Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-29
FOREST FIRE FIENDS
Destroy Thousands of Acres of Valu-
able Jersey Woodlands as
A REVENGE FOR FANCIED WRONGS.
Property Owners Terrorized by Organized
Timber Thieves.
FARMERS FIGHT THE FIERCE FLAMES
10 Save Their Homesteads From Destruction in the
Configration.

New Jersey is suffering from destructive
forest fres started by timber thieves, who
have conspired to terrorize property owners
who threatened them with prosecution.
Thousands of acres of valuable woodlands
have been destroyed, entailing aloss of over
$50, 900.
CAMDEN, n. j., April 2S,-A reign of
terror has been begun in Burlington county,
N. j.. by the timber thieves who infest that
region. Their fiendish work of setting fire
to the valuable timber lands in the eastern
section of the county, around Mount Holly,
Vincentown, Medford and other small
neighboring towns, which was only stopped
by the heavy rain during the past three
days, has resulted In the loss of many thou
sands of dollars to the owners of timber
tracts and lucrative cranberry bogs, besides
destroying the homes of many tenants. At
present no estimate can be exactly placed
on the amount of property ruined, but it
will certainly not fall short OF $50, 900.
A stretch OF ten miles, which one week
ago contained the finest specimens OF oak,
pine, maple and cedar timber, has largely
been converted into plain OF ashes and
charcoal and smoking stumps OF trees. 1t
is known that timber thieves started the de-
structive confagration early on Wednesday
morning in revenge for the recent wholesale
threats of the owners that they intended to
shoot down any man who should steal their
wood.
AFRAID TO PROSECUTE.
Now that the thieves have wrought such
devastation, the owners are afraid to prose-
cute any of them for fear that new fires will
be started. The Timber Protective Society,
which has been inactive during the last two
years, has leaped into life again to track
down the offenders. A leading official Of
the society said Yesterday that the organiza-
tion would shortly hold a meeting. He also
stated that some plan would be adopted
to stop all thieving in the forests, and
to punish the men known to be
in the business. The fire started on Wednes-
day morning at place called big Hill, !"
in Southampton township, owned by John
Wells. At the same time the thieves set
fire to several adjoining tracts. Within a
few hours the whole section of the country
was in sheet of fame. The timber was
dry and burned quickly. Bands of men
endeavored to fight the flames, but were re-
pulsed by the fearful heat.
Throughout Wednesday and Thursday the
fire spread rapidly, and laid waste to the
thousands of acres. The cracking of timber
and the strong wind tanning the fire filled
the country with continuous roar. The
heavy rain on Friday morning, however,
stopped its progress. The burned district
extends from the southern part of South
hampton township to Shamong, and through
Woodland and Med ord townships. A
greater part of the destroyed woodland was
nhar len
destroyed. The cedar was selling at good
price, it being used for shingles, inside ma
terial of houses and lead pencils.
A CRANBERRY GROWERS LOSS.
Probably the heaviesr loser was Joseph
Hinchman, of Medford township, who lost
about ], 200 acres of choice timber land, be-
sides 10: of cut wood. The fire also injured
most of his 500 acres of cranberry bogs.
Hinchman is the largest cranberry grower
in Southern Jersey. 1t is thought his loss
will not be less than $4,000. Several
small houses on the property of Mr.. Hinch-
man, occupied by some of his workmen,
were burned to the ground.
Great damage was done to the immense
tract of woodland of General John S. Trick,
OF Vincentown. Speaking of his loss BY
the fire yesterday General Trick said: 81
judge that about 1000 acres of the wood
land belonging to me and John Wells have
been destroyed. The timber was valuable,
being heavy and used for logs AS have
not made any inspection am unable 10 set
any figure as to nv loss. 1 shall prosecute
the timber thief who may attempt to destroy
or pilfer my property in the future to the
fullest extent of the law"
Henry j. Trick, the son of the General,
lost 500 acres of his magnificent timber in
NJ 1l, h a.
Jesse Braddock and Japhet Bowker were
large losers in Medford township. They
lost / 900 acres of timber, besides some of
their cranberry bogs. The large timber
tracts OF Joshua Jones, Mrs Louisa Moore,
j. Ballinger and c. Pennock, stretching
over 1000 acres, were nearly all reduced to
ashes, and the farmhouse and outbuildings
of Charles H. Haines were laid in waste.
KING OF TIMBER THIEVES.
This wholesale destruction of property
has been relished by the revengeful timber
thieves. For years these rascals have been
stealing the timber in broad daylight.
They laugh at the owners and do not at
Medford said yesterday that for the past
five years fully 20 cords of wood have
been stolen from his property daily. The
timber thieves do most of their cutting on
Sundays, and then haul for the rest Of the
week. In Northampton and Medford
townships alone the number of these pilfer-
ers is above score. They make their Iiv-
ing by stealing the wood of their neighbors.
One man, well-known to the inhabitants
of Northampton township as the "King OF
the Timber Thieves" is alleged to have
spent his whole life in stealing his neigh
bors' timber. Had he not been a heavy
drinker he would now be rich man at 9th
er peoples expense. He can drink quart
of applejack daily without feeling the
worse for it. He has been indicted, but the
case is still pending against him. The tim
ber thieves have settlements at Magnolia"
Canaan" and Retreat" three notorious