Attempted to Blow Up the Entire Structure, But that Was a Failure

Winston-Salem, Aug. 26—The Nissen building, occupied by the WW. Smoak Harness company and the Crawford Mill Supply company, was completely destroyed, and the Liberty café, the Newark shoe store, the C.D. Kenny company and the general stores of the Techman brothers were badly damaged by fire early today. The total loss is estimated at $500,000.

The portion of the Nissen building occupied by the harness company was blown up by gasoline, it is alleged, by William C. Chatham, an 18-year-old boy, who was captured by officers as he was leaving the building a few seconds after the explosion, which shook the entire down-town district.

While hand-cuffs were being placed on Chatham, the young man confessed, according to the arresting officers, that he had blown up the building. According to his statement as given out by the officers, he did it on account of a grievance that he had suffered at the hands of W.W. Smoak, owner of the harness business.

The boy explained that he had saturated the entire upper part of the building with gasoline and had intended to place a fuse in a five-gallon can filled with gasoline and make his escape before the explosion went off; that in lighting the fuse, however, the gas in the can became ignited and blew up the building before he could get away.

When taken into custody he stated that he had no confederates.

From the front page of the High Point Enterprise, Aug. 26, 1922