The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-03-30
FORESTERS SEEK MAN ON
BLACK HORSE AS FIREBUG
District Forester Blames Series
OF Forest Blazes On Mysterious
Rider Near Sang Run
LOCAL OFFICER UNAWARE

An outbreak of forest fires in the
heavily wooded section of this county
in the Salt Block area, has put State
forestry officials, and CCC members
ON the alert again.
H. C. Buckingham, district forester,
of Cumberland, has reported that a
horseman has been seen tossing
lighted torches into some sections of
the woods and has linked that action
with the superstition that forest fires
are "good" because they destroy in
sects and disease.
The story of the forestry officials,
however, was causing much amuse-
ment among quite a number of citi-
zens of the county this week. H. G.
Buckingham, district forester, sta
toned in Cumberland, has corrobo-
rated the existence of the superstition
and said there's a passagein the Bible
that says the woods shall burn Many
of the people in that section actually
believe that forest fires are a good
thing. They think the fire kills snakes,
bugs, and disease and brings the
spring rains" he said.
NtOlSG DIOWIlllSs AIllCI 1OlCO
guard, said last night that as far as
he knew no man had actually been
seen setting fires, but there was one
man suspected and that he and Sheriff
j. w. Owens were going after him to-
day. He also pointed out that the
horse was a black one and not gray,
upon which a man had been seen COM
ing from the vicinity of a number of
forest fires which apparently had been
set purposely.
Browning said that there were 10
outbreaks of fires on Sunday, one of
them on Salt Block burning 300
acres. Another one on Backbone
burned 237 acres. Others included
Eagle Rock, so acres; east Salt Block,
so acres; Piney camp, 20 acres; two
at Whites Knob, 9 acres; Elk Lick
Run, near Barnum, rs acres; VindeX,
20 acres; Dry Run, acres; Sines, 3
acres, and Underwood, 65 acres.
There were also eight small fires on
Monday and seven prior to Sunday
which burned 80 acres.
Buckingham expressed the belief
that half the fires in the section are
of incendiary origin, and called the
''man on the gray horse" one of the
worst he had encountered. Residents,
he said, won't tell the identity of the
rider, who is said to cover ten-mile
stretch between Sang Run and
Friendsville, lighting the fires with q
toss of his hand, without dismounting.
Buckingham announced to Cumber-
land newspapers Tuesday that the
lone incendiary case had been turned
over to Neil C. Fraley, Garrett county
States Attorney, and that an arrest
was expected within a few days, but
the newspapers queried Mr.. Fraley
who stated that 81 wasn't aware that
the case had been turned over to me.
However, l was in court all day and
the matter may have possibly been
referred to an assistant" Mr.. Fraley's
office girl said nothing had been
handed to the office by Mr.. Bucking-
ham or any other forestry official.
Mr.. Browning said he talked to Mr..
Fraley last evening and that the trip
today was expected to end in the ar
rest of the man.
Meanwhile number of Oakland
residents were soothing at Forester
Buckingham's version of the horse
man. "Maybe it's Buck Benny riding
again." one of them remarked. Buck
Benny often rides on the radio ether
waves, but never on a gray horse.