Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1897-09-10

10 queer VI rs tAA
% Ares was quietly started.
and the free discussion on the
subject By these present. brought
out many startling and unex-
pected facts bearing on the subject.
The intelligent hostess related this In
cldeut. MY father vas great smok-
es He smoked IN bis barn and out
Of his barn. and in al the farm build
ings. Though repeatedly warned OF
the danger Of entering the barn with a
lighted pipe Ia bis mouth. he gave out
little heed. One Sunday mornings as
he was preparing the team for the reg
uiar church service be noticed a thin
column % smoke issuing from between
the cracks Of the barn floor A hasiy
examination revealed q ere well start
ed Ia the straw aud chat that had
sifted down through the cracks. OF
course De soon put out the fire. and
was frank enough 10 tell as. all about
H. and admit that. 10 all probability
q coal o. Ere had rolled. unobserved
by him. from his pipe and fell through
the crack and ignited the chah Had
he failed % discover the ire just as he
did. the barn and all its contents
would. undoubtedly. have been des-
troyed. as the entire family were just
ready 90 start for church. AS father
often smoked with his pipe nearly up
side down. We ali believed that 10 be
she true origin Of the fire" Now let
the intelligent reader observe this fact
II the IRE had remained undiscovered
- the
barn would have been "mysteriOusly
burned" and the finger Of suspicion
would have been pointed at some un-
fortunate wretch. who. though he
might have plenty OF sins OF his own
20 bear, yet would be entirely innocent
OF this undeseryed approach. And it
would be something too. that be could
not shake OF. for the whispered sus-
piciQn is a dark shadow that may cling
20 person for life, observed By
everybody but himself. So much for
the pipe.
A young woman then gave this ac-
count. "A friend OF mine left his Ian
tern lighted In the barn one evening
10 aid him 70 put out his horse when
he returned. During his absence. the
barn was burned and with Il horse.
Duggies. harnesses. robes. etc. The
carcass OF the horse that was burned
was found In a part OF the barn quite
distant from his stall II was, OF
course. very reasonably supposed that
the horse got loose and. in wandering
about the barn overturned the lantern,
and thus set the barn on fire" AL
though there was no great mystery
about the origin OF this IRE, Il devel-
oped food for thought. for. on further
inquiry. the fact was brought 70 light
that. though there was a considerable
Insurance on the barn the company
promptly refused 10 pay il on the
ground Of criminal careiegsness.
Another member Of the gathering /
said: i set my lantern down upon the 1
barn floor. where there WAS consider |
able hay scattered about A single /
stalk OF the hay ran up through one /
81 the round holes Ia the plate be- 4
meath the globe. and touched the /
blaze. put Il out quickly. but had
not noticed IL az I left the barn
would doubtless have been mysterious
Is burned So much for the lantern
The genial host then related the most
extraordinary instance that has ever
come under my notice. While rid
ing with a friend al quite a distance
from home" said be. "a sudden and
violent storm came up, and we drove,
with the owners permission, into a
wayslde barn. which afforded eonyen-
lent shelter from the copious rainfall
which followed. While there. the
horse fell 10 eating hay from the side
OF the NOV. and pulled considerable
litter beneath his feet Suddenly We
heard something pop. and on looking
toward the horses head we saw him
Grop a blazing match from his mouth.
n Tell into the litter az his feet and
strairhtway began 10 blaze up Ia the
dry etuH. OF course We quickly pnt IL
OUT II Is the unexpected that hap
mems. Here was q source OF IRE 30
sfranaeiy anomalous that had IL oc-
CURED when no one was near. is true
origin could hardly have been guessed
Al and very likely Il would have been
called the wOsk 81 an incendikry
with the sure result OF accusing some
innocent person with 6 heinous crime.
Yet Il really happened. The heavy
iucisors Of the horse. closing sharply
upon the matchhead ignited H. when
be quickly dropped Il In the litter at
his feet 30 much for the match.