Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1863-03-25
MySteriOuS..Fire.

The following marvellous statement Is
taken from the Oswego Press of March
9TH:
The following most singular phenomena
have occurred at the residences of VIM.
S. Steames and Richard Freeman, in the
town of Rush, about five miles north of
this city. On Tuesday morning last,
soon after making the fires, Mrs Stearnes
discovered the carpet burning near the
stove, but to one side of 1t; she extin-
guished the fire, supposing it to have
caught from the stove in some manner
Soon after the carpet was found burning
near the bed which stood in the room,
but entirely away from the stove. Re
garding the latter fire as very curious she
extinguished it, and left the room TO at
tend her work, and being attracted by the
smell of fire returned to the front room
and found the straw burning in the midst
of her bed, under the clothes and feather
bed. She Immediately carried the bed
out of the house When she returned
the curtains in front of the bed were
blazing up to the ceiling above. Being
now thoroughly alarmed she sent her lit
tie girl, of about zen years, the only per-
son with her, for Mr.. Freeman, who
came and removed the carpets, clothing
and beds from the house, and extinguished
the fires in the stoves while doing this
fires broke out in the pantry, burning the
papers that were spread on shelves, also
articles of cotton ignited in different parts
of the chamber In this room a clothes
rod, suspended by strings of cotton cloth
tied to rafters, was heard to fall, and the
strings were found burning.
During this time Mr.. Stearnes was
absent and Mrs, 5. and the little girl
went home with Mr.. Freeman. When
they arrived there, as a precaution, the
garments of Mrs S. and the little cir
were placed by themselves, cloak worn
by the little girl being put on the bare
floor of the bed room. In a half houl
after this cloak was found blazing briskly
1t was removed from the Rom, and an
hour and half afterwards the bed in the
same room was on fire. The day follow
ing, pillow case lying in the back room
ignited, also a cloth spread over a floul
barrel, and a bag containing dried fruit
These articles were all at distances from
each other and ignited at different times
A cloth which had been used to wasl
some bottles was wrung out and hun.
upon a nail and was found burning at tn,
bottom, and was at the time frozen stif
In the afternoon a smell of fire was dis
covered in the chamber, and was founC
70 proceed from small box in which
paper wrapping parcel of sugar was ell
tirely burned from around the sugar
The box was covered with a lid whicl
shut quite close. A lounge also tool
fire in a bed room.
On Thursday Mr.. Stearnes returned t,
his house, built fires in the stoves, an,
soon after fire broke out in 4 bed, an,
IN damp cloth lying on a pantry shelf
He cxtinguished his fires, and has nc
occupied the house SINCE, except to watcl
it,
Thursday night the little girl stayed a
Mr. Samuel Shuster's, some two mile
west of Mr.. Freeman's. Friday morn
ing a cloth lying on shelf in the mil
room of Mr.. Shuster's house was foun
burning, and also a handful of rags s:uc
in an outside crevice of the wall of th
by Mr. Charles Holman. of this city, an
TO satisfy ourselves of their truth, W
went with him 10 the houses {
Messrs. Freeman and Stearnes, and froI
them heard what we have related, an
much more. These gentlemen are know
TO be men of unimpeachable veracity, an
their statement Is sufficient guarrante
of truth. But we saw the effects of III
fire on the beds, clothing, papers an
walls of the house, sufficient to satisfy L
of the exact truth of every statemer
made; we saw the dress worn by tn
little girl, which ignited twice near III
bottom of the skirt while on her.
was once extinguished by Mr.. Freema
and once by Mr.. Stcarnes. While "
were at the house of the latter. Fl,