Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-02-17
MYSTERY OF THE EGG.
ASTOUNDING STORY OF INCBNDARISN IN
YORK COUNTY, PA.
An Arcadian Community Along the Pennsylvania
and Maryland Line Invaded by Mysterious
Barn-burnes-HOw the Work Was
Done-Fns Bugs Escape

HARRISBURG, PA, February l6 III
there is spot in this country where there
is as near an approach to Arcadian SIM
plicity as can be realized it is in the south
western corner of York County, Pennsyl-
varia, in that division Of the country
known as Baughman Valley, Peopled oy
cheerful ard thrifty Pennsylvania Dutch
farmers, whose ancestors settled there more
than century ago, and who retain many
of the peculiar domestic customs, traits Of
character and business methods OF that an
cestry. The community has record sin
gularly free from crime and scandal. Yet
for months in that portion oft lying with
in a circuit of five miles about the little
village of Glenville the inhabitants have
lived in constant terror, and for days hard
ly a man, woman or child has closed sn
eye in sleep. During the months OF No
vember and December several barns
were burned, nobody knew how.
The flames would break cut
suddenly with great violence and
each building and contents, including live
stock, would be destroyed. By January
l nine of the largest barns in the COM
munity had been burned, and the total
less amounted 20 over twenty thousand
dollars. Cattle, horses, pigs, and other
live stock had persisted in nearly every
fire. and in some irstarc human life had
been placed in imminent peril. No trace
of any combustible or explosive that might
have been used in setting the fires had
been discovered, nor anything that might
indicate where the fire had been started.
Even when there wss snow on the ground,
no tracks leading to or away from any
barn that was burned were visible. IL
was Tot until January that clue 20 the
methods of the mysterious incendiaIy was
discovered. Ga that day boy found IN
shed on the farm of David Newcomer what
seemed to be an egg of unusual weight
As he raised it up a few grains of black
substance, with which the egg fesmed
to be filled, ran out Of small hole IL
that end. The boys mother believed
that it WIS in some way con-
nected with the mysterious fires, and she
sent for DR.. d. Keller. He poured the
contents of the egg on plae, and found
it to resemble gunpowder. He took a
small portion of it and touched fire to IT.
Instantly the few grains flashed upward in
a volume Of flame entirely out of proper
ton 10 the strange combustible. The
shock OF cornstalks near which the mys-
terious egg was found was believed to have
been its receptacle, and DR.. Keller and
Farmer Newcomer had no doubt that
powder similar to that in the egg, and
similarly placed, had been the agent
through which all the barns had been
fired. Fearing that there were other eggs
in the cornstalks still remaining in the
harm, they were all carried out aud piled
up against an old mill soma distance away.
The theory of DR.. Keller was that the sub
stance found in the egg was some secret
chemical preparation that had latent ex'
plosive or Combusible qualities which
we're made act We by the lapse of a certain
time The cornstalks were carried from
| Newcomers BAN to an old rnib in the al
ternoon. Buckets filed with water were
held in readiness, 80 that if fire should
occur the flames could be extinguished.
Each shock Of stalks had been shaken rs it
was taken from the barn, and few persons
present believed that it YVES possible for
an egg or any foreign object 10 remain in o
shock after shaking. The establishment OF
the farmers was therefore beyond descrip-
ton when, few minutes before O'Clock,
dull report was heard and instantly
flames leaped from the pile of cornstalks
and several feet above them. They were
deluged with water, but the flames wers
extinguished with difficulty. Since then
every farmer has been in daily expectation
of seeing his property burst into flames be-
fore his eyes In spite of all watchfulness
four disastrous fires have occurred since
the discovery at Newcomers, every one be-
ing undoubtedly the work of the frebug.