Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-11-03
THE CHICAGO TIMES SENSATION

THE CHICAGO TIMES SENSATION
4 lt4 as ---- #at a
Improbable Accoaat OF the Barnin,
j Of Chicago.
! Below isa synopsis nj the Chicag
Times article mentioned few day
agos pretending 10 give the confes
sion Of . Communist that 1t was th,
international Society which burnes
ChicaGa The 7Fmes does not tel
how itcame In possession, nor doe
IL giveA any opinion rs to its authen
ticity. The story Ia undoubtedly
hoax fbnt weh gotten up. The CON.
Tossing criminal, ,as we may call him
after statfng that he was admitted d
the CosAunne I'm Paris In 1857, goe.
on to tell how he and two other.
were sent 10 Chicago to organize /
Society, which was to have for II,
object the elevation OF workingmer
and poor men TO the level and luxury
nf the rich. men. He goes on to say
that too nonths were spent In iHef'
fectuaf attempts to stir mp strife be-
tween snechsnics and employers. =
FinalIy Il was proposed why, h.
don't tAy-to burn the business por,
tion offhe city. II was fIrst decided
to raise ! n1db by some mesns, and
burn and piiiags che city II the sx.
citement, but At last, on the 9th ol
August, Il was resolved to resort "a
the torch Of the incendiary. Several
times day was fixed upon, buI
abandoned. the elements not favor-
ing. The first real attempt was
made on the 3Oth Of September, but
sudden change In the wind thwart-
ed the attempt. The Saturday nigh,
preceding the awful Sunday, another
attempt was made. 8 .x
But, says the writer, Il was delayed
only for day, and during that day,
he says, these plans came near being
betrayed by George Francis Train. -
That eveniDg-sunday- spoke In
FarweIl Hall, when he made use OF
the following words:
"1his 10 tAe last pn6lic address that
sciu be delivered s0ifhfn these wdks ,
n terrible calamity is isnpending over
the city Ct Chicago. More + cannot
cay; !; more I dare not after ~ 1f'
The writer says that had Train
said more, he would have been shot
down on the spot. fol half dozen
pistols were ready to shoot him
down.
Then he goes on to say of the aw-
full night that followed: sll
"All day long we had been In secret
ccnclave where no mortal could spy
out our doings. Petroleum mines
had been laid In q score Of places and
trusty men were stationed at each of
them to apply the match ut the prop
er moment. The plot had been 30
arranged that all should appear as
accident, our part being mainly to
assist the progress Of the flames, for
we knew that once beyond q ,ertain
limit, no agency could stay them. :
The place above all others In the city
which promised the great measure of
succcss was In the barn on DeKoyen
street. No "old Irish hag,, was
milking her COW at the time, a. tile
reporters of the city press are deter
mined 70 have it. A human being
Of adifferent sex was there however.
but had disappeared, a. II by magic,
before any mortal eye had remarked
Ills presence. Es ~,
Before the arrival OF the Jaded fire.
men at the scene OF the confagra.
tion. halt dozen mines had been
touched or and their Efforts to sub
due the flames were futile as the
effort Of child 10 stem the raging
cataract Of Niagara, When the
flames had reached the river, work
began on the South side. Simulta-
neously mine was sprung at the
gas works and another near Van
Buren, street bridge, and two whole
blocks were seething hell OF flame
In less time than II takes my unae-
customed pen to tell It. From thence
onward the fre was assisted by o
mine set on Well street, near Mon.
roe, another block and half fur.
ther east. and still another 10 Far
well hall. Little did those who
listened to Citizen Train on that
eventful Sunday night suspect that
they were sitting over . magazine
that needed but the touch of match
to Involve them In perfect hell Of
fame. a8l
From that point the destruction of
the South Side, with it, massive
granite piles and well stored ware-
BONUSES ives assured. Onward sped
tbs flames. and whenever they APP
pearsd likely to skip, . new maga-
zine was nred. and ruin with his
fearful front involved the fair city.
/ had bssn delegated to explode the
powder magazines on South Water
street. Our only fear Of want Of suc-
cess was thst the suthorities. failing
to stay the mad currsnt of fIre by
ordinary means. would resort to the
last and only hope-lay \ few blocks
In ruins by means OF ssnpowder, =
To guard against this. . train had
been laid communicating with the
magazine, and requiring but spark
70 destroy u. When the work had
bssn 20 fully isasgDiassd, 1 hasten.
cd to.thA poinsIto whieh had been
asigneds Wild with . frenzy. more
terrible than / had ever before ex.
perisnced. 6 I reached the spot where
the match should have been applied.
A huge coal lay within = few feet OF
It.. A slight kick from my foot
would have placed Il over the hidden
fuse, but the streets were fhronged
With people. and I shranjs from COM
mitting the act that would have
plugged hundreds Of human beings
into eternity. aalgw 1..s sls1sf s.isi Z 1. &
\ ss'That moments hesitaflon was
their salvation. The powder brigade
arrived almost upon the Instant, and
the sxplosivs was removed from the
building. Among the fltpt barrels
removed wsrs thoss With which the
train comnusIcstsd, and though !