The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-04-17 00:00:00

A DESPERATE RACE.

Mr, 11. B. Darrell, one of the sufferers by the great fire at
the Cape, writes :
My house was situated on an elevation near the head
of a sin II valey wid nig into the larger va.ley of the
Kyusna river and just opiersite to its gorge, Where,
leaving the mountains and krantzes behind, it ceases
to be a mountain stream, and pursues a more peaceful
but not less romantic course te the ocean as a tidal
river. No situation could be more beautiful, as thr se
could testify who have ever looked down upon this
valley from the neighbouring hills. Eariy on the
morning of the 9th we perceived there was a great fire
raging on he flits above us, but a little to leeward of
us. As the morning advanced, denser and denser grew
the smoke and brighter the glare of the fire, whilst the
thermometer rose every minute. The wind, too, in-
creased rapidly in violence. Presently above the smoke
I saw the liyaid fire pouring over the great wooded
krantzes, and below it, in the fields, a great stream of
fire surging along in the dry grass with inconceivable
rapidity. Then I knew it was all up with Westford-
Knysna, and, rushing into my house, got out my
household, who stood ready, and directed my wife, I
who alone retained any presence of mind, to fly with
them thriiugh the garden and down to the dam. Had
it not been for her courage and endurance I should
never have got them to a place of safety. It is not an
enviable billet at any time to be the sole guardian of 13
women and children; but to conduct them, wholly
distracted, and all polling different wave, over a burn-
ing waste for nearly a mile, with the thermometer ap-
proaching boiling point, is an experience of responsible
g.wernment such aa I 0..4 no colony may ever he
called upon to pairs through. I tarried a minute
behind, but it seas almost a minute too long. Instanta-
neously the whole of the buildings on the place were in
a blaze, and at the same moment fire appeared all
round, as well as above and below us. It was not
nierely sparks or flakes if fire that were flying so
thickly, but firebrands. We had hardly got through the
garden and into the road, when the tire was half-way
clown, rampaging amongst the pumpkins and the fruit
tr. ess. 'the fiery wind was so violent that it was only
by making all cling together that they could be got
along at all. Half their clothing was blown away.
But it would take too long to tell how it took us nearly
two hours to get to the only house left by a miracle on
the place. The inhabitants hail taken refuge on the
pontoon upon the river. Soon after we reached ths
house the wind changed suddenly to the westward, and
there .63 an end to the hunicane of fire that we had
gins

through.

SPECULATION AND ITS CON-
SEQUENCE S.
The Court of AgRiZ .11 of the Seine has just been
engaged in the trial of a person named Allotte, aged
36, miller to the late afpnt.de-change Banes, on a
charge of embezzling motley to the amount of
3.331.660 f. The principal committed suicide on
discovering the fraud in January last. Allotte, in
addition to his functions, had a share in the busi-
ness, and appears to have enjoyed the en.
tire confidence of M. Banes. He, however,
launched into a number of ill-advised spent-
latinna, no that in the space of four years
' he had squandered the amount mentioned above.
1_700.000f. were sunk in nil works at St. Den*
607,200 f. in a manufactory of perfumery at
Potteaux, 255.000 f. in a snap boiler) at La Briehe,
and 230 000 f. in a water company at Cadiz. The re.
mainoler was lust in enterprises of lesser importance,
among the items being 80,000 F. the accused had ad-
vanced to a M. Chily. and 40,0001. invested is the
Illustre. The deficits were made by the sale of
securities left by customers and by the appropriation
if swim of 800,000 f. deposited by Mr. Breon for pur.
pores of speculation, and concerning which a fictitious
account WWI furnished every month to the owner by
the accused. 'Fiat sum, moreover, hail never been re.
gularly entered on the books oof the firm, and the conse-
quence is that Brion is entirely ruined, as he has no
claim to any share in the assets of the bankruptcy. Banes
appears to have been aware that Allotte WM largely
indebted to the firm, and had even written to him a
letter begging him earnestly to reduce his deficit, as
the credit of the establishment was compromised
was not, however. until another partner, alio had
discoovered the precarious situ Ilion of the cashier, had
made a declaration to the commissary of police that
an investigation was made, and the full extent of the
frauds was brought to light. Banes was then unable
to bear up against the weight of the disaster, and
hanged himselt the Mille evening.
The accuaid, in his do fence, protested that he had
only borrowed money from the firm of which he was a
, partner. The jury returned a verdict oof "Not Guilty
on each of the counts of the indictment, and Allotte
was, in consequence, acquitted.