Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-08-13
GRAIN INCENDIARIES,
Diabolical Attempts to Burn the Wheat
Fields of California.

telegram from San Jose, July 80, to the
San Francisco Chronicle, says: During last win
ter rumors were rife in this vicinity that as
soon as the new grain crop should be ready to
harvest it would be burned. At that time the
threats were regarded as mere sensation, and
no attention was paid to them, particularly as
they could be traced to no Individual source.
Recent events, however, bring them to mind
with startling distinctness and create the inn
preston that there possibly exists an organi-
zation having the execution of the threats as
its object. Last week a fire broke out in a
grain field belonging to Robert WEIGH, lying
between Milpitas and Berryessa, which de-
stroyed about 5000 worth of grain. At the
time the fire was regarded as an accident
Shortly after, some persons unknown, covered
clipper standing IN field in the same
neighborhood with straw, which was fred
and the clipper entirely destroyed. This oc-
CURED about o'clock in the morning. and
about two hours later the stubble in the neigh
borhood of the thrashing machine was fred
evidently intended to burn the machine. The
act, however, was frustrated by the hands
camped with the machine, who extinguished
the fire. This morning another attempt was
made to fire the grain fields in that quarter,
which reveals the method employed by the
scoundrels engaged in the work. About 8
o'clock this morning some men who were work
ing in Robert Welch's field, near Berryessa.
large field, and at once hastene, to the point,
succeeding finally in extinguishing the flames.
Scarcely was this done before another fire was
observed to mysteriously spring up about half
mile away, to which the men fastened, and
again succeeded in mastering the threat
ened conhagration. A few moments
afterward, and almost simultaneously, two
fires broke out in distant quarters of the field.
and apart from each other several hundred
yards. Again the men, by this time reinforced
by number of neighboring farmers and field
hands, went to work, the force being divided
SO as to attend to both cases at the same time,
and again success crowned their efforts, though
for a time it looked as it the fire would get
beyond their powers to quell, and sweep south
ward on the breath If the strong breeze through
the miles of grain lying uncut between that
point and Gilroy. The occurrence of four fires
in the same field without any apparent cause
excited much astonishment and alarm, and be-
ieving that it could not be accident or the re-
suit OF scattered phosphorus, search was made
for the cause. Some distance from the point
where the fire first broke out one of the search
ers discovered piece of heavy wire about two
feet long, one end of which was stuck in the
ground and the upper end inserted IN piece
of candle, the lower end of which was wrapped
with piece of paper saturated with kerosene
which was wound around the wire, and the
lower end inserted in a quantity of straw COLI
lected around the base of the upright wire. On
sedrCulllS Gue pldCe WQere the nre6 DfOKe out
corresponding wires were found sunk in the
ground-of course minus the candle and paper
The apparatus employed indicates that the
candles we're lighted in the night, and the time
required in burning to the oiled paper afforded
the perpetrator ample opportunity to get a
long distance away before the FIRE should break
out. 1t is also believed that the candles were
prepared of the same length, SO as to cause the
fires to break out in different parts of the field
at the same time, thereby rendering all efforts