[Marshall] Texas Republican, July 28, 1860
We learn from some of our citizens who were at Dallas a few days since, that two individuals (strangers) are suspected of being the incendiaries who set fire to that town on the 8th inst. They were first seen at Dallas the evening preceding the fire. One, a young man, was riding a large dun horse, the other a man of apparently forty-five, was riding a roan. They avoided the hotels and are supposed to have lodged in the Court House Saturday night. They were observed in town next day, and about the time the alarm of fire was given, they crossed the Trinity at the ferry, making sundry enquiries about the distances to neighboring towns, among the rest to Waxahachie, where they said they were going. They rode in the direction of that place to Judge Hoard’s, three miles south of Dallas, where they stopped and inquired if they could get dinner. The Judge invited them into his house, promising to have dinner prepared, and at the same time, discovering a dense smoke in the direction of Dallas, ordered his horse, saying he would ride to town and ascertain the cause. The strangers remained until his return, and in the interim were questioned by Mrs. Hoard, who learned from them that they were from Kansas. They said they were traveling to see the country, and were going to Waxahachie. They were armed with Colt’s repeaters, which they carefully re-capped while at Judge Hoard’s. The lady, suspecting all was not right, communicated her suspicions to her husband on his return, who concluded to watch the strangers. After supper they set out in the direction of Waxahachie, but soon changed their course and took the road to Dallas. The next day one of these men was seen a couple of miles west of town, in the neighborhood of Mr. Eakins’, whose house was burned that day, and the other was seen about the same distance east of town. In the evening of the same day both were seen together a few miles north of Dallas, on the McKinney road, and the next day, about noon, two individuals with horses answering the description, passed through this place and it is supposed took the road to Bonham. They were observed by a number of school boys, of whom they inquired the name of the town. The next day (Wednesday) they were seen fourteen miles north of town on the Bonham road. We hope our Bonham friends will keep a sharp look out for them.—McKinney Messenger.