The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-12-05 00:00:00

BURNED ON THE PRAIRIE.

Captain 'Ackland, a recent citizen of Lincoln, Neb.,
cotatuunicatee to an American paper the details
of a terrible calamity that overtook the family of
Mr. William S. Herndon, a farmer of Gage County,
Neb. He says he met Mr. clerndon on Monday night
on his way to Lincoln, where he has relations residing,
and where he expects aid. From Mr. Herndon's own
lips he learned the story of his sufferings. Some three
years ago Herndon moved to Gage County from lowa
and purchased sixty acres of land nine miles from the
county seat. He prospered and was succeeding well
until the late disaster, which not only destroyed his
property, but left him alone in the world, the tirehaving
overtaken his family, consisting of his wife and two
children, and burned them to death. Herndon says
he noticed the tire miles away on Saturday night, but
it was no uncommon thing to see the grass burning,
and he paid but little attention to it, although his
wife seemed coneiderably alarmed, and before bedtime
she had called his attention to it several times. In
the morning it was noticed that the fire was burning
with Bonin vigour, and had evidently Mlle nearer
to them, He was still inclined to believe that it
would pass around and lease him unmolested, or
that it would rain and thus put the danger out of
the question. A heavy wind springing up at noon,
however, and blowing directly from the tire toward
the house, warned him that the danger was grow-
ing imminent His children were now crying through
fear, and his wife was importuning him to make
the best of time. Arrangements were soon made
for the journey, and in a two-horse waggon
they started, mole than ten miles in advance of the
fire, with every probability of being able to get out of
its reach. Good time was made by the team, and not
until late in the evening, when the wind increased in
fury, was there any apprehensii u of danger. About
dusk the wind increased to a hurricane, ate' the flames
began to approach them with terrible speed and awful
grandeur. Faster and faster they came, and Mr.
Ilernden nays that it was evident they would overtake
them in a very few moments. What to be done under the
circumstances was a question that had to be decided
quickly. The horses hail now become unmanageable,
and were as likely to overturn the waggon and start
for the flames as any other way. A marshy piece
of ground was some two miles distant, and near
this was a small branch of water, from which he
remembered, he had frequently watered his horses.
This was the only chance for life, and hastily
leaving his waggon and team to their fate, he
started for the marsh, with his youngest child, a
lad of eight years, in his arms. It was a struggle
ter life. Death was coming, and they made one
grand effort to get out of its reach, but, alas ! it was
unavailing. We will not undertake to depict the
anguish of that father as he was compelled to see the
cherished ones of his own heart, those whom he loved
even better than his own life blood, sink down, one
after the other, and become a prey to that most
terrible of all deaths—fire. The little daughter was
the first that was overtaken, and the raother was prone
to stay and give up her life with her darling, but she
kept on, while the flames were yet more than a
hundred yards behind, and little Mary was left upon
her knees, praying that her Heavenly Father might
take her to His bosom, tied save her mother and
father and little brother from perishing. Death soon
mune for her, and not long did it wait for the little
brother and mother. In a few moments the mother's
clothes were on fire, and she was unable to proceed.
The father, with desperate determination to save his
little an, pushed on, but already his clothes were on
fire, and the little boy, the pride of his heart, was
struggling to free himself from the tortures, Alla soon
he was at rest in death. His body but hindered the
progress of the father, and to save himself he deter-
mined to dloandon it. Thus freed of all incumbrances
he succeeded in reaching the stream. After the fire
had passed by he retraced his steps and gathered in one
place the blaelened and charred remains of his late
household. Next day the homes of some distant farmers
were reached, and they returned with Herndon and
assisted him in the burial.