Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1874-08-11

smith shop of Dan. Swartz, at Day
ton, on Friday morning last, it was
the general belief that he was the
tool of some designing person. On
Sunday evening last, about 9 O'Clock,
Bradford, who was in the County
Jail, sent for three prominent citi-
zens of the place, and after their
arrival made confession. Mr..
Crockett, County Recorder, took
down the statement in full, which
was to this effect: On the 9th of
July, Mrs. Barbara A. Swartz APP
preached him, stating she was in
trouble; that she was in debt, and
could not collect her money, and
asked him if he would help her out
Of her trouble. She then told him
her house was insured for 81 900;
this would pay her debts, and leave
her balance; she would pay him
800 as soon as she could get the
money from the insurance COM
pany, provided he would fire and
destroy her premises. He agreed to
the conditions, and she told him she
would let him know the time to do
so. On Thursday, August 9th, she
again met him, this time in the rear
of her house; told him to go to the
stable and borrow four or five sacks;
he did so and filled them with hay;
| she furnished him a bottle of tur-
pentine with which to saturate them;
! it did not go the rounds, and he was
| told where to get some coal oil from
can; in pouring the oil out of the
can he split some on the floor, when
she reprimanded him for being
clumsy. She told him to take the
sacks into the blacksmith shop and
place them in different parts of the
same, as she did not want Swartz
(who by the way was her late hus-
band) to have any the best OF her,
or to have the satisfaction of having
his property lett when she was with
out any, even though she got her
pay from the insurance company;
that she would place combustibles in
between her house and the shop ad-
Joining, and when the shop was
burning she would apply the match
and burn her house also. That he
did distribute the hay in different
parts OF the blacksmith shop, and
when he lit the first the flames
flashed up in his face and scared
him, and he started to run out, and
while running threw a match in an
other pile of straw, but it did not
ignite. AS he passed out the back
end of the shop, some one in the
street called " fire." when he went
to the rear of Mrs. SIS house and
loosened COW and calf, as instruct
ed to do by her; she came to the
back door and said, "You have
made a id botch of it, after all"
or words to that effect. At five
O'Clock, or some three hours after
the fire was discovered, she told him
that if the was arrested, he must not
confess, but if he did he must say 1t
was Dan. Swartz who got him to set
the fire, which he agreed to do.
Bradford says this is the first time
he was ever arrested, and that the
crime so worked upon him that he
could not help telling the truth. He
swore to the statement, taking an
oath on a bible. Last evening a
warrant was issued for the arrest of
Mrs. Swartz, and we suppose she
was incarcerated in the County Jail.
For fear of being considered as pre-
iudcing the case, we will give the
main confession without further
comment. Mrs. Swartz has tor
some time kept the Travellers Home,
and is an old resident of Dayton.
INSURANCE WITHDRAwN.-Owing
to the incendiary fire OF Friday
morning last, together with the re-
ported fire in the Travellers Home,
of Sunday, Mr.. Henley, General In
surance Agent, was ordered to
cancel all the fire insurance in
the town of Dayton. This is to be
regretted, yet the companies are JUS
tilted under the circumstances, as
under the terms of all fire policies,
each party is at liberty to terminate
a policy at any time they choose.
We hope the companies will recon-
slider their action at an early day,
and reissue indemnity on reasonable
rates.
| WE WERE glad to see Mr.. Leonard,