Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1894-08-03
ticket, Stevens Ton democrat
and populist ticket. and Sanders.

AN informal examination of citizens
who were first on the ground during the
recent fire was held Tuesday in Williams
port, but nothing new was developed
There was nothing stated at the eXamina
tion to prove that the man first under
suspicion did the desperate and cowardly
act. In fact. the opinion seems to be al
most universal that the one who did the
work lives ncarer-much ncarer-than
the one toward whom, from Green
stine's first statements, suspicion pointed.
AS will be seen by the county auditors
call, printed elsewhere in this issue, the
board of county commissioners will meet
on Saturday, August 18th, for the pur-
pose of considering the matter of offering
d reward for the arrest and conviction of
The villain who set the county house and
Mr.. Connor's buildings on fire. The
Record believes it voices the sentiment of
nine.tenths of the taxpayers of the county
when 1t asks, as it does now, that lib
eral:neward be paid for information that
WILL SOuf1C 1AC lJlSClCuut. WV GuluS 10
certain: something must be lonesome
earnest effort made-fo ferret out the
.firebug or firebugs that have been work
ing in this neighborhood this year. The
payment of any reward that may be Of
fered will, we understand, be made con-
tngent upon conviction, and the county
will not be out anything if the culprit is
not discovered. We believe that the
county fathers would earn and receive
the thanks and heartfelt gratitude of ev
cry worthy citizen if the offering of a
liberal reward should lead to the apRre
hension and conviction of the person hr
persons who have caused the fires of the
present year in this neighborhood. 1t is
shame that honest, hard-working peo-
pie should be at the mercy of villaips
who are too cowardly to meet their enc.
mics face to face, but who go in the dead
of night to destroy their property, per-
haps to endanger the lives of an innocent
woman and children and turn them home
less upon the prairie. While these burn.
ings have given the Williamsport neigh>
borhood bad reputation, it is matter
of fact that this section is settled by Il
class of honest, hard-working farmers
who would sing songs of praise for, and
give thanks from the bottom of their
heart to, any public official or private citiS
zen whose efforts should lead to the dis
covery of the person who has brought
| them to state of nervous fear that their
| individual property may next be de-
/ stroyed. For years there has been 'con-
tinuous petty thieving in this region.
Any house left unoccupied was certain to
| be broken into and carried off grain has
been stolen from granaries, fuel from the
| schoolhousc, and lumber from door,
yards. While no positive legal proof has
| existed, the outfit of professional thieves
that has done this stealing has been well
known apd yet we have stood suplnelY
by without making concerted effort to Sc
cure the proof necessary for conviction.
The result has been that long immunity
from arrest has embeldened the thieves
until they have established sort of ter
rorism over the neighborhood. Things
| are coming to pretty pass when feal
| of these malicious wretches compels the
members of families that have offended
them to lie awake at night to watch theil
homes, or start from fitful sleep at every
noise they hear about the premises. In
the interest of justice, for the happiness
and protection of the people of this
county, the Record hopes that the county
board, at their meeting on August 11th
will offer liberal reward for the arres
and conviction of the incendiaries.