Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-03-04
Greuiug democrat,
The IncendiarY.


factory and many farms 1t is largely a
farming town, in fact; every autumn the
farmers hold an agricultural fair in their
enclosed fair grounds, and the exhibits OF
of live stock and farm products are a
credit to both farms and farmers.
As in many other rural towns in the
East, the people are generally related to
each other, either by marriages or blood
relationship. There were, at the time of
the settlement OF Greenwood, two fami-
lies, the Marshalls and the Browns; and
even now fully hall the entire population
bear either one Or the other of these
names, and far more than halfare related
to one or the other OF these families. An
sci Marshall and his sons, Hiram and
Ephraim, own what is considered the best
farm in Greenwood.
The Browns, though also farmers, own
the mill property. OF late the property
has fallen into possession OF five broth
ers-Calvin, Holmes, John, Stephen and
Sumner Brown.
For more than half q century there has
existed il this town OF Greenwood that
ugliest and most disintegrating of all So
cial elements, feud 1t lies between the
Browns and Marshalls. 1t had its origin
years ago, in dispute about a "fence-
line" and has been perpetuated in an
nual quarrels about flowage on the small
river which furnishes water power for the
mill. The Marshalls own the meadows.
and the Browns by the dam by which
they secure their water power overflow
the low lands, much to the detriment of
the Marshall hay crop.
There have been numerous lawsuits of
Marshall versus Brown, and Brown YER
sus Marshall, resulting in heavy pecun-
larry losses to the two, and much profit to
the county lawyers, and also much hard
feeling and sometimes personal quarrels
between the irrate principals Such
teud breeds dangerous rancor, and the
younger Browns and Marshalls appear TO
have inherited this malignant feeling.
The last lawsuit occurred four wears ago.
II was Marshall versus Brown in that
case, believe; and the trial resulted in
the decision that the dams OF the Browns
should be OF a certain height which-as
the f1Owages extended back for fl re miles
along the river and embraced a consider
able lake connected with it-greativ in
Jured the water-power for the mills aud
the factory, and in fact seriously damaged
the Brown interests.
The meadows of the Marshalls were
correspOndingly enhanced in value, and
their barns overlooked with hay. In fact,
they built four new barns in the course of
the second year, to hold their increased
crops.
The Browns, greatly dissatisfied and
enraged by the verdict, became still more
bitter in their feelings towards the Mar
shalls, and it was said that one of the
younger men threatened to have revenge
adequate to the injury done 1t was not
very strange, therefore, that when, dur
ing October, 1881, barn and its contents
belonging to the Marshall farm was
burned, suspicion was excited that the fire
was caused by an incendiary.
There was no evidence OF it, however,
and the insurance was paid.
In January following, another barn be- |
longing to the Marshalls was burned. |
The fire broke out at 10 o'clock one fore |
noon, and the barn, with six head of |
young cattle and eight or ten sheep, was
entirely consumed.
This second fire naturally created more
comment and excitement than the first.
1t was not, however, till a third barn
and several out-buildings closely con-
nected with the dwelling-house of Ansel
Marshall were burned in July following,
that the public excitement took place in
public action.
A town-meeting was called, ''to see
what the stown would do" about it.
and as there were almost as many
Brown voters as Marshall voters in town,
it is needless to say that the meeting
was an exciting one. The Browns-in
good faith for the most part, no doubt
Indignantly denied the insinuations of
the Marshalls, and opposed any action
on the part of the town. A majority of
the towns people, however, very prop
erly voted to have the matter investi-
gated. The selectnen were empowered
to take such steps as they deemed best, to
the facts connected with the
burning of the buildings.
Instead of offering reward for the
detection of the supposed incendiary, as is
done, the selectmen, two of
whom were Marshall men, showed their
good sense by making nc public stir, but
secretly with detective
bureau in New York City.
They asked simply to have the incen- !
liary of the Marshall barns caught, with
Dut further reference to the Marshalis,
md named a sum that would be paid for {
detection and conviction. l
The bureau accepted the offer; and so I
t happened that the present writer-and l
hence my knowledge of the case-being f
hen in the service of the bureau, was
ent to Greenwood to see what would be c
discovered relative to the burned barns.
For the time being became "fruit-
rec agent for New York horticulturist, b
nd entering the town as such, began
aking orders for trees, making a thorough Il
anvass of the place. In four days l sold b
fty dollars worth of fruit-trees in Green I
7oid. l scarcely asked a single ques- t;
ion about fires, but picked up what in
respecting them l heard in the Y
rdinary conversation of the towns
eople.
The facts gathered were these in sub g
lance: everybody believed that either it
Steve" or ''Sum'' Brown had set fire to n
he barns, but there was not the slightest Sc
violence against them. II
Steve Brown was spoken of as blust- re
ring fellow. 1t was he who was said to v
ave made the threats against the Mar IL
nails. Sum Brown was less talkative
nan Steve. sold him three Flemish p
eautv'' pear-trees and Gage plum" CT
y his garden; and l noticed that he was &c
very observant person. / learned, too,
,at he filed the saws and usually at d
,nded to repairing the machinery both M
the carding-mill and the grist-mil. II
lbn and Holmes Brown were older men, M
lther hard and morose, 1 thought, and M
ossibly revengeful. I'll
| learned further that Sum Brown had W