The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-27

cross Later In the season, however. the
usual smaller fires prevailed south of the
railroad.
Many man has been hanged, or shot
to death if the conveniences for hanging
were not to be had on the treeless t1ole-
less plains, for starting prairie fires. The
cattlemen and cowboys, assisted by the
soldiers at the army posts on the prairie
always started out Immediately after a
prairie fire to investigate its cause. But
very often there was nothing left to tell
the tale of the origin of the conhagra-
ton. The plainsmen were, however. so
angry usually at their losses and the suf-
fering and death of human beings and
beasts in the fire that they meant TO fix
the blame somewhere. No doubt scores
of men have been hanged for starting
prairie fires when they were either limo
cent or the fire had been started by care
lessness. In August, 1870 when the great
prairie fire of Western Kansas swept from
the Arkansas river down into Indian Ter
ritory, distance of nearly 800 miles. the
origin of the fire was traced by a gang
of cattleman to roundup party in the
employ of the Arkansas Cattle Company
located near where Coolidge Kan, has
since grown up. The Texans went to
Dodge City and secretly told the Arkan-
sas cowboys. A posse started across The
plains, sixty miles to their camp. The
latter were arrested and the trial began
at once. The prosecution contended that
grudge had existed between the prison
ers and the Texas cattemen, that the
prisoners had sworn vengeance against the
Texas cattlemen at the earliest opportunity
and that when the prisoners had learned
that the Texas fellows were in Western
Kansas driving herd slowly on the way
to Dodge City market, they had set fire
to the prairie grass so that its flames
would envelop the whole region, destroy
the Texas herd, and, anyhow, burn all the
fodder for any Texas herds coming that
way. The testimony of several cowboys.
who swore they knew these plans of the
prisoners was introduced.
The trial started at IL p m. and closed
at a. m. The prisoners numbered seven
men and one boy. Six of the prisoners
were condemned to death The boy and
one man were ordered out of Kansas on
pain of death If seen in the state after
forty-eight hours. Forthwith the posse
with the six condemned prisoner, bound
and helpless, on horseback, started for a
grove of cottonwood trees ten mites distant
on the banks of the Arkansas river Just
as the sun was shooting its earliest rays
across the blackened plains the last two
of the six alleged starters of the prairie
lilS were HduSSu.
Every town on the great plains of the
West, except in communities where the
people are criminally careless, still takes
precautions every autumn against the pos
sibility of devasta ion by prairie fires. Fire
breaks are plowed by the men In the
prairie towns every August and Septem-
Der. A fire break is made by blowing a
few burrows just outside and entirely
around the town. Further out. saw 100
yards, another circle is made, and then
the grass burned between. This effeetual
ly prevents any hostile fire from taking
the community. 1t very frequently hap
pens that this fire break is constructed
after the fire which it is intended to guard
against has appeared. on such occasions
while one party goes out with brooms.
shovels, old grain sacks and other wea-
pons to stay the progress of the fire as
much as possible, another attaches teams
to all the plows that can be found and be-
gins to make the needed burrows As
soon as the burrows are turned the back
fire between Is started, and usually the
town is saved. The fire breaks. simple as
they are, have saved thousands of lives
of settlers In the West, and protected q
vast amount of capital invested In farm
ing property and homes of poor families.