The Topeka state journal., 1914-01-27
EARNED AROUSED
Two Men Arrested for Destruc.
tion of Depot.
Alleged to Have Intended Burn.
ing Cars Of Grain.

/ Larned. Kan, Jan. N.-The burning
Of the Burdett depot between and
o'clock the morning Of January IA and
the subsequent developments have
been the most absorbing topic
OF conversation in -.arned for the past
the inquisition held by the county at
torney, William ]. Vernon. Jr., the
state fire marshal, Harrison Parkman,
and special Santa Fe railroad agents
Roy woodward of Hutchinson, Tim
O'Leary Of La Junta, and others.
The climax was sprung by the ar
rest of r. A. Norris upon five counts:
his release upon a bond OF $1,000. ana
the waving Of his preliminary trial.
The main facts in connection with
the fire were Of no particular
moment. as the depot was no better
or worse than the usual small town
depot The fire, when discovered, had
gained such headway that the depot
was doomed, there being no fire pro-
lection facilities in Burdett. 1t seems
that the object in burning the depot
was to destroy two cars. one loaded
with wheat and the other with kaf1r
corn seed, which had been loaded at
the Rock Milling and Elevator COM
pany's elevator and had been switched
down by the side Of the depot.
The depot together with everything
In 1t was destroyed, but the cars were
showed away and were only partially
burned, and although the grain had
been soaked with coal oil, the fire was
put out.
It was then discovered that there
was a great shortage in the amount OF
grain billed out and the actual
amount in the cars. 1t developed that
there were forget checks to the
amount of several hundreds of dollars.
<od ond n n.
derstood, it was upon this charge that
Norris was arrested.
Tom Cheatham, the Rock Milling
and Elevator company's agent at Bur-
dett, has had charge Of the office about
two years. His home Is in Larned and
he.has always borne a good reputation
here. He was arrested q week ago
and held on two counts-arson, burning
Of the depot AID oArning of the cars.
r. A. Norris was arrested Saturday
night was indicted under fve counts,
obtaining money under false pretenses
and four charges Of forgery in con-
nection with the arson of the depot.
r. A. Norris Is a son Of r. M. Norris,
president Of the Norris State bank of
Burdett, and a wealthy merchant OF
Burdett, also having a large store in
Rozell.
r. M. Norris is dougtlessly the most
wealthy and influential man in the
western part of Pawnee county and
has been in the merchandising busi-
ness in Burdett and Rozell for more
than 20 years.
Reports have been persistently cir
culated that Cheatham, who is now in
the county Jail. either being unwilling
or unable to furnish $1,000 bond, had
bought IA gallons of coal oil the day
before the fire but he asserts he can
prove he bought only one gallon. He
had just returned from a several days
visit at his home in Larned. During
his absence, it is said, Norris had
charge of the elevator.
pair Of overalls belonging to
Cheatham was found in one Of the
burned cars but it may be that, should
Cheatham prove his innocence, these
overalls were placed in the car with
the object of throwing suspicion upon
Cheatham, in case of a miscarriage of
the plan to destroy the cars as really
happened,