Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-07-30

| hoiSting apparatus fell. some purt of the WOO,
work having been burned away. a cry q
horror broke from the witnesses of the seen
as the three men were cnvelopcd in smok,
aud fire and hid from their view. Present.,
the two strangers emerged from the building
and were greeted with cheers from the crowd.
The merchant, il was thought, was irrcdcem-
ably lost but not 80. lie had fallen down
in a s,upor: but quickly recovering. however,
he WAS scen-when the smoke consequent
upon the falling in of the rear wall, had clear
ct somewhat away-by the chest. striving
with all his might To tumble il down the
hatchway. The people collected around, were
amazed. aud thought him crazy and invulncr-
able. The fire was above. below. and all
around him. and how the merchant stood there
alive, and seemingly unhurt. was a mystery no
one could explain. On Witnessing his cXer-
tons at the chest, every one held his breath
and save the cracking of the timbcrs and the
distant shouts of the iiremen. not a sound or
a whisper could be heard. See! the chest
moves and now comes tumbling down the
liatchway. amid the applause of the crowd
Ii rolled out of the door and fell into the en-
trance oi the basement. The merchant was
lost sight of for a moment, but soon he stood
ON the sidewalk, blackcncd and burnt with
smoke and flame, and again asked for aid TO
remove his chest from its then position. The
answer was-"come from bcncath-ihe whole
front Is falling-you will perish" He ex-
claimed then shall it cover me. for the safe
| will rescue, or be buried with it," and then
again rushed into the burning pile. The feel
ings of those who beheld him cannot be de-
scribcd.
lie proceeded to n place i'm his office. where
he knew was placed a small Ratchet. took it.
climbed To the third story with astonishing
mi q nan1 Snxaral al. - r.
drum, To which ii had been secured, but was
not yet burnt OF, and down he sprang again.
At times he was hid from the eyes OF those
assembled outside, and again he would be- seen
lifting about as though he was proof against
destruction, and u cheer would ascend. Soon
he was seen standing on the sidewalk with
the severed rope over his shoulder, but in an
instant one side of the store fell i'm and he was
again hidden by a volume of fire and smoke.
That cleared WAY, and he was seen hard at
work on the safe, ~cndeavoring TO thrust the
hook at the end of the rope through its handle.
lie succeeded, and then carrying the other end
oi the rope in his hand, came as far as il would
permit of toward the crowd and was received
with the most vocifcrous reclamation. Ii is
to say there Were plenty laid hold of
the rope. III chest was dragged out amid
hurrabs, and placed in safety.
!" w h"Ihc vi heaven. asked several.
" why risk your life thus for the sake of what
wealth the chest may contain? Between dol
lars and life, who but you would hesitate %
Hold, said the merchant. "Of nv own
property j have lost about - thousand
dollars by the fire-for that ! care not. But
that chest contains a large sum of money en-
trusted TO my care Yesterday afternoon. too
late to be deposited in the bank, by an Eastern
to meet drafts made payable at sight.
l care not for the loss of wealth, but had mat
money been destroyed, | should have lost INV
crcdit-ior who would have known il WAS
placed there? And though left poor, trusting
IN Providence, | was determined TO place nv
Character beyond suspicion or perish i'm the
attempt" A laundering shout rent the air at
these words, and before it had subsidized. the
walls Tell IN and the store was a heap OF red
not ruins.
The clothes of the merchant were burnt
rom his body and he was literally naked
was conveyed to a ~neighboring house.
where his burns were dressed and every ooss;-
bic attention paid him, and we are happy TO
say Thai he walked to his home i'm his CITY. a
lew hours after the occurrence.
me above is a good story, although it seems
a little a%pocryphdi.