The Rancher Vanished. Then His House Burned.
Island County investigators suspect foul play after John G. Phinney disappeared and his home went up in flames, focusing on a newly hired ranch hand who was the last to claim he saw him leave.
There are no new developments in regard to the disappearance of John G. Phinney, and his son has sent Detective Ed Cudihee, of this city, and the sheriff of Island County to investigate his disappearance. It is the general opinion among the residents of the island that foul play has been practiced. The only man that saw him leave the island in the rowboat, or claims that he saw him, has been employed by Mr. Phinney as a ranch hand for the past two months. This man is a stranger to everyone on the islands, and most everyone believes he is connected with Mr. Phinney’s disappearance. They claim that the burning of the house and the disappearance of the proprietor so soon afterward are almost conclusive proof that foul play has been done, and some go so far as to say that they believe Mr. Phinney was murdered, and in order to cover up the tracks, the house was burned.
“They claim that the burning of the house and the disappearance of the proprietor so soon afterward are almost conclusive proof that foul play has been done.”
A disappearance, a fire, and a stranger with no local ties is a combination that still drives modern true-crime fascination—and still frustrates investigators when the trail goes cold. In 1895, without forensic science, suspicion alone had to carry the case.
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