frequent. . Some were intentionally set and it is as much a 

 duty of the officers of the Forest Service to punish people 

 who disregard the state law relating to the starting of fires 

 in dangerous seasons as it is for officers to use all available 

 resources to protect life and property from forest fires. Pre- 

 vious to 1910, owing to the mere skeleton force employed by 

 the state, it was an easy matter for an offender to cover up 

 all traces of his misdeeds, and when an officer arrived to 

 investigate the causes of a fire, he generally was unable to 

 obtain sufficient evidence to secure conviction and punish- 

 ment. Many of these old-time offenders imagined during 1912 

 that they could cover up their misdeeds as easily as they had 

 always done, but in a few cases they were subjected to an 

 awakening. The following incident shows how one "J. W.," 

 living near the boundary, came to respect the forest law and 

 to realize that a justice court may be held with only the blue 

 sky for a roof and a railroad bed for a flooring. 



Railroad Velocipede Plays Part in Little Drama Enacted in 

 the Woods. 



This "J. W." was the owner of a piece of land on which a 

 fire mysteriously occurred. About 7 o'clock one evening dur- 

 ing that dry spell of 1912, a ranger in the State Forest Serv- 

 ice was called to the 'phone. 



"There's a fire burning about three miles south of town on 

 J. W.'s land," a patrolman said. "Can you send me eight 

 men?" 



In 30 minutes, the little fire-fighting force had been im- 

 pressed, placed aboard a freight train which was passing 

 through town and hurried twelve miles down the road, where 

 for three nights and two days the fire was fought before it 

 was, by ditching, steered toward a stream where it died out. 



A day or so later, "J. W.," the owner of the land, was load- 

 ing cordwood into a boxcar when the district ranger and a 

 patrolman approached. They rode on a railroad velocipede, 

 and stopped abruptly. 



"Is your name "J. W.?" the ranger asked. 



"Yes." 



"Then consider yourself under arrest." 



17 



