Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1874-08-13

| WOulu De eIlOuSn, pOuTel Tue keT-
osene out into my can, and in COM
ing up made the remark that the
can leaked; she asked me if there
had been any spilled on the we'll
house, and 1 told her that I did not
| know, but thought there had. She
| said, i" Stand aside, let me pour it
out; here is some matches, take
them; go and pour some Oil in the
.hencoop, next to the Chinaman's
room and the kitchen, and saturate
the walls well with oil, pour some
in the sack, and if there is any left
saturate the granery that Freedom
! used to have-I mean the side tow
ard the kitchen; if you want more
oil, come back, and / will let you
have some; if we are successful in
this 1 will make you present of
| 500 out of the insurance money!
she told me she wanted that, as the
insurance on her house expired on
the 23d of October, amounting to
$1,000, in two Companies in Chicago,
of $500 each. She said, 1" George,
strike as if you meant it; go slow
and careful; keep cool; don't get
excited; as soon as you have touched
the fires, come round and turn the
horse and cows out the same as 1
have always told you, and then
come and see if you can help me;
Ed. is in town, and he will hel p me
move my things too" l went into
the stables, thence into the black
smith shop, and made four heaps of
hay and shavings as she had told
me, one pile by the door where the
fire was started, towards Pike street,
pile of shavings few feet further.
another by Duncans chest, then by
the bench was another pile of hay,
and by the window towards the
creek was another pile-the window
that I went out of. I put some tur-
pentine on these piles, and went out
and looked up the street but could
see nobody; l went back and lit the
pile by the door, which blaZed up so
quick that l had no time to light the
rest; | then crawled out of the Win
dow and run as fast as l could; this
was after | o'clock. | went into the
shop three timeS-the first time |
went l put the sacks in and put
three up by the windows, and in
getting into the window l stepped on
piece of sheet-iron or stove-pipe
and made considerable racket. |
came back, and the conversation
| about the hay and matches occurred;
| then she said, "George, you made a
terrible racket, what was that %
! | said it was an old piece OF sheet
iron or stove-pipe, but l couldn't
help it; l will 90 III the other win
dow; the second time L went INTO
the shop with the hay and the oil
she said to me, " George, do not
make but one trip; strike quick
strike to win. l will get this old
house out of the way, get the insur-
| ance, then | can take care of Delilah
over to the other house great deal
better" The third trip l got out of
the window and looked up the street
saw no one; went back and set fire;
then jumped out of the window
and run around to whore the calf
was; sat down until the alarm of
| fire was given; then l turned the
calf, horse and COW out, and then
came running around to the front of
the house. The first person / saw
was George Milgeley; | asked him
| where the fire was he said in
Swart's shop. just then Mrs. Swart
said George, come and help me to
move some of the things out of the
house, | went in, took trunk
and dragged 1t across the street;
came back and got some bed-clothes
and took them across, when the men
said the fire was out. l took them
back, when she said to me, George,
YOU have made regular botch of
it, l said / could not help i'll
done the best | could. | then went
out into the blacksmith shop; was
around with the men awhile, and
then went to bed.
In the morning when got up 1 went mp
| town little while feeling dry went down
to the Travellers Home to get drink Of water;
/ She Mrs. Swartl said to me, " George. have
| positive orders not to allow you to come into
my house, under any pretense whatever and
| if you have any sense you Will take your
things and 60, as you are not arrested l
| gathered my things up under my arm studied
a minnie or two, and then said dam'd if l will
! go. She said, You are strongly suspected
| go" | said, ." Who gave you orders that |
should not come into Your house any more p
| She said Ed and another party She said.
| " George, You can't stay in my house; 20, you
| Niger, go" turned around, and she said,
| My God, that oil on the floor wash it up"
The cellar door being open, | said and on
them steps, too. Happening to look up be-
tween the houses, l saw the petition was
| stuffed with paper and rubbish the petition
! with the dinins-room and the far room on one
side the store-room, and middle-room on the
other side, and / seen that it was saturated
! with oil-the paper and rubbish mean-and
| that she had compiled with her part of the
plan. She said to me, George, l want you
| to promise me one thing. and that is that you
| will swear that Dan Swart hired you to do it
| don't have my name in it whatever you do.
| | said would not swear to any such thing
| and this was the last conversation that we
had This was the same morning that was
| arrested l made similar statement to this on
Sunday night to Messrs. Crockett, Barnes and
Sims, and the Deputy Sheriff was present
Cross-erdmiRdtion by Counsel for Defense-
My real name is George j. S. Bradford was
| born in Bedford Mass; came to this State
in the summer of 1872 l worked for the Vir-
gina and Truckee Railroad Company, grading
| first was boss of some Cinnamon, about IS
this was between Washoe and Carson have
| lived over two years in Dayton; have worked
for John Livingston and others then | was
jobbing around town for about two months
the rest of my time I have worked for Mrs
Swart, VIM. Bowen, Mr.. Sprague aud Charles