The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1876-03-23
FOR inc EAGLE.
From Clearwater.

DEAR EDITOR: Prairie fires are &C
common now days tn at the scarcely
deserve a notice in the columns of 8
newspaper. 1t seems to be taken fol
granted that q certain amount Of
property has to be burned up every
year.
On last Monday, when the wind wa:
blowing gale, one of those fires
broke away from the premises of c.
Summers, about mile from Clear
water, and, every thing being favor.
able. it soon spread over several miles
of country, destroying trees and
hedges on its dcvouring march, and it
was only by the greatest exertion on
the part of many Of the citizens that
much of their property was saved.
There is o hard yarn told concerning
the origin Of the fire, but l suppose
the true cause was from burning
weeds and corn stalks on piece Of
land surrounded by prairie grass, and,
like most of our destructive fires, was
the result of criminal carelessness.
People may make fire guards that will
stop fire under ordinary circumstances,
but when the fiend of the torch is
abroad in the gale-and that is mostly
the time he selects for his favorite
passtime-the best efforts that a man
can nut forth are of little effect in
staying the progress of the angry
flames. l wonder how long the peo.
pie of this country are going to sub
NIT to this giant evil without Crap
ping the throat of the monster.
We can guard against horse thieves
and BURGLARS, and midnight assassins
and we are justified in shooting them
down to save our property and our
lives, and yet no one will doubt the
assertion that there is not One-tenth
of the loss of life and property
caused annually from all these COM
5ined that there is from the prairie in
cendiary alone. We build asylums
for the lunatic, and cells for the fellon,
and vigilance committees hang up
horse thieves on sight, while he who
has set the prairie OH fire and burns
up his neighbors' horses, and cattle,
and grain, and implements, and not
unfrequentIy leaves him and his fami-
ly nouseless and ruined, is allowed to
run at large and pursue the even tenor
of his way, as if nothing had hap
pened. But, says one, you can sue
for damage. know it, and in nine
cases out of ten that is all the good it
will do. You can't get blood out of
turnip. 1t. is generally those who
have nothing to lose themselves, and
have no respect for the property of
others who set these fires out. l know
that people have delicacy about hav-
ing person arrested and brought to
justice who is living amongst them,
and would rather suffer their loss in
quietness, but they only delude them
selves and encourage the burners to
renew their work.
Tho plea is often set up that it is
Lhoughtlessness. or ignorance, or acct
dent, if SO it requires that something
be done to set them to thinking, to in !
'truct them little, they would think |
twice before putting out fire on
windy day if they knew they had to
abide by the consequences. The whole
hing is uncalled for, it can be avoid
ID, aud the common veal demands
hat it be put a stop to, and the only
yay to do it is for the people to lay
side their scruples and look upon
,rairie burning in its true light, rs
rhine and punish the offenders.
WIN. Ross.