Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-06-24
THE DEED OF A. FIREBUo.
Sunday Nights Fire of Incendiary Ori
GIN. No Clue to the Perpetrator.

|
Sunday Nights Fire of Incendiary ori-
gin. No Clue to the Perpetrators.
The dreaded cry of fire and the clang
of the alarm bell once more awakened
the citizens Of Custer from their slum.
bers, shortly before midnight last Sunday
night. At that hour, f. X. Taylor, who
had just returned from a trip into the
country and was putting the horse he
had driven into w. A. Smiths barn,
noticed smoke and flames issuing from
the dwelling house recently finished
and furnished by w. X. Hoy, of this
city. Mr.. Taylor quickly gave the
alarm, and with the assistance Of two or
three of the citizens who reside i'm that
part of town, forced his way into the
burning building. The fire had been
started in the garret and was only. fairly
under way when discovered. HoTsv.7l
its location and the absence Of ladders
made it impossible for the men to reach
it with water, and their efforts were
exerted TO save the contents Of the
| doomed building. The furniture was
all removed and nearly all the windows
and doors in the house were taken from
their fastenings to places of safety.
| When the number Of workers had been
swelled to twenty-five or thirty and the
hook and ladder apparatus had reached
the scene of the fire, the upper story of
the building was in flames and all hope
of ofquenching them was past West Of
Mr.. Hoy's property. and only few feet
| distant stands another large tN o-story
dwelling house occupied by w. G.
Allison and family. 1t was feared that
this building also would be destroyed,
bu. the wind blew the flames in the op-
posite direction. the creek close by fur
nished an unlimited supply Of water,
and the bucket brigade which fought so
valiantly to save it had the satisfaction
of seeing their efforts crowned with sue
cess. An hour after the first alarm was
sounded the ruins Of one of Clusters
handsomest residences were all that
marked the scene Of the fire, and the
citizens returned to their homes, or
gathered in little groups to discuss the
origin of the destructive flames.
Several months ago Mr.. Hoy purchas
ed the house and the lot on which it
stood, Of II, J, Demerest, who built It a
year or more ago. Since the property
came into his possession he has been
constantly improving it and only last
week the work was done which made il
complete. Friday, the 10th, two sisters
OF Mr.. III. arrived from the east, expect
ing to keep house for him during the
summer. 4 considerable amount of
furniture was placed in the house on
Saturday, and its prospective occupaI4 /
intended to move in on Monday of TIM
week. viii had slept In the hou-e
several nights prior 10 the FIRE. besG4ys-
day morning he went down to the hokie
of his sister, Mrs John Mallon, and re
mained there, as had been his habit, all
day Sunday and the night following.
He had no fire in his house since early
struction of i: was accomplished by some
villain who carefully laid and executed
his plans, with thorough knowledge
Of the movements of the owner, there
can be no doubt iE the minds of those
familiar with the facts. The dwelling
was one Of the largest and most impos-
ing ones in Custer. Money had not
been spared in finishing either the in
terror or exterior, and $4,000 would be a
| fair estimate of it value. 1t was in
sured for 81 200. Mr.. Hoy knew moth
ing of the fire until it was over, and
when he came in from the country
Monday morning and gazed upon the
ruins of what was to have been the
home of himself and sisters, the sense
of disappointment overwhelmed and
prostrated him He was under the
doctors care all day Monday, but was
able to be out Tuesday.
Nothing that has occurred in Custer
in years has created such intense inter-
est or been the subject of such general
comment as the fire of Sunday night.
The fire in itself was not such serious
affair, and the loss to the owner is not
nearly so great as it would have been
had he not carried insurance, but the
thought that there resides IN this COM
munity or its vicinity an individual
sufficiently depraved and evil minded
to commit the crime Ct arson, is not a
pleasant one Added to this is the
knowledge that the burning of Mr..
Hoy's property is only the most recent
criminal action of some one who has
Systematically prosecuted him for nearly
a year. Twice during the month of
September, 1892, attempts we've made
to take his life. One night during that
month, while he was riding along the
Buffalo Gap road, a few miles east OF
this place, a man, whose identity was
concealed by the darkness. stepped out
from the timber which skirts the high-
| way ahu " iosPihe tAS chAA Avfa "a $50
horse, struck the rider twice with q
knife. Mr.. Hoy had on an oyercoat,
and over that "slicker" to protect him
from the rain. They protected him
from something more serious than
water, for while the knife penetrated
both garments it did not reach the
wearers body, and his horse jerked
away from the would-be murderer be-
fore another attempt could be made. A
week later while riding over the same
road three shots were fired upon Mr.,
Hoy from ambush. Two of tho bullets
whistled harmlessly past him, but the
third grazed his wrist, and that member
still bears the scar Of the slight wound
which was inflicted. Soon after that be
received two or three threatening let
tsrs, anonymously written but bearing
the Custer postmark. Since he has
been preparing his house for occupancy,
his cowardly prosecutor has resorted to
other measures. One night, rot many
weeks ago. the windows were smeared