Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-09-05
From the Buffalo Express.]
A. Burning Swamp-An Infant
Killed Inv Rafrlesuakes

The long drought and the intense heat
are rendering the woods to condition so
combustible that fires in them are becom-
ing numerous and threatening. Several
such fires, upon a considerable scale, are
burning in this vicinity on both sides of
the river. the most considerable one being
in progress some twelve or fifteen miles
back of Fort Erie, in Canada. An immense
column of white smoke arising from the
forest conflagration, has attracted the at
tention of our citizens for several days and
given rise to some exaggerated stories.-
The scene of the fire is an immense swamp,
covering good many acres, fortunately
worthless both in its timber and in its soil.
The fire, therefore. can do nothing but
burn up the nests of rattlesnakes and other
reptiles, with which the swamp is said to
be thickly infested, and is therefore en-
gagged in a good missionary work. .....s, =.
Not long since portion of this reptile-
haunted swamp was the locality of very
melancholy occurrence which produced
the hefsnooffHg country: 4 tbbfaya bafasyy yyafetit f6tit
the farther side of the swamp, living at or
near Port Colborne, yentured into its re-
cesses on berrying expedition. One of
the company was mother, with an infant
child. The child fell asleep, and its moth
er> deposited it on her shawl upon some
comfortable bed of moss or grass, while
she pursued her quest for fruit. I'm
consciously she wandered further than
she meant from the sleeping infant, and
started suddenly to find it out of her sight.
became bewildered and lost all reckoning
of the place. The friends, all summoned
to the search, secured every part in vain.
The hunt grew frantic as the darkness
came on, and when gathering night drove
the party from the swamp, they collected
neighbors from every direction and entered
again with lanterns and torches. All night
the search went on, and not until after
morning dawned was the lost infant found.
Too late. The child was dead. 1t had died
the horrible death which the mothers
shuddering fancy must have constantly
pictured during the search. It had been
struck by the deadly fangs of rattlesnake,
having reused the reptile, probably, by its
struggles and cries. n al.s --..,-
Mr.. JOHN HoPKINs.a citizen of Baltimore,
worth twenty millions of dollars, has made
gift, endoWing the Johns Hopkins Hos
pital, tor poor white and ,colored persons,
and the Johns Hopkins Institute, for edu-
cational purposes, embracing also poor
white and colored children to have osepa-
rate apartments. Mr.. Hopkins is still liy-
ing, and determined, like George Peabody,
to see, whilst living, the good effects of his
benevolent charities. MIR. Hopkins is a
bachelor, member of the Society of
Friends, and about Mr.. Peabody's age. 1t
is expected he will make many more large
charitable 1beqaests whilst alive, that he
may realize the good his vast means may
do. The belief is that he Will eventually !
donate his magnificent country place for
public purposes, and still project other
grand charities. His present income is
nearly or quite three hundred thousand
dollars per annum, Whilst he has many
relatives whom he will leave independent,
yet vast ann0unti VIII be appropriated to-
benevolent purposes! He is still an active
business man. 5licDeh I!i7f ta1 sI5d b9is9it