Arson Suspected in Yakima Hay Fire
A thousand-dollar loss leaves authorities tracing boot prints from the ashes.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At about a quarter past 8 o'clock Saturday evening, a hundred-ton stack of hay belonging to S. Lauber, of Yakima City, was discovered to be on fire. The hay, valued at a thousand dollars, was uninsured and is a total loss. There is no question that the fire was of incendiary origin, as tracks of a No. 11 boot can be traced from the fire to the railroad track and some distance toward this city. Peter Drumstater is said to have made threats against Mr. Lauber and he was suspected of being the fire-brand. Marshal McMurtry interviewed the man, who said he was asleep in the rear of a saloon at the time; but although he was seen previous to the fire, and some time afterward, no one of repute has been able to locate him between 8 and 9 o'clock. Drumstater's shoes correspond with the tracks about the fire, but the evidence is not thought sufficient to warrant his arrest.
“There is no question but the fire was of incendiary origin, as tracks of a No. 11 boot can be traced from the fire to the railroad track.”
Conflicts over property damage and suspected arson have long been staples of local news in rural communities. The suspicion directed at a specific individual despite a lack of 'reputable' alibis reflects the tension between neighborly disputes and the limits of 1890s law enforcement in North Yakima.
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