The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-13
REIGN OF TERROR BY FIRE |
AND DYNAMITE AT FORT RILEY
lot To Destroy The Great Army Post Disclosed By The
Confession of a Private Caught Redhanded After
a Million Dollars Worth of Damage IA .a@a
Had Been Done HsES%&H%e1~&

The writer or writer's threatened to
blow up the quarters of these officers.
The letters were received in differ
ent ways, sometimes through the mails
and at other times they would be
found on the porches of the quarters,
or pushed under the front doors.
Guards were at once doubled about
the post. and non-commissioned offices
spent their nights in the cellars of the
threatened quarters. This vigilance
probably saved the army officers and
their families from destruction. The
fact that the threatened quarters were
being closely guarded became noised
about Fort Riley, and no attempts
were made to blow up the officers
quarters.
On June an atterlpt was made not
only to burn a government building
but to burn an entire battery of men
with it. The barracks of Battery d.
in which $50 non-commissioned officers
and privates were sleeping, was fired,
had gained great Roadway, and was
quickly extinguished. On investiga-
ton waste and refuse that had been
soaked with oil was found near where
the fire started.
The reign of terror now reached its
height The guard force that patroll-
ed the pest at night was tripled. Adj
ditional guards were stationed at each
building, and special patrol of trust
ed non-commissioned officers, in
charge of a regular officer, was detail
ed to patrol the entire post.
Orders were issued to these guard
detachments to stop all pedestrians
and conveyances and make close in
quiries into their presence within the
limits of the pest at night. On the
slightest suspicion they were to be
held for investigation.
If the command - halt was not
obeyed the guards had instructions to
shoot to stop and then to shoot to kill.
A number of automobiles failed to
heed the command to halt during the
first few nights after this order went
into effect, and they were fired upon,
and in several instances tires were
punctured.
But in spite of these precautions the
incendiarism and dynamiting continu-
ed, throwing the post into such state
of agitation that manv officers sent
their families away. Both officers and
men went to bed not knowing whether
they would awake again or whether a
well-placed bomb would blow them into
eternity.
On the night of June "a the en-
gineers bridge, a wooden structure
erected by the Engineer CORPS several
years ago at cost of 100000, was
dynamited and then burned. The
bridge is situated several miles from
Fort Riley, on the reservation. The
explosion was plainly heard at the
post The dynamiting apparently did
not fulfill it's purpose as later investi-
CATION showed that another section OF
/ the bridge had been covered with oil
and then fired. This bridge will be a
total loss, for, while it has been tenn
porarily repaired, a concrete structure
/ is to replace it.
Four nights later, on June %, the
stables used by Troop A. Thirteenth
+ Cavalry, were burned to the ground,
and twenty-seven horses persisted. The
+ incendiary timed his work well, as
almost the entire force at the post
was many miles out on the reserva-
ton, on a night maneuver.
The small remaining force could not
cope with the flames which had gain
ed great Roadway before being dis
covered, and the soldiers, from their
camp on the reserve, could only stand
impotently and watch the building
burn and fall The loss of the build
ing was $4,000, and the horses $1,000
more, as several of them were Off
GERS reserve mounts, and exceedingly
valuable.
What is believed to have been an
attempt to cut the post off from its
water supply, so that the buildings
should be at the mercy of the incen
diary, took place on August g. The
water main, leading from the pump
ing plant to the post, was blown up
but the explosion was only partially
successful. No fires followed on that
night, but it is believed that if the
dynamite had had the desired effect
a number of fires would have beer
started, as the post would then have
been without water with which to figh'
the flames.
The artillery administration build
ing, which is, in reality, the business
office of the Sixth Field Artillery, was
fired on September 3, but by quicl
and efficient work of the guard the fire
was extinguished before much dam