From an affidavit taken afterwards it seems the object of the party was to destroy Miller's office, but they found Miller and Morgan had been warned.

At any rate, the party dispersed without doing anything.

Part of them reassembled at Ganson's, and charges of cowardice were freely exchanged; certain of the leaders were afterwards indicted for their part in this affair, but no trial was had.
To this day the business portion of Batavia stretches along both sides of a broad main street; instead of cross-streets at regular intervals there are numerous alleys leading off the main street, with here and there a wider side street.

In those days nearly all the buildings were of wood and but one or two stories in height.
Miller's printing-offices occupied the second stories of two wooden buildings; a side alley separating the two buildings, dividing also, of course, the two parts of the printing establishment.
On Sunday night, September 10, fire was discovered under the stairways leading to the printing-offices; on extinguishing the blaze, straw and cotton balls saturated with turpentine were found under the stairways, and some distance from the buildings a dark lantern was found.
On this same Sunday morning, September 10, a man--the coroner of the county--in the village of Canandaigua, fifty miles east of Batavia, obtained from a justice of the peace a warrant for the arrest of Morgan on the charge of stealing a shirt and a cravat in the month of May from an innkeeper named Kingsley.
Having obtained the warrant, which was directed to him as coroner, the complainant called a constable, and together with four well-known residents of Canandaigua they hired a special stage and started for Batavia.
At Avon, Caledonia, and Le Roy they were joined by others who seemed to understand that Morgan was to be arrested.
At Stafford they stopped for supper at Ganson's tavern.

After supper they proceeded towards Batavia, but stopped about a mile and a half east of the village, certain of the party returning with the stage.
Early the next morning Morgan was arrested, and an extra stage engaged to take the party back.