Reformed Church at Buckhorn Burns

HOWARD

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 12/9/2009 at 20:50:46

Maquoketa Excelsior, Maquoketa, Jackson County, Iowa, October 18, 1912

Reformed Church At Buckhorn Burns

Word was brought to town late last Friday that the Reformed Church at Buckhorn had been struck with lightning during the shower that afternoon and burned to the ground. But inasmuch as most of the residents of the Buckhorn neighborhood were in town at the time conferring with the county attorney concerning the loot which had been found in the church attic on Wednesday by men who were repairing the building, there is a strong suspicion that the thieves who had gathered the plunder may have fired the church to hide as much of the evidence against them as possible. People of that vicinity had been missing things for almost a year and the variety of the articles found and the presence of an improvised mattress and bedding, a gasoline stove and other necessary utensils, shows that the vandals had been making a home as well as a rendezvous of the place. Sheriff Howard collected as much of the loot as possessed any value and brought it to town where much of it has been identified by the owners. There are a number of clues and it is quite probable that the officers will be able to find and arrest the offenders.