The Clayton news. (Clayton, N.M.) 19??-1954, 1922-01-28
ROY SCHOOL BURNED FOR
THE LOVE OF A PRETTY GIRL


Spanish-American girl, whose faith
or demanded 800 for his consent
to her marriage, }. A. Riblett, 40
years old, is alleged to have set
fire to a new 100000 school house
at Roy, New Mexico, several weeks
ago, according to officers in charge
of the Burns detective agency at
Denver.
Ribletl is in Jail at Ration, N. NJ,
the detectives announced, and is said
to have made a complete confes-
sion
According to the story Riblett is
reported to have told the detectives,
he entered into a deal with a con-
tractor who was building the school
huuse-which was all but completed
TO burn it so the contractor would
he saved the $4,000 he is alleged to
have said he would be forced to lose
if forced to finish the structure. The
contractor is said to deny the charge.
For burning the schoolhouse, Rib
lett is reported to have alleged, he
was to receive 81 900.
Finally Convinced He Wouldn't BE
blamed
Riblett confessed, the detectives
said, that he was unable to resist
this chance to get the 800 demand
cd by the father of the girl with
whom he was enamOred, In his con-
fessiou, the detectives assert, Rib
lett said he finally was convinced by
the contractors argument that be-
cause of religious strife in the COM
munity the crime would be blamed
against one of the factions and he
would not be suspected.
About 1 o'clock on the morning of
the fire, Riblet is alleged to have
said in his confession, he poured 3
gallons of gasoline on the main floor
of the school house, then touched
a match TO handkerchief and hurl-
ed il on the floor. An hour later he
returned but the fire had not caught
he is said to have confessed. He is
alleged TO have set fire to a second
handkerchief and tossed it on the
gasoline-sOaked floor, He watched
from a distance, it is said, but again
here was no result. He IS alleged
to have returned once more and this
time, it is charged he saturated q
third handkerchief with gasoline be-
fore touching a match to it.
Then He Sounded Alarm Of Fire
From his home, a mile distant
Riblett saw the flames mounting anC
he is said TO have sounded the alarm
by shouting Fire" and Help" thru
the neighborhood and calling on the
neighbors to aid him in saving the
school house. The fire had,tOo bis
"A start, however, and the building
was destroyed.
SuspiciO first was pointed to Rib
lett, Burns detectives said, by a mar
who declared that while returning
from a farm dance he had seen {
person of Ribletts description hang
ing around the school house. WheI
Riblett was sought it was Learned
he had gone to RstOn. He was fOunt
there by Burns detectives and plac
ed under arrest.
In the cell with him was a younl
man who was about 20 be released
1t is charged by the detectives tha
Riblett gave a note TO this man an,
asked him to mail it in Albuquer
que. The young man turned tn
note over to the officers, it is de
clared, and the note is said to hav
read:
Note Attempted TO Divert
Suspicion
81 am the guy who fired tina
school house. If you want me com
on up to this town. Bud
II is charged that this was an ef
fort to divert suspicion from Rib
lett, in Jail at Ration, TO some per
son at large in Albuquerque.
The officers are said to have dc
clared to Riblett that they knew a
about the crime, and it is charge
That he broke down and confessed
Ribletts charges against the cor
tractor are said TO be under invest
gatiOn.-Denver Post.
las Vegas, N. NJ, Jan. 2i.-CoI
tractor Thompson, who was engage
10 the construction of the new hig
school building at Roy when h
school building was burned 10 u
ground, Is preparing to begin woT
once more. This time, he has to
fPiends. he will keep an armed guar
al chs AlildiAg eYocE Ms8k.