The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-30

-;.h upon two years the pretty
For ~" v;jIapc Of AnnandaIe had
suburean tbc grip of most puzzling
been lrokinr ~ mystery, which lattcriy
spd glvo.Ioned into a species of terror
lad .sc neaceful inhabitants espcciaiiS
80, .n' and children, being scared
rQInen .ho;r seventeen senses.
out oi;,ninc o. with n series of petty and
Beg nnovances, such as poisoning
PiteIu, net cats and dogs; ringing OF
cbIcSsnII,o I,o}ls at nntimcly hours; turning
enpfep ;uto garden patches, robbing
toEs I'm i;nes or bespaitering household
elotnei -, ont over night with oil, gar
liner iu, nnS mud: or destroying newly
bsee ar a.rdcns and roofing up young
msde stb these and similar petty out
pisnt'o 'o,aduallv took on the form Of
1egcs Nm;schief and even crime.
scfrSn' rSa unknowp culprit or cul lprlts ap-
n,,v ~ became boldcr through lmmun-
laien1W, Women left alone for an evening
ly Ia be thrown into Mysteries by. see
rou, sbc face Of a "Pceping Tom at
TX w wiujovs. Stables incautlously left
'osnt 'oa,tsd would be entered and harness
.eheS while horses or cattle were
:SJ :asJ and disfgurcd with vltriol-
purs;ld,en caught alone on side
LIS in the dark would be. pounced
Sr sbsdowy figure and pinched OF
Nd. W or terrified by .'ghost'' IN
psg Women also had been seized
;larr hehind and hugged or half choked;
I've sssas and the children, also those who
"a bsen frightened by the 'Peeplng
ram u y declared that their assailant was
finally. to cap the long series of cnor.
.;t;es sheds. outhonses and barns had
sesn set on fire, their walls first plen-
,S,ily bcsprinkIed with kerosene: ~
~ effort had been made to catch the
<sscyespt. yet lp vain whoever III
-ss seemed to know when watch was
Ing kept. aud for a time the evll
5sede would cease; then, when vlgI-
'isrce WAS relaxed. the pranks broke
"a anew and in totally unexpected
nis,s II got TO be so that at last no
rrsn or family felt safe. and 1t was
s,pu that sterner measures would nave
10 be adopted.
Annandale was located In northern
xsv jersey, twenty-five miles from
XsN York, and within committing dis
,srre Of the city. Because of It's salu-
6rious air it had become the home or
>sreraI wellto.do .Manhattanites-
t1UkerS, IaW0 0eJsS HleitnaHIo ",Iu ~
,;ste These. with about an equal num-
hn Of "nativcs local tradcsmen,
f,rmers. dairvmen and truck garden
made up thriving little commun~
III of perhaps 1000 souls.
The place was just pretty village,
keautiGcd and benefited by the resi-
jenccs and improvements introduced by
tAe citv folk. with good school and
Il nj a n
1as still village. there was no mayor,
]ossl affairs being looked after by
hard of trustees. who appointed the
foadmaster, the tax collector and the
unstable The latter in turn appointed
iKo deputies.
[onscduentlv, possessing no regular
pofce or fire protection, Annandalc was
pernliary exposed and equally defense
les. At first. tramps wero blamed for
The mysterious outragcs, but many OF
f6cm occurred in the dead of winter
xbcn the average hobo shuns the open
eountry and is usually snugly sheltered
10 the municipal lodging houses Of the
unstable nor his deputies could find
zny tramps, and in the second place
he mischief was done at times and sea
|yuS dDU III iDCdlltltS w Ulcl d. Hutu du
intimate local knowledge on the part
Of the perpetrators.
Clearly something must he done. and
that quickly. So one day word went
Iolind that 4 meeting Of The leading
urn Of Annandale would Ae held at
The house of Matthew Birgc, we'll
Known metropolitan banker and the
Fading resident TO this meeting came
angry and very distinguished gentle
uen. lncludipg The local physician, DIR.
tloyd 0sbon, Major Scarlctt, IN old
pdler friend of Banker Birgc with
whom he happened To bc STAYING al the
pme, and John Corric. the constable
The meeting was called to order by