Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-02-21
MILLER SCHOOL fires
Entire Community Is Very Much
Wrought up Over InCendiarles.
TRUSTEES WILL START SCHOOL AGAIN

Lead to identity of Fire Fiend-There
Has Been no School Trouble
Another Attempt Will be Made to
Conduct it.
Why Is 1t that little boys and girls
living in Miller School District No. 4S,
three miles west of Yorkville are not
to be allowed to have school building
in order that they may enter and gain
knowledge?
Why has some foul fiend thrice burn
ed out the school in less than three
months?
What is the motive of this devil in
burning to the ground every building
in which a school for the white boys
and girls is established?
Those are the questions that county
police officers and school authorities
are asking everybody who might pos
sibly be able to throw any light on the
matter. There Is no answer.
Is it possible that the emissary OF
Darkness who burned the original
Miller School building on December IL;
Harmony Presbyterian church into
which the school was moved on Janu-
ary 2, and the new school building on
February II, intends to carry his cam
paign of fire to private residences and
barns now that the school house and
the church Of the community has been
destroyed?
There are those in the school dis
trict who think so and they are sleep
ing with one eye open; or else with
some member of the family standing
on guard throughout the night. People
over in Miller district are not saying
much; but they are thinking a lot and
incidentally a lot Of people whether
they know 1t or not are under mental
suspicion In connection with the three
incendiary fires.
No Trouble Reported.
And yet there Is nothing to attract
the suspicion of anybody toward any
body else SO far as can be learned.
None of the patrons Of the school have
voiced objection to the compulsory at
tendance law. Neither Of the three
trustees, Messrs. ]. M. Brice, r. e.
Shannon or NJ. A. Mcfarland have any
enemies in the school district so far as
they know.
The teacher, Miss Carrie ]. Love Of
Sharon, who has had the unidue ex-
perience Of presiding over a school
thrice destroyed by fire in less than
three months, is said to be very popu-
lar with both parents and pupils. In
fact, It Is said that she Is about the
best liked teacher the district has had
in years.
No Trouble With Children.
Surely one of the children wouldn't
have burned three school houses. The
teacher has had no trouble with any Of
her pupils, most of whom are very
young. She has whipped none Of them.
She has not found 1t necessary to send
one OF them home because Of misbe-
havior or for any other reason.
Might be Crazy Person.
It has been suggested that possibly
the three buildings have been burned
by some crazy person-some person a
little unbalanced and obsessed with the
idea Of blighting civilization by pro-
hibiting a school in that particular
neighborhood. People Of the neighbor-
hood say that while that is possible
they haven't the slightest knowledge Of
anybody white or black who is
'Iooney."
Picking His Weather.
The fire bug" and the singular is
used because there is reason to believe
that the three fires have been the work
of q single person whether he be crazy
on the subject of burning school houses
or whether he is a natural fiend with
malice and arson in his heart, has been
bright enough to pick his weather in
kindling the school houses. The ground
was frozen the night he burned the first
school house. 1t was frozen the night
he burned the church and it was
frozen again early Friday morning
when he set the new school house on
fire. Was that to insure against dis
covery Of his tracks?
People Of the neighborhood pointed
number of tracks in the main road
leading toward Yorkville, out to
Sheriff Quinn when the officer visited
the scene of the smouldering ruins
Friday morning. The track was that
of a man who wore No. or 81 shoe.
While the tracks were quite plain on
the right side of the road they were
not so plain on the school grounds and
therefore the evidence Is no evidence
worth while.
It's a strange case indeed. Some are
wondering If there are people living in
the district who know something and
are afraid to speak out lest the fiend
should burn their premises. The Of
ficers feel however, that the people in
the district, realizing the seriousness
of the situation, are ready and willing
to cooperate with them in any way
possible in exposing the community
menace.
There is no question that the Miller
people are very indignant and at the