Spring 1905

Two articles on Elnora from the Democrat. Note that many names may not be quite correct, this is copied from a rather imperfect microfilm print.

A BIG FIRE
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Twenty Buildings Burned at Elnora
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Fire, supposed to have been of incendiary origin, broke out in Arch Yazel's drug store
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Special to The Democrat
Elnora, Ind., April 10--Fire broke out in Arch Yazel's drug store this morning shortly after midnight and more than a block of cheap frame business houses were burned to the ground, the burned district extending from Yazel's drug store to the old depot.
Cries of fire brought out almost the entire population of the town, and everything that was possible to do was done to check the spreading fire. Several Several times buildings on the opposite side of the street caught fire, but each time the blaze was extinguished before it had gained much headway.
There is little doubt but that the fire was of incendiary origin. Yazel, by his repeated efforts to establish saloons in this little city, has made many enemies and it may be that some of them thought to deal him a heavy blow by applying the torch.
In all twenty frame buildings were destroyed. The average value of these buildings is $600. The total loss in both buildings and contents amounts to about $15,000, very little of with is covered by insurance. The following are the losses.
Arch Yazel, three store rooms, one occupied by drug store, the others filled with plunder.
Monte Rogers, two store rooms--household goods in one, a blacksmith shop in the other.
Jas R. Irwin, store room.
J. A. Crazy's building, occupied by W.A. Ross and Son's grocery
J.F. Danner and Son's building occupied by Reign sisters' military store.
Peter Haag's insurance office.
John Hindman's two rooms--one occupied by drug store owned by Arch Yazel, the other occupied by Clarence Moore's candy store and restaurant.
George Holstein's building occupied by Corton and Whisman's bakery.
Joseph A. McCrary's restaurant and dwelling house.
Haok & Simon's ice house and store room occupied by family.
Fred Twelle's poultry house and ice house.
Arch Yazel's ice house.
Thomas English's barber shop.
It is quite likely that the grand jury will inquire into the cause of the conflagration.

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BLACK AVENGERS
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They Cause Much Alarm in Elnora
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Citizens Are Terrorized By Band of Masked Youth--They Commit Many Depredations
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Extraordinary interest has been aroused in Elnora within the last few days over the doings of "The Black Avengers," an organizations the depredations of which originated with a number of anonymous letters received a short time ago by Edward Hovey., threatening the poisoning of his wife and the destruction of his property. Little by little the doings of the organization became more malicious and now there is legitimate reason to believe that is has some connection with the recent fire which visited Elnora.
The acts of the organization first took the form of minor assaults in which country boys were the principal victims. Often lads were caught at night by masked men and badly treated. Later this developed into a malicious destruction of property which for a time was regarded merely as pranks of boys in the town.
But when the anonymous letters began to circulate the people of Elnora put the matter in the hands of the authorities, complaining to Edward T. Laughlin, the prosecuting attorney. A number of young men were summoned and were questioned by the recent grand jury. They all however denied knowledge of the depredations and of the letters. No indictments were returned against them. The federal government is not so lenient in the case of the anonymous letters and a through investigation is in progress.

Montgomery 1903

The following two articles appeared in the Washington Gazette in 1903. The Gazette was a semi-weekly newspaper which published stories from the Washington Herald 2-3 times per week.

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WILL BURN TOWN
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Unless Citizens of Montgomery Raise $2,500
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Letter Received by George Brown of Montgomery is Threatening

Special to The Gazette
Montgomery, Ind. April 14 - George Brown, sr., a prominent citizen of this place received and anonymous letter Sunday in which it was threatened that unless the citizens of Montgomery raise $2,500 the whole town would be "dynamited and burned and wiped off the face of the earth."

The letter said the money would have to be raised within three months and put in a glass jar and the jar put in a bucket and left at the bridge at the West end of the town. The money had to be in gold according to the letter.

It also said that the parties were the same that dynamited the home of Prof. Westhafer two years ago and the same that set fire to the school building and livery barn recently.

These fires and the letter were intended as a earning, the letter said. Montgomery citizens are making every effort to catch the person who started the fires and wrote the letter.


Monday Evening edition, October 5, 1903
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A BUSINESS BLOCK BURNED
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Sunday Morning Fire at Montgomery Caused $24,000 Loss
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Insurance Was Only $7,400
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Many Think Fire Was Of Incendiary Origins-The Heavy Losers

The progressive little town of Montgomery suffered a great loss by fire at an early hour Sunday morning. One of the principal business blocks was destroyed and the loss is conservatively estimated at $37,940. The insurance is $7400

THE LOSERS
C.W. Blinkard and John Fanning, farm implements, $100, no insurance
Nelson, Morris & Co., poultry supplies $100. No insurance.
Maurice Healy barn, building and thickso house. $120
John K. Beckett saloon building
James H. Fanning, store building $3,000, stock $5,000, warehouse $600, salt house $160. Insurance, building $1,000, stock $1,000
Morton McPherson, drug store building $800, stock $2,000. Insurance $1,200
Lyman Carrico, saloon $3,000. Insurance $2,000.
Landergan and Williams, implement store building $1,000, contents $3,000. Insurance $3,440.
Lyman Carrico, saloon $3,000. Insurance $2,000
J.C. Conroy saloon building $1,000. Insurance $250.
Terre Haute Brewing Co., saloon (fixtures) $880.
James R. Bradley, saloon building $600. No insurance.
John Healey saloon $100. No insurance.
Mrs. Margaret McCleskey, postoffice and saloon building $2,000. No insurance.
O.L. Wenner, postoffice fixtures $50. No insurance.
United Mine workers, charter and fixtures $50. No insurance.
Montgomery Swing Co., swing $300. No insurance.
M.F. Kendall, photograph gallery damaged, $25. No insurance.
Olver Walker, opera house building damaged, $400. Covered by insurance.
George Brown, restaurant damaged, $50. Covered by insurance.
Joseph Chlever, store damaged $50.

The fire was discovered at 7:30 o'clock Sunday morning and in a few minutes the inhabitants of the town were all awakened and were fighting the blaze . The origin is a mystery, several different theories being advanced. The majority claim the blaze started in Healy's livery barn, but a clear investigation does not bear out the theory.

In all probability the fire started in the warehouse of James H. Fanning which adjoins the livery barn in the back. This was in flames when the fire was discovered and several gallons of gasoline exploded . the explosion threw the oil onto the livery barn and in a few minutes it was all ablaze.

How the fire started is unknown. There was no fire in any of the stores in the block and there had been none in the ware house for some time. The majority think the blaze was of incendiary origins but many think it started from a match or cigarette dropped in the ware house.

After the explosion of the gasoline tanks the blaze spread rapidly. The Fanning ware house and livery barn were both in a mass of flame and it was impossible to save any thing from either building. Both were frame structures and were most totally destroyed.

In the ware house Mr. Fanning had about $600 worth of merchandise stored and it was all burned. Near the ware house was a salt house valued at $100. This was burned with $85 worth of salt. the livery barn was a frame structure and burned rapidly. Mr. Healy had recently moved his horses and rigs to another barn and his old barn was used by C.W. Slinkard and John Fanning who had about $1000 worth of farm implements stored in the building. Messrs. Slinkard, McDonald and Swift also had their steam swing stored in the barn loft and it burned. It was valued at $300.

In the loft Mr. Slinkard had considerable hay. In one corner of the barn a Nelson Morris poultry company had its store room in which was 400 chickens. The loss to the company is estimated by Manager George Drew at $400. The barn building was owned by Maurice Healy and he valued it at $1500.

From the barn the fire spread to James Fanning's general store on Main street. The frame building and contents were burned and the loss amounted to $8000 with $2000 insurance.

The blaze was not checked until it burned all of the block between Main street and the alley and Mill and First streets. The other buildings burned were John Fanning's hardware store in Maurice Healy's frame building, John Beckett's saloon; Morton McPherson's drug store; Lyman Carrico's saloon, J.C. Conroy's saloon, James R. Bradley's saloon, John Healy's saloon, Lundrigan and Williams hardware store, Mrs. Margaret McCleskey's building in which the postoffice was located and A.T. Brewer's saloon.

FIGHTING THE BLAZE

The fire was fought bitterly by the Montgomery citizens and it was due to their valiant work that more business houses were not destroyed. The citizens collected all buckets available and carried water from wells and a pond until the B&O S-W sent several tanks of water from this city to the scene. The citizens also requested the local fire department to send its engine and some hose but the engine is not in working order and would have been worthless.

It was with difficulty that the fire was confined to one block. Across the alley form the burning buildings is the new Opera house building owned by Oliver Walker. This building was scorched and damaged to the extent of about $200 but was saved by hard fighting. It caught fire several times. The photograph gallery across the street from the buildings caught fire but was saved. It was damaged to the extent of $25. Joseph Chlevers' building across the street also caught and the window glass was burned out. The building suffered about $100 damages. The fire was not extinguished until about seven o'clock. The heavy rain was a great help in finally putting out the blaze. The blaze could easily be seen from here and many went to the fire.

THRONGS OF CITIZENS

Many citizens tried to connect the fire with the recent Bigham blackmail case but the majority think the fire had no connection with the old trouble. The fact the letters were received several months ago in which parties threatened to burn the town unless $2,500 was placed in a glass jar on the B&O S-W bridge caused some to think that this threat had been carried out. Edward Bigham was arrested for writing the letters but was not convicted at a trial during the June term of court, the jury disagreeing. He will again be tried during the October term. the fire came at an unfortunate time for him but the majority of citizens think the fire has no connection with the letters.

One of the saloon keepers said he thought it was an attempt of Montgomery women to destroy saloons, but the suggestion was ridiculed. Though four saloons were burned, the blaze did not start at either.

WILL REBUILD

Several of the owners whose property burned will rebuild soon, erecting substantial brick business houses. Only two of the buildings burned were brick, and the spread of the fire was due to the flame fire traps.

SALOONS DOING BUSINESS

The saloons were the first to resume business. James Brewer leveled off the ground and opened a saloon in a tent. His saloon and fixtures burned but Healy saved everything from his building, losing only $100 by breakage and spillage. Healy will also resume business. Lyman Carrico whose saloon was burned, was the most fortunate of the losers. He carried $2,000 for insurance and will rebuild.

The postoffice was moved by Postmaster Weimer to Daily Bros. store and mail was distributed today. The postoffice building was owned by Mrs. Margaret McClesky of Flora, Ill. She lost $2,000. Mr. Weimer saved most of the office fixtures, losing only about $50.