Dear Editor;

For years, I have wanted to have a place to come with my horse in Dayton, where I grew up, and nearer to my extended family in the Walla Walla, Touchet area.

About six years ago, I put up a 17th century style barn there with a small living area and corral and bought a small Ferguson tractor and implements to care for the piece.

The tractor proved to be too small for the rough ground, so I prepared it for sale and bought a bigger John Deere 60.

In October, when I tried to use the Ferguson, it scarcely would run. It had been vandalized.

After cleaning the brush from the gas tank and fuel lines, I put in a couple of gallons of gas and hit the starter. It blew up and caught fire.

I was lucky to have a hose to put out the fire that resulted, and that I was on the side away from the explosion, as I would have been badly burned, something that had happened years ago after a low-altitude ejection from a Navy jet. I didn't need a repeat.

Neither I nor a tractor mechanic could get the tractor to run, and as it was not worth the cost of a repair by me, I gave the tractor to the mechanic, who may have to tear into it to fix it.

The gas tank was not the only problem, as the distributor hot wire was loose and distributor moved.

I notified the sheriff, but have no idea who would do this.

Robert G. Lathrop, Sutherlin, Oregon