The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-03-25
From the owos.o Press, M.reh I
Strange Fires---A Tale of the Mys-
teriOuS.

The following most singular phenomous
have occurred at the residences OF YIN. 8,
Stesrnes and Richard Freeman, in the town Of
Rush, about five miles north of this oitv On
Tuesday morning last, soon after making the
sres, Mrs. Stearncs discovered the CARPET
burning near the stove, but to one side of it
she extinguished the fire surprising 1t to have
caught from the stove in some manner And
after the carpet was found burning near the
bed which stoud in the room, but entirely
away from the store. Regarding the latter
fire as very curious she exting1:shod II, and
left the room to attend 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 feath.
or bed. She Immediately carried the bed ont
of the house. When she returned the cur
tains in front of the bed were blazing up to
the ceiling above. Being now thoroughly
alarmed she sent her little girl, of about ten
years, the only person with her, for Mr.. Free
man who came and removed the carpets. clo-
thing and beds from the hoase, and extin.
guished the fires in the stoves Will, doing
this fires broke out in the pantry, burning the
papers that were spread on shelves, also arti.
Giles of cotton-iguited in different paris of the
chamber. In this room a clothes rod, suspen
ded by strings of cotton cloth tied 10 a rafter.
war heard to fall, and the strings were found
burning.
Buring this time Mr.. Stearncs was absent
and Mrs. 8. AID her little girl went home with
Mr.. Freeman. When they arrived there, as
a precaution, the garments of Mrs. s. and the
little girl were placed by themselves, O cloak
worn by the girl being put on the bare floor
OF the Der room. In a half hour after the
cloak VS. found blazing br:skly. It was re-
moved from the room, and an hour and a half
afterwards the bed in the same room was on
fire. The day following a pillow case lying
in a back room ignited, also n cloth spread
over a -four 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 wash some bot
ties was wrung out and hung upon a nail and
was found burning at the bottom, and was at
the time frozen stiff. In the afternoon a smell
of fire was discovered in. the chamber, and was
found to proceed from a small box in which
a paper wrapping a parcel of sugar was entire
ly burned from around the sugar. The box
was covered with a lid which shut quite close.
Alounge also took fire ina bed room. On
Thursday Me- Stearns returned to his house,
built fires in the stoves, and SOON after a FIRE |
broke out in a bed, and in a damp cloth living
on a pantry shelf. He extinguished hi. fires
and has not occupied the house since except
to watch it.
Ihuisuay HISnS the HtGIe girl stayed at Mr.. i
Shuster's, some two miles west of Mr.. |
Freeman's. Friday morRiag a cloth lying on
shelf in the milk room of Mr.. Shuster's
house was found burning, and also a very
bundle off otton rags stuck in an outside
crevice against the wall of the house,
informed fthe occurrence by Mr.. Charles
of city, and satisfy ourselves of
heir truth, we went with him to the houses of
hF. Freeman and Etearpes. and learned
What We have related, and much more. These
are known to be men of rnimpe Ich-
lblc Veraeity, and their statement.is assuficieut,
of truth. But we saw the effect. o
he fire on the beds, clothing, papers and
Valis of the house, sufficient to satisfy US Of
he exact truth of every statement made we
az the dress worn by the little girl, which
gnited twice near the bottom of the skirt
ehile on her. Itwas once extipsuished by
br. Freeman and once by Stelraes. While /.
re were at The house cfthe latter a fire broke
ut In some papers in an o1t-house at Mr..
On eur return we saw the fresh r
barred boards here the fre had burned. The j
re broke ont in Eve different rooms at Mr..
reeman's house. in no one of WHICH was there
ny stove or Fireplace: A watch has been
apstaptly kept by those two families, upon sey-
~astFticle in their houses. They Justly
ell the greatest anxiety to have the nystery Z
these fressolEed. Who can do it, 4
err A nedd1er batnrN osLaJ L. , =