Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-12-04
ARMED MOB BURNS
TOBACCO FACTORIES
MASKED MEN APPLY TORCH TO
TWO BIG STEMMERlES AT
PRINCETON, KY.
MARSHAL SEIZED AND
TOWN HELD AT BAY
Flames Guarded Until All Hope Of
Saving Structures Is Passed-op-
position to Trust Believed to Be
Cause of Work.

Saving Structures Is Passed-Op-
position to Trust Believed to Be
Cause of Work.
Princeton, KY, Dec. 3.-Two big to-
bacco stemmeries were destroyed
Saturday by fires set by mob of 300
masked men. The mob held the town
at bay until the flames were burning
SO furiously that they could not be
eXtinguished.
One of the stemmeries was con-
! Quoted by John Steger and the other
by John c. Orr.
The Steger factory is controlled by
the American Snuff company, Mr..
Steger being the Princeton agent for
that concern. Mr.. Orr is the repre-
sentative of the Imperial Tobacco
company of New York.
There were about 100000 pounds of
tobacco in each warehouse and all of
1t was burned.
The mob took charge of the police
station and the water works. Had the
firemen responded to the alarm they
would have been unable to obtain
supply of water.
The work of the mob is believed to
be the result of the agitation by the
tobacco raisers against the tobacco
trust. The organization Of farmers
Is known as the Dark Tobacco Grow.
ers' Protective association, but it is
not known that any members Of that
|
Several cottages in the vicinity of
the factories were badly damaged, but
nobody was hurt. The loss is esti-
mated at about $170,0000.
Night Marshal Dlsarmed.
A mob of 300 men entered Prince
and disarmed him. They then went to
the factories and quickly applied the
torch. Masked men stood on guard
permitting nobody to approach until
the buildings were enveloped in
flames and could not be saved from
destruction.
A squad of the mob took charge OF
the telephone Office and no news OF
the affair was allowed to be sent out
until the work of the mob was fin
lshed.
When the mob saw that the fire was
beyond control they left the town,
going in the direction of Hopkins
vile, discharging revolvers and rifles
as they departed. The firemen then
made strenuous efforts to extlnguish
the flames, but could do nothing more
than prevent the fire from destroying
buildings in the vicinity.
The Steger stemmery was in the
southern part of town on the Illinois
Central railroad, and the Orr building
was in the northern part of the town
Troops May Be Called Out.
Louisville, KY, Dec. 3.-Mott Ayres
state fire marshal, left for Princeton
to investigate the alleged incendiar
ism of the two tobacco factories. He
has the powers of a grand jury tc
summon witnesses and require then
to testify under oath. 1t is not Ina
probable that Gov. Beckham will be
asked to call out the militia to pro
tect property in those districts in view
of past outrages.
G. F. Snyder, secretary of the state
board of fire underwriters, says the
insurance companies will net be re-
sponsible for the loss Of the plants
under the clause exempting them In
cases of riot and invasion. The In
surance companies are already inves
tigating a fire of incendiary origin
thet destroyed the $4,000 tobacco
plant OF W. G. Rice & Sons, at Ere
donia on the aight OF November II
Previous to the Rice Fire several to
bacco barns were dynamited In Trigg
Graves and Caldwell counties. The
protective association was formed
throughout the dark tobacco district
and severest measures Wers taher
against growers who refused to joi1
It, Maraudefs visited their farms a
night and cut down the tobacco plant,
with hoes, set fire to their barns
and committed other dspFedatioHs.
The ill-feeling began about SIS
years ago when the Italian govern
meat seat agents into the dark to
, bacco field These agents paid sucl
/ high prices for the tobacco that 9the
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