St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1910-07-29
MYSTERY In CRIMES
Strange Vandal Commits Daring
Depredations In Missouri.
Hatred Of Mankind is Shown by Many
Shocking otenses-crinInal Dis
plays an unesnny Hatred Of
Animals.

Versailles, Mo.--F'our unkempt dogs
from farmhouse scurried down the
roadside enc day and yelped vlclously
at a passing buggy. For an eighth Of
mile, perhaps, they kept up their
clamor as they followed along beside
the rails.
Like to go into that yard at nlghti"
Frank Brown, constable OF Haw Creek
township. who was driving, asked his
companion. Nor Well, tonight. may
be. some one will drive In there. load
his wagon with plunder-set the barn
on fire II he likes-and those dogs
won't even growl. For 20 years we
have been robbed and our stock tor
tured and killed. II always IL done at
night Is II any wonder that the
whole neighborhood lives in terror
when even the dogs are afrald7"
Such Is the feeling In the western
part Of Morgan county. Within an
area OF ak square miles n mysterious
criminal has operated score OF years.
Houses and barns have been burned
down when the owners had no known
enemies. Stock has been MANNED.
Granaries have been robbed OF wagon
loads Of grain. Telephone and fence
wires have been cut and spools OF
missing wire were found hidden In
hollow logs. Recently n graphophone
was found In a tree top far In tho
wooded hills.
The crimes are confined 10 q GER
tain district tina. "A peopled by sixty
or seventy prosperous families OF Ger
man descent. There Is no petty
neighborhood strife 60 account for the
crimes The people are OF the
burghor type. hearty. good-natured
and honest. As the custom In among
foreigners. they are olannlsh. Nearly
every family IN related 60 some other
family. because they have lived In n
small district In their adopted coun-
try for moro than forty years.
Yot these people are afraid. They
turn out their lamps at night. not
knowing what blight they may suffer
by morning. They speak OF their fear
IN aubdued voices Their blue eyes
cxprans suporstitious fear when they
|
ject. They have no protection. Tho
grand jury has called In witnesses
many times 20 teatify about doprcda-
tions. but no definite evidence has
been collected. A year ago farmers
barn was robbed four nights In auo-
ceaaion. He asked three OF his neigh
bors 10 help him watch. Tho party
hid In the barn for two nights and
nothing happened. The next night
they did not watch. When morning
camo daylight showed that tho visitor
had been there again.
Another time so chickens were
stolen and no noise was made. Tho
dogs-overy farmer has n ferooious
pAck-wero silent No one knows
why. no more than they can explain
why tho fowls kept stll. No ono at
temptH explanations.
SO strong ia tho fear IN Haw Greek
township that victim will not tell
his most intimate friend until several
days after no has been visited. They
do not suspect each other, they say.
A. any rate. a stranger can get little
information from them regarding
their huapieionH. Many Of them aro
ready 20 sell their farms aud leave,
Tho time has passed when the
crimes we're surprises Three hundred
times. Il Il said. the curse has fallen.
The thick woods are suRgestiye OF
mystery. on fence board In ono
Olaes is painted the inscription;
Prepare 10 Meet Thy God"
No one knows who wrote II, II Ia nos
questioned-"he" put II there.
Often when the men OF the neigh
borhood are hunting eoous at night
a shot IL heard and a bullet whizzea
over their heads. They drop 10 tho
ground and creep toward homo
through the bushes. SO far ho per
son has been harmed. but there is the
eVsrpresent fear that the mysterious
criminal viii turn his spite toward
human beings.
Occasionally several weeks pass
without events. Then a series comes
rapidly. Last week a barn and sew
eral hay stacks were burned. Two
farmers lost chickens. A man who
had a quantity OF potatoes, apples and
turnips buried within thirty feet OF
his house awoke and found the earth
freshly turned. His produce was gone.
TheTe were no tracks, That morning
his dogs sulked and trembled.
II, all OF us were TO report these
things as soon as they happen We
might be able 20 catch him" said one
man, who made a reporter promise
not 10 use his name. but we never
hear thing until several days later.
Every man IL afraid TO arouse the an
ger OF him They are afraid the
little led rooster will run over their
houses"
by the "little red rooster" no meant
that the farmeFs feared that their