The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-22
BIG REWARD
..f;ORf'l||.R||''E||I:.B| D
Mitch Excitement Continues ii1f
Buckingham Over Burning
of Forbes buildings. ssS
PARTIES AR E SUSPECTED
Several Mysterious Gireliili-
stailcse Connected With the
Fire Yet Unravelccl.

tspe cial IL The ], T II .plspatch3

Especial to The Tlmes-Dispa tcll.)
VERT, VA, N1nrch 81. The burning Of
tho property Of Mr.. John 3. Forbes IN
Buckingham county. will 8sbe thoroughly
Investigated. The Governor has offered
q reward 81 500 for tho capture and
conviction or tile par ties and tho board
Of supervisors 5of ii Bucklng CHAM county.
have offered $50 for a. like purpose, and
IT Is probably that the amount raised by
private citizens will react, sl5o, making
q total Of $500. s 4
4 No doubt a much larger sum can be-
raised lif 1t is found necessary. but this
is thought to be sufficient. Tile crime
continues to be tho one topic OF CONVEX
ysntion, and tho more it 3is discussed and
Il the cnormity OF the crime Is fully 3rea-
ilizcd,i ri,e excitement sis more intense.
No arrests have been made yet, but there
is strong suspicj zion against some parties,
3nn1$it is expected that some arrests Will
occur shortly 81 $g VS. sf u! ~
8s@I q Is now recalled K that Mr.. Forbes's
was entered and robbed about
3 three years ago. II a 4 fire was started In
tho woods rlear&the house on n Sunday
to attract the family from the house.
Part Of the family Wassaat 1urch, but
those at home went i'm ediaicly s:to &ex-s
5tinguish the fire iii the W GODS, as soon
as 1t was discovered, y leaving no ont ~
{ The house. and when they returned, they
found tine house had been entered and
Il lot OF clothing and $50 were gone. n
ROBBERS PUNISHED. 81
II was several d avs hsforc any arrests
were made, but at u last one of the par
ties who was suspected conf essed,I and
%S,eA ,rtS
were four IN the party "A one was sent to
the penitentlary for ten years; one for
three years; one for one year, and the
other one, q youth, was acquitt ted. ft1
is The one who was sent Il or one year has
served his sentence, ard is at home. and
1T was first thought that he with the
ala Of others might \ be the party that
did the last burning. but this theory has
been thoroug hly investigates and It has
been found ftHs:t they not connected ,t
with lit sina an v slwa 81 B Il
Tho motive that caused the fire is yet
a mystery, as a 1t seems strange that NIL
buildings were fired to hide the robbery
Of the dwelling, and as, he facts BECOME
more fully known, III { ~ demon f'f
stratcd that haS crime e sgas q committed
by some one that 4. 1iorptlgh My: 5. &C
quainted witt tho premise s,; and SOME
people have advanced the idea thn t the
QWellln WAS sIODOeu III I've VI y ebt1 n
Is Impossible for anyone to open trunk
in the night and take money from the
bottom OF tho trunk and leave It In the
condition they found It.. This remains q
mystery, and It may require some sl1rewd
work to clear itSup. "
Another mystery connected q vi the
affair Is. how did the party that did
tho firing know that there was no one
at hom O hut Mr.. Forbes S daughter and
nsold colored woman, none OF them able
to defend themselves?
A MYSTERY.
E It Is possible that the party could have
learned that one of his sons had gone
to Farnvlle with a load of tobacco and
would not be at home that might. but
another one of his sons Charlie was t
home till about noon of the day OF tho
burning, when he disappeared and so far
rs can be learned no one knew that he
was going to leave and have mot heard
Of him since he left, and as It was not
known that he Intended leaving, 1t seems
strange that the party that did the
burning should learn Of his departure
SO quickly. iis s. SIS,
Young Mr.. Forbes, being Of ian eccen-
|Etric disposition, leaving US fnaE did Is not
much thought Of by those who knew him
We'll. * IS I'll i " II SY3 s;s
Mi. Forbes Is very III, md with his old
5age, grave fears nre entertained as 10
fhis recovery. It seems that he contract
ed deep cold, & probably due to exposure
LON the night his dwelling was burned