The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-23
TERRoAIz cd BY FIRE-BUGs.
The Farmers of Juniata county pa.
in a sad Condition OF Fright.

"
The Farmers of Juniata county Pe)
in a sad Condition Of Fright.
MIFFLIUTowN, Pa, Sept. 20.-Six big
barns, VITA the seasons crops in them,
have been burned in close successio within
tie past three weeks in Walker township,
Juniata county. of which this town is the
county seat. All were fired, it is believed,
by incendiaries working in secret unison
and Tor purposes not yet unde stood by
the communl y. In consequence the
farmers hereabOut are rapidly fall
ing into state of paLic which has not been
experienced in this part Of state for
years All Of he burned barns were within
mile and half Of each other and about
five miles southeast of this town. All were
ig tied and consu ned at night, VIII n the
chances of help and disc very are fewest
Mystery surrounds the ope atlons of the in
cendiaries, whoever they are, but none the
less the belief that the burnt Is are the
work OF ganize fire-bugs is gene al
The Junlata county commissioners have
offered liberal reward for the arrest and
conviction of the incendiaries, and detect
ives nave been engaged to investigate, and
in addition every farmer in the neighbor
hood IS watching his property with gun
IN hand, to such deg ee has the vigilance
of the people been aroused. Many rumors
are current as to The Identity of the guilty
persons, bat no warrants thus far have
been sworn out and nothing tangible in the
81 Y of evidences ha; been discovered.
Meanwhile, nobody in Walker township
ca -ieep soundly at night for fear of being
aroused fr I'M slumber by the dreaded glare
a d raclIling of fire.
The ii st barn to go was that on the Sieber
farm. While 70 circumstances of the
buTnIDQ ET1opiOiattC M thnrott RI in
vestigation was made. A few days after,
on Sept. s. David Hettrick's ia Il was
burned at midnight, and then the people
began to whiipe that fire-bugs must be
alb ut. Neither Hettrick nor a ~ of his
family could give ~ explanation of tn
strange co migration. The loss, t o, was
heavy, for the entire crops, nine valua lie
horses, and two calves were con-
sumed, and Farmer hettrck was an
cry. On Sent. 9, lnday, the large barn
of William Kaufman was ligl ed Just be-
fore day, and the whole structure, with its
contents, was reduced to ashes. Terrific!
at the gro wing frequency of such fires, the
farmers began to keen a sharp lookout, but
to no purpose. Two days later on Tuesday
evening. he big barn belonein to Matthew
Rod g S, neighbor of Kauffman's, was
added to the list ana burned to the ground
On Monday of FMS week, the 16.h, Hem
met with the same fate Forshe and his
family say that they heard a dull ex-
ploslon, a ID in few minutes the whole
barn was ablaze, seemingly fired in
number of pl ,ces at once. The barn, be-
sides containing a moderate wheat crop.
acid 700 bus els OF oats aud fifty tons of
hay The insurance on barn and crops
amounted to 81 200, which will not cover
h If the loss. Vas erday the last of this
strange ries of fires occurred, the victim
being Jacob Borst whose BAN and crops
we're destroyed in the same fashion as the
9th RS. It is believed the incendiaries U.s.
be zine, oil, q I'd powder in accomplishing
their work. inasmuch as explosions We're
heard at three of the fires. So far no re-
dress or relief mas bean obtained