Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-11-06
I could find the mark of walking stick,


the track. never heard any one threaten
to burn Sheriff Glenn's barn. The only
person ever knew to express fears of being
burned out was the old colored woman,
Jane McLeave, who lived on the place.
She and 1 were not friendly all the time.
The fire saw was not on Sheriff Glenn's
land. It was q small place, and had just
commenced burning when first discovered!
it. That is the only sign of fire there that
I know of. The sheriff had twenty-five
bales of cotton in his barn yard last year
from October to December. l had removed
my cotton. watched the tracks until the
shoes were brought for comparison, and no
person passed over them.
Redirect. moved my cotton on account
of the threats that had been made to burn
the old woman.
JOHN SIMRIL, (colored,) s,co1n. live
on the premises of Sheriff Glenn, one mile
from the barn. I live close to Green, but
nearer the barn than he. saw the place OF
the fire next morning, but was asleep when
the fire occurred. I saw tracks, but do not
know whose tracks they were. l know
Thornburg and have seen him walk. l
heard no suggestions in particular that
morning as to whose tracks they were.
saw no signs of a walking stick. l have
heard some threats-the first of this year
about burning. I had some cotton there,
and not knowing what might happen, |
moved it. It was in the cotton house. l
saw where a fire had been built on the side
of the road, but do not know how it came
to be there.
Cross examined. The fire allude to was
small place, short distance-about fifty
yards from the barn, and near the main
road. It was a small place where match
might have been thrown. The old Wo-
mans fears were all that ever heard,
1T. PARISH, sUo,7a. I live a quarter OF
a mile from where the barn was burned. l
was there heard the alarm and went to the
place, but do not know the time when ar.
rived The roof had fallen in when got
there. l donot remember as to the timbers
standing. 1 did not see Leander Parish
when 1 first got there. He lives further
from the place than I. I saw tracks, but can
not saw as to the number. Could tell moth
ing as to the size or number of shoe. There
were also barefoot tracks. Thesherltf spoke
about the barefoot track, and little White
fellow said some of the hands had been
there. There is but one wagon-way through
the lot from the gate. When | went back
the second time, after the fire did not re-
main more than five minutes. paid no
attention to the measurement of the tracks.
George Grist had one of the shoes. He was
handling one of the shoes near the tracks.
do not know that any tracks had been
made with the shoes. | saw no sign OF
walking stick. I never saw the defendant
walk without a stick.
MRS. JANE WHITE, s,corm. am the wife
of Nathaniel White. was at home the night
the barn was burned. / was awakened by
the light, and as soon as | Wakened the tam. !.
ily went out. When [ got to the barn it
was all in fame, the top burning. Mr..
Russell was first to come, and the next al
ter him Frank johnson, colored man.
do not know where he lives. Mr.. The. Par
ish came next; then Leander Parish and his
son. noticed the clock after returning
from the barn; the time was ten mintes at.
ter one. All these persons mentioned had
come before I returned to the house. l
cannot saw what progress the fire had made
by the time I returned. The clock keeps
correct time. Mr.. White attends to it. l
never heard of any threats worthy of notice
being made to burn; all heard were the
fears of the old negro woman, Jane NC
Leave. | was surprised when l saw this
fire. have no facts within my knowledge
to cause me to suspect Thornburg or any
one else.
Cross-erani,aed. Jane McLeave is an old
colored woman who lived on Sheriff Glenns
place last year.
CAPT. J. C. LYNEs, Sao0Tn. / am a grad
uate in chemistry and natural philosophy
and a teacher of these sciences. There is
such a thing as spontaneous combustion,
both rapid and slow. Under the conditions
of straw and other substances, as described, /,
~ th;s ha rn thaalennents of SLOW combustion
were there. Combustion may take place
from five days to seven or eight months.
Glover, hay, &C., are heterogeneous substanc-
es and would generate slow combustion.
(Witness then gave lengthy scientific eX-
planation of the probable effects, under va
rious circumstances, of the pillng up, OF
nitrogenous substances in clrcumscrlpe1d
space, and continued)-I have book knoWl-
edge that in cities the percentage of fires
from spontaneous combustion is large; in
the city of London amounting to thirty
three per cent. In many instances where
incendiary fires were suspected, experts have
traced them to spontaneous combustion.
The cases Of heterogeneous combustion are OF
frequent occurrence in this country-espe-
cially in the Western States. Fire is COM
pound or union of oxygen with other gases.
There may be fire without flame. Phospho-
rous will ignite at sixty degrees, cent?
grade. Fire is the result Of chemical
union of gases. 1t is latent, the product OF
heat. Heat is present even in ice, the cold
est substance we have in nature. Heat is
in every substance. There may be heat
without a flame. Lucifer matches ignite
at thirty degrees, centigrade. This degree
of heat could be easily obtained by piling
organic matter, and would ignite lucifer
match if placed within it. The proximity
of horse-stables would increase the chances
of spontaneous combustion. Their presence
would render the conditions Of spontaneous
combustion good. Horse eXcrement con-
tains large amount of nitrogenous matter,
and dung hills have been seen to burn up.
CrosS-eranai1aed. Clover, cured and dried,
before being placed in barn, would not
cause combustion, if it continued dry. Can
give no opinion as to the probable result
of one load of clover scattered and remaining
scattered over a space of twenty-slX by thlr-
ty feet. With chaff perfectly dry, put in a
dry room on stone floor, there could be
danger, by the absorbing of moisture. Un-
less the floor were we'll cemented there
would be conditions of danger.
10 the Court. Spontaneous combustion in
cities is due mainly to fatty oils, oakum,
linen and cotton rags. Castor and olive oils
generate combustion rapidly under certain
circumstances. The stable mentioned, it
used for the purpose Of a stable, would en-
hance the danger when filled with straw or
chaff.
WIN. r. MCCULLOUGH, saco'm. On the
night of the 3rd of September last, | was at
Thornburg's; had been there all of that day.
From sundown, until the time he left, Syl-
vanus was at the Finley house. l was
there when William Thornburg left. l
think he left after - o'clock. I judge the
time by the position of the moon, which
had turned to the west. Sylvanus left about
twenty minutes after William. know the
road usually travelled from the Finley house
to Joseph Thornburg's; the distance is half
mile. Sylvanus travelled it. From W.
R. Lowry's to Joseph Thornburg's the dis