The Madera County jail was barely 20 years old in 1915 when Sheriff Jasper Lewis took over as the county’s top lawman. As fall gave way to winter, he decided that it was time to “put up the heater.” Preparatory to its installation, however, the flue had to be cleaned out, so Lewis called Chauncey Smith, a chimney sweep from Merced, to perform the task.
Smith arrived on the scene in the latter part of October with his partner, Tom McKay. It was explained at great length that some hazard beyond the ordinary was connected with the proposed job, for a swarm of bees had been making their home in the chimney of the jail for some time. Not even the smoke from the stove had dislodged the unwelcome guests, since it had a double compartment.
McKay took seriously the Sheriff’s admonition to be cautious. Smith, on the other hand, indicated that he was not going to be bothered by a bunch of bees. He was a professional chimney sweep and would not succumb to fright by what he considered to be nothing more than a nuisance. As the two men made ready to do their job, McKay prepared for the worst and took along some protective gear.