The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-02-16
MORE NCEsDARISx IN SOUTH CAROLINA
The riery Torch I'm the Hand OF ms''''''"'
ricnds REEVES the Reign OF 'errer ;"
Edycfieid County
.,,.n,o - ,,o p,cbmond Dispatcll.l

fcorrcs,ondeucc Of the Richmond Dispatch.I
R,pGr. :. C., February IL, 1857
An uudoubtcd case Of ineendiarisni, VI
marc aggravated character than previous
ones. occurred Saturday night the lith IN
si.nt. MFR. Lucius Crops, living I'VE mics
nortI, Of here, had taken his family Satur,
dSv and gone TO visit his father. He closed
mn his dwelling, leaving no one on the
Mace Yesterday morning he returned 10
Ind b;s house in ashes. The burning took
rIocc between II and 1 o'clock at night.
/ Tho l,gbi. was distinctly seen by the watch
men. who are still kept out every night IN
this small village.
Mr. Crops believes his place was first
robbed and then fired, for he bad in the
house sfs or $40 in silver, and no traces OF
| Il can be found in the ruins. The dwelling
was insured for $1,000 in the Continental.
None of the outhollses were burned. rms
| Is thc first ease Of burning OF an occupied
dwellipe-undoubted the work OF IN liz
eendiary.
Thursday night last two tenement houses
occu,,icd bv negroes and owned by Mr..
James Rutland, living three miles south OF
| here. were burned about s O'Clock. They
were close to each other. and the colored
woman living in the one where the flre
started had attempted to kindle fire in the
fireplace and failed, and then went into the
other house to obtain more fuel, ana wiille
talking there the fire somehow caught III
the clothes Of the bed standing near the
chimney. The colored occupants say TIC
fire was SET while she was in the neighbour
| ing house. The white people feel quite
/ sure, however, the fire was the result OF
carc.essness.
The burning Of five stores out of TWEEN
ty on last Monday AT the growing town
| OF Johnston, eight miles west OF here. Is
thought to he the work OF an incendiary,
but Of course it is very doubtful.
These cases bring back the feeling OF ull-
casiness to the inhabitants a. 10 the state OF
order and suiet. Those who had begun to
/ sleep soundly. thinking their property no
/ longer in danger OF the torch, will spend
wakeiul nights till they hear Of no more
such fires. They will also continue to Keep
out the night-watchmen.
1t is quite remarkable thai the most vigor-
Gus efforts to ferret out the burners have as
vet failed TO fix the crime on any Opc.
/ In one ease tracks were followed two
DAYS through mysterious windngs and the
boots of a colored boy found which exactly
fitted the very peculiar track. The boy
was arrested, but il was shown that tho
boots had been lent out by the little chill
dren in the evening before the fire to somC
one whom they could not identify, and th'
boy Of sixteen years, to whom they be-
longed, was at home during that night, nc
cording TO the testimony OF his parents.
In other cases tracks evidently made by
the incendiary have been followed fol
miles in zig-zag course in the vicinity o
the burnt building and then mysterious!
lost near some colored mans house, where
nobody could be found whose track an
swercd to the one followed. From this j
is believed that some very wise heads plo
! fhn incendinriSm.