Jackson Prison Bars

Cuyler J. Barton, the Unadilla barn banier, who loug terrorized theinhabitantp of that village and the farmers of Unadilla and the northern part of Lyndou township in this connty, is now beblnd the bars in the Jacksonetate prison for flve years, on the charge of burning the fine barns of Stephen O. Hadley, of Lyndon. Barton pleaded guilty when the case was calied in the circuit court Monday forenoon.and was at once sentenced to five years imprisonmeut. Tuesday forenoon he was taken to Jacksou. Tongues which have before been silent may now be unloosed. The barn of Stephen O. Hadley, seven miles from Cheisea, in the northeast corner of Lyndon township, and two miles from Unadilla, on the Unadilla road, was burned Sunday uight, Ju)y 16, 1892, between the hours of 12 and 1. The loss on the barn' and the contents was $4,500. On the following Tuesday Mr. Hadley and his son carne to Aun Arbor and reported the case to Prosecnting Attorney Thomas D. Kearney, who calied in Deputy Sheriff Petersou and detailed him to investígate the matter. Near the burned barn was an oil bottle which had evidently been thrown away after being used. Peterson at once went to Hadley's andsoon found cause to think Cuyler J. Barton the guilty party. It had rained just before the fire. There were foot prints in the peach orchard nd bean field near tbe barn and in the roads. Tracks were traced from in front of Barton's house leading towards Hadley's and back agam, the back foot prints turning in to Bartor's house. A pair of Bartou's shoes which he afterwards adinitted having worn that night,, were obtained and they fitted the tracks exactly, the eight nail holes in one heel having left their rnarks in the foot prints. In the meantime Barton had left home and Peterson traced him to Gregory, Pinckney, Howell and Sfcockbridge where he had tried to dispose of a note. Hadley went to Cheisea and swore out a warrant for Barton's arrest before Justice Tnrnbull aud the warraut was placed iu Peterson's hanrlswho followed Bartou to Jackson, where he learned that a man answering Barton's description had checked a satchel to Chicago. He went to the express office where he found that a man answeriug Barton's descriptiou had sent f 220 to C. Barton, Chicago. The express agent wired the Chicago office to hold the money until Peterson could get there. Peterson returned to Arm Arbor and reported to the prosecuting attorney, who ordered him to go to Chicago aud get Baiton. Peterson, who had never seen Barton, watchcd for him in Chicago froto Thursday night until 8 :30 Monday morning, wheu he saw a man who looked like the pbotograph he had, turn on State street down'Monroe. Peterson followed him until he saw him go into the express office, when he notifled Detective Flynn, of Chicago, and when Barton carne out of the offlre, he was arrested. Barton denied his identity, claimed that his name was C. Brown, that he lived in New York, that, he had never been in Michigan, never heard of Unadilla and also denied hat his Sunday school photograph represented him. When asked to show his upper teeth, he drew his upper lip tightly óver them and exposed a vast expause of lower When taken to pólice headquarters, the pólice took hold of him aud after administering a good shaking which set his teeth chattering and left him almost breathless. Barton was iuduced to admit his identity. That night Barton was in the Ann Arbor jail, just a week and a day trom the time the Hadley barn was burned. He was taken to Chelsea for a hearing bef ore JusticeTurnbull, which lasted three days, resultiug in Barton's being bouud over to the circuit court oi light bail. Tïie case in the circuit court was adjourned from time to time on one pretext and another, and finally came up for trial at this term of court. About a year ago, William Barton, a nephew of Cuyler Barton, admittad to Prosecuting Attornsy Kearney and Mr. Peterson that Cuyler had told him that he had set fire to the Hadley barn and had at the time endeavored to get him to set fire to other barns. He talked tq him about burning the Bangs barns. These barns belonging to a wealthy man in Unadilla were afterwards bnrned with a ioss of over $4000. Cuyler' s trousers were obtained for the prosecution, one of the pockets being satnrated with oil as if it had leaked from a bottle carried in the pocket. A fire machine had been rigged up for the purpose of starting these fires whioh has so (eiTorized the neghborhood. i One of ihpse machiues was on exhibi, non iu the Argus o'ïice for a couple of rnontbs aud Offloer Petersou had two complete machines which had gone out before the fire had been set and the ruina f three more which had been taken from barns which had burned. These fire machine were taken from the Messenger, Webb, Bangs, North and McKinder barns. The machine was an ingeniously contrived one to allow ampie time for the inoendiary to get away after starting the fire. It was acommon paste board corset box with a candle in one end with the proper ventilation aud shavings, paper and wood saturated with oil :n the other end, the two being oonnected with tsvisted twine so fchat befoie the candle had burned down to ignite the twine and the twiae had slowly burned across to the oil and shavings, the inceudiary could be a long ways from the barn. Cuyler J. Barton is a man of about thirty-five, of fair education and one who if he had tnrned his wits in the proper direction might have made muoh of himself. His father was for twelve or fourteen years supervisor of Unadilla township aud is described as being a fine mau. Barton had been twice arrested before the Hacüey fire and both times had beea acquitted. The first time he was arrested was for burning a building in Livingston county. The case did not stick. He was acquitted on the charge of poisoning a borse.