Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-12

step, the venerable mother, whose eighty
four years had not worn out GOODNESS and
discretion, came upon great boulder near
the edge of the timber. Climbing on this,
although half suffocated, she covered her
head with her skirts, and, with clothes care
fully tucked up from the running flames,
kept for hours on the back of this unique
salamander. The only son that came out
of the fire with his life, it is said, did not
forget his duty, and aided his mother to this
forlorn refuge: Be that as it may, thick
blanket well wetted over her body and her
skirts out of reach OF the not incendiary
sand, the old lady perched on that rock
through the long night of agony, every
shrek of the roasted kindred splitting her
ears, and their burning bodies almost with
in reach of her helping arms. Twice through
the night she received succor, once from her
son, who came up and wetted her covering,
and once from the barnmaster, Bush, who
also bathed her head and gave her cool
water to drink. Through the whele I'M
speakable tragedy of piteOus cowardice ran
this vein of simple fortitude and heroic en-
durance.
The mill blacksmith, Michael Adams,
stands out as though Of almost antique
mold. He was a man of gigantic figure
and grave, rough reserve. When the dan
GER came, he gathered his three children and
baby in his great strong arms, and with his
wifi strobe to the center of the clearing,
where he calmly placed them on wetted
blankets, and, covering them with his coat,
quietly brought water in buckets and satu
rated the frail protection. The flames
Kissed and reared about him, but he never
desisted. Resisting their hot torrents with
wonderful endurance, and even when his
hair was ablaze, his hands feshless, and the
Goals eating into his flesh, he continued his
efforts for wife and child. The young en-
gineer and the barn-maSter shouted to him
to fly to the wCeis. He seemed to hear
them, but calmly shaking his head remained
at his post.
As his strength and sight began to fail, he
looked with unutterable yearning toward
the helpless group at his feet, then glanced
anXiously toward the wood. Whether he
saw that there was the better chance Of
safety cannever be known; he reeled sud
denly and dropped like shot in his tracks.
When help came to that group the next
day, and unscared babe lay in the arms of
its dead mother, the fathers arm about
both. They were. of course, all dead, but
the father alone, with one arm burned off,
was unrecognizable, save by his giant frame.
Even the dog that howled, smothering in
the hot air and kept in an ecstacy of rest
less motion to prevent being roasted on
the hot sands, seemed impressed
by this mans devotion. Wagging
delirous inquiry with his tail, and
interfering sharp barks, he seemed
to plead with his Obdurate master.
Hopeless of recognition, then he would
poke his nose under the wet blankets, and
after a thorough cooling, emerge deiectedly,
az though deprecating the weakness while
his master stood exposed. Sands growing
hotter and hotter, the forbearing brute
made for the woods, but in mid-career, and
almost in the performance Of jig-his legs
were kept moving so briskly to keep his
feet from burning-he turned lOngingly, as
if reminding the man that this was the way
to safety. No heed was paid him, and with
painful limps and piteous whines he re-
turned, and sitting his feet on the blanket,
stared eagerly at his master. His poor
singed body was found in that attitude OF
love and duty.
At the well, which stood nearest the
house, a wretched group had taken refuge
not only at, but in it, Six people flung
themselves into this last resort, counting
confidently on it as place of security. Final
", when crippled by the fire, and exhausted
by his long efforts, the young man Merrill
threw himSelfinto that crowded pit also, the
place was packed. Even here his presence
Of mind was all that saved life when life
had very little chance. The frail wooden
curbing above the mouth had taken fire
and the flames began to run downward
fiercely. The paralyzed group dared not
put out their heads, lest the flames should
smother them. But Merrill, without al
instant's hesitation, uprose and flung The
dangerous thing away, and the barn-masteT
lowering about the edge of the woods, pre-
sently refreshed the smOthered by bucket
| Of water. The well was, notwithstanding
| a place of death. The flames, sweep
| inc savagely over the clearing, lurch.
ed and spit down hatefully in
| to the crowded pit, and sOOT
the steady blaze from within indicated tn,
! fate of its inmates. Merrill still held hi
mind, and resisted the flames. In this h,
was aided by Bush, who helped him to hi
| final deliyerance. He aided all who wOull
! listen to him, manfully, and to him the few
! that were saved, in a large measue, owl
| their lives. He brought water from the
! creek to aid the group on the potato patch
! and kept the sheltering blankets saturated
! as long as he dared venture inside the line
! Of fire. 1t must not be supposed THAI out
! side the clearing stretched a solitude o.
safety. On the contrary, the ceaseless ex
! plosiOns of breaking trunks and splinteret
branches were so terrific, mingled With vol
umes of flame III the tree tops, that tn,
! great part Of the people preferred to risl
/ the dangers of the open ground. But tn
thick wood had its security, and with car
the people that lay down near the edg
found themselves, when the frightful morn
ing came, substantially uninjured.
Here the climax comes; the tragedy i
complete in this one terrific picture tn
light of the new day revealed only the ma
chinery of the horrid masterpiece. The re-
glare of night had changed into bleak dawn
and the dawn had changed into high moo
| before a helpful hand broke into the blac
GOlgOtha. The barnmaster, Bush, whe
silence had fallen upon the place for an hou
or two before dawn, took a horse and al
tempted to make his way to Little Stu
geon. As well try to ride through a ston
wall Leaving his horse behind, he strue
gled on by the bright light of the burnin
pines, and after incalculable trouble in til
way and out of the way, some time aboU
daylight he came upon the ruins of lun
berman's cabin, which by the regular pat
was not more than two miles from the mil
He had been hours in reaching it, ant
worn out by the labors and agony of I'll
night, sat down to rest.
Presently the owner came, and tOgethC
the two men started back to the settlement
They came first TO the well. Merrill, al
parently quite dead, was taken out frs
Six more after, all dead, save a chill,
crowded below its mother at the bottom
Merrill soon gave feeble evidence of life, al
was cared for at once. Bush ran TO Il
stone to aid the old woman; the blanlle
were rolled away. The stone was bar
and no vestige of Mrs. Williamson could |
found. Then they came upon the pit. A
indistinguishable heap Of arms, legs, al
bodies, perfectly still and wholly naked, W.
all that remained of the mass that can
there in abundant life a lew hours befOr
They We're all dead, and few of them reco
nizable. Seven Williamsons persisted in Il
: group; among others the young girl, who,
long black hair was found Clutched
masses in her UHcharred hand.
The darkness Of a new night threw
pitving vail over the scene when the fir
relief from the outside had succeeded
cutting a way through. The work of burr
began next morning, and fifty-nine were a
o.,,Irtad for in the fatal clearing The yn