The Press., 1891-03-05
(Willimantic Chronicle.) TERRORIZING A TOWN.

(Wfimantic Chronicle.)
 TERRORIZING A TOWN.
 For long period that section of the town of Mansfield, including Eagleville, Storrs and North Mansfi. Id, has been scourged by some villain or villains who have committed succession of depreda- ions and atrocities, including arson, van- dalism, larceny and the disembowellng of animals. Suspicion has from the begin ming pointed strongly to the source of this deviltry, but the characters are desperate young men, who it Is believed would not shrink from any form of crime. So much are the townspeople imbued with this idea that no matter how plain the evidence of their guilt of any of the unlawful acts per formed, nobody dares to make any ag- eressive movement to bring them to feel the clutches of the law. The fact is the town is terrorized and dares not raise hand to defend itself. There was one fee ble effort to seek out and punish the per- petrators about two years ago, the town offering reward of $70O for their detection and conviction, but the paralysis of fear had taken hold of the near neighbors, and they could not be persuaded or coerced in- to making any movement in assisting to carry out the work. At last detective from abroad was secured and imported for the t,sk. but after ge tng onto thp guilty Iparties he could get no help or corrobora- I tive evidence from outside, and his efforts were fruitless.
 l The first of these depredations was com mitted about three years ago, when the barn of Charles A. Popple in North Mans field was burned, together with its con- tents of hay, gram, tools and stock. Then Martin Flaherty's barn was in flames and burned to the ground then came the barn of Dennis Flaherty, which was like wise in the night time consumed as the result of this incendiary thirst for crime. Shortly after barn near by, belonging to John L. Ross, the Eagleviile mill owner, went up in the fiery clements. This act was done when light coating of snow lay on the ground, and the scoundrel's boot tracks were plainly seen with their impress of heavy nails in the bottom leading to and from the scene, but although an arrest was
 made evidence enough was not forthcom. ing to obtain a conviction.
 | In few days one of the Flahertys went into his fields and was confronted with the shocking sight of number of his COWS shot and horse disemboweled. Then it came the turn of Geo. H. Harris, the grist mill owner at Eagleville, who in daytime went out of his house to find his mill in I flames, and it was soon in ashes. After
 wards he had barn burned in the same mysterious way. Benjamin Harris was the next victim, whose barn was devoured by fire about one year ago. Having satisfied the desire for incendiarism, their attention
 was next turned to besmearing the white
 Congregational meeting house at Storrf Iwith black paint, painting thereon the
 most hideous of characters, both ludicrouf
 and obscene. Having yielded the brush
 industriously there they then went to the burying ground and coated the tombstonet
 with the same material. These operations
 have been repeated three or four time' LI within, 8 year, and Carlo 0. Uphami dwelling hard by also. underwent the deco rasing rfocsss. The people thereabou
 were terribly enraged, but nothing wal Accommodation of the fiendish acts. Stephel Gardner did not escape their visits, ant was the loser of fine and numerous kit O , carpenter tools as consequence. In tha lschoof district a new school house was re ! Icently voted, and just as it was completed , and the tax about to be levied to pay fo , the structure along came the barn burne with a jug of kerosene oil which he emptiet over the building and set it on fire. Th' flames were discovered, however, in tim to extinguish them, and so the house wa saved. This operation was repeated afte
 a few nights with the same result. Afte , the tax was collected there was no furthe r incentive to destroy the property. Thei latest escapade took place last Sunda. ss night, when the church was again disfg t ared in the highest style of their obscen , art. It now presents pitiable sight, an'
 the good people of that region are wonder ing what is to be done about it. The tow 5 lis verily in paroxysm of terror, nom 2 knowing whose turn will come next, an all being backward to invoke the law, feal , ing such a course would provoke the var dals to retaliate upon them. It is sai, ? that the villains were seen last Sunta 2 night, and their identity can be proved b. the night workmen on the Storrs agricu5 { tural school artesian we'll. ......