Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-18
.F|REBUGS RETURN
| TO DESTROY BARN
Frightened OF From Chester
Co. Farm, They Come Back
l. and Fire Structure
LOSS $4,000 IN 3lsT BLAZE

Firebugs. frightened away from the
hsrn of hlphonse Alleva. near Aid
Nam Nam station, Chester County. early
Saturday morning, returned yesterday
morning and burned 1t to the ground.
The loss was S12,OOO. ~
Tire mnrshals and State police were
.oid nv George 'Kellman, who lives close
~ The lane entering the Alleva farm,
.bot he was awakened Saturday morn
;nc by an automobile going up the lane
md saw three men get out of the ma
chine and fash a light about the. barn.
They left hastily: probably frightened
nv The light which Kellman turned on
10 he could see to load his shotgun.
,,on of Major G. NJ. Wilhelm. believe
.he mon returned Sunday morning and
snnlied their torch. Their flashlights
ware again seen about the barn shortly
before it was fired.
Thirty first Barn TO Go
This was the thirty first barn TO be
burned in Chester. Delaware and Mont
Son,ery Counties since early in October
suJ tbe third TO 60 up in flames in the
iasr four days. Almost all Of the
Sres rss nre thought to have been the work
- frebug, evidences of inccndiarism
having bcen found at many. Two other
harns harms within a mile of that of Allcva
na1S Two calves and more than hundred
.h,ckens perished in the fire, while
tmontv cows. bull and four horses
we're saved by Mr.. and Mrs. Allcva
and two men who board with the fam
Mrs. Alleva was awakened at 8 80
o'clock by an automobile which was
driven close to the lane leading to the
harm. She saw men flashing lights about
II, but these were suddenly extinguish-
.i and she noticed no light about the
harm. An hour later she looked from
nor window and saw flames issuing
from the open barn doors where the
fodder was stored.
Barn Destroyed Quickly
She notified her husband and the
two boarders and all four ran to the
structure and brought out twenty cows
and four horses, but were unable to
reach the chickens or the two calves. 1t
was vas impossible to save the contests of
,he upper portion of the structure, and
thirty tons of corn fodder, huge quan =
tity of hay, straw, oats. wheat and all
the implements were lost. The barn
was destroyed within fifteen minutes,
Neighbors saved the dwelling and a
tenant house near the barn, buckets
being used. No fremen were called, it
being considered useless since there was
no water for their use. The snow GOV.
ering the roofs also added much in pro .
tectins the buildings other than the
barn.
Fire Marshal John V. Nolan, of Mall
vcrn. after an investigation, said he
was convinced the blaze was the work
Of n tire.bug. He notified Marshal
Soulc, Of COatesville. while the State
police in West Chester sent detail
out at once.
Mystery Automobile Seen
No tracks of an automobile were
found OIL the lane leading to the burned
building, and it is believed it was halted
on the road close by. The melting of
the snow obiterated tracks OF, persons
about the barn, and those Of early ar.
rivals OH the fields could not be seen
within short time.
George Bowman, living in the nearest
house TO the scene of the fire. gave a
clue to the mysterious a.Itomobiie and
9. fair description of it. He had driven
his car to Phoenixville Saturday night
and when returning early Sunday morn
ing saw machine being zig Jagged
about the road ahead of him near De.
vault Station. He said he feared a
hold-up, and kept behind it. It was
turned suddenly and driven past him
and along the road. A few moments
later it again returned and was driven
directly toward the Alleva farm.