Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-11-02
W0MAN'S STORY OF THE
FIRE. is ar'

Where shall | begin? How shall tel
] the story that | have been living during
/ these terrible daysg It's adream, a night
i mare, only so real that | tremble as
write, as though the whole thing might
be brought 10 me again by merely telling
of it.
We lived ON the North Side, six blocks
'FRONT.' the river-the newly-regenerate6
river, which used to be at once the riches
and despair of our city, but which had just
been turned back by the splendid energy
OF the people, to carry the sweet waters OF
Lake Michigan through all it's noisome
recesses. We were quiet people, like
most of the North Siders flattering our
selves that oar comfortable wooden houses
and sober, CHEEKY, New England looking
| streets were fhr preferable to the more
rapid, blatant life of the South Side.
| Well on Sunday morning, Get. s, Rob
ert Collyer gave his people what we all
felt to be wonderful sermon, on the
text: Think We that those upon whom
the tower of Sloan fell, were sinners
above all those who dwelt at Jerusalem, y
and illustrated it by picture of the pres
ent life, and our great cities, their grand
though strictly natural consequences of
our Unsuitable pursuit of worldly prosper
ity, too often unchecked by principle and
stanced the many dreadful catastrophes
as signs that not the Erie spectators
alone, nor the contractors alone, nor the
recognized sinners alone. but we, every
man and woman of the United States,
were responsible for these horrors, mas
much as we did not work, fight, bleed
and die, if necessary, to establish such
public opinion as should make them inn
possible.
| came. out gazing on our beautiful
church, and hoping that not one stone of
the dearclurch at hoihe had been set or
pa.5 For BY fheras eality which our preacher
Sc loQ<cflflv depicted, as certain to bring
1rtiil n1aterial as well as spiritual, and so
wesfstssed the r1eas.alt bright day, some
of usSgoing sdown fozAthe scene of the
West Side fire of Satu.laE night, and es
pying, as from a good 7ttistence, the un-
happy losers of somuch property. About
915 in the evenina&Qur neighboring fire
telegraph sent fortlf Some little tintinnab
ulations, and we lazily wondered as D.
played the piano and | watercd my ivy,
what they were burning up now. At 10
o'clock the fire bells were ringing con-
stantly, and we went to bed regretting
that there must be more property burn
ing up on the West Side Eleven O'clock,
twelve O'Clock, and l walked my sister,
saying, "It's very singular; never heard
ANYTHING like the fires tonight 1t seems
as though the whole West Side must be
atire. Poor people, | wonder whose care
lessness set this going!' One o'clock
two O'Clock, we get up and look out.
'Great God the fire has crossed the river
from the south. Can there be any danger
here?" And we looked anxiously out to
see men burrying by, screaming and
swearing, and the whole city to the outh
and west cf US one vivid glare. NV here
are the engines? Why don't we hear
them as usual?' we asked each olher
thoroughly puzzled, but even yet hardly
personally frightened by the strange as
pcct of the brilliant and surging street be
low. Then came a loud knock at the back
door on Eric St Ladies, ladies, get up
Pack your trunks and prepare to leave
your house it may not be necessary, but
it's we'll to be prepared" Itwas a friend
= no had fought his way through the La
salle-st tunnel to warn us that the city is
on fire. We looked at each other with
white faces. Well we might In an in
ner room slept an invalid relative, the OBJ
Ject OF our ceaseless care and love, the vic
tim of u terrible and recurring mental NAL
ady, which had already sapped much of
his strength and life, and rendered quiet
and absence of excitement the first pre-
scription of his physicians Must we call
the invalid and if we did, in the midst of
this fearful glare and turmoil, what would
be the result? We determined to wait
I,a 1o. Il
uables into a trunk, while we anxiously
watched the ever approaching flame and
tumult
Then there came strange sound in the
air, which stilled, or seemed to still, for IA
moment, the surging crowd. "Was it
thunder?" we asked. No, the sky was
clear and full of stars, and we shuddered
as we felt, but did not say, it was a ire
mendous explosion of gunpowder BY
this time the blazing sparks and bits Of
burning wood, which we had been fear
fully watching, were fast becoming an un-
intermitting fire of burning hail, and
another shower of blows on the doors
warned us that there was not minute to
be lost Call E." (the invalid) do
not let him stay minute, and | will try
to save our poor little birds y NY sister
flew to wake up our precious charge, and
ran down stairs repeating to myself to
make me remember Birds, deeds, silver,
jewelry, silk dresses" as the order in
which we would tly TO save our property.
if it came to the worst.
AS passed through our parlOrs, how
my heart ached. Here the remnant of nv
fathers library, copy of a Bible printed
in 1857, on one table; on another. nv
dear Mrs. Browning, in five volumes, the
gift of lost friendl What shall take !?
W hat shall l leave? l alternately loaded
myself with gift after gift, and dashed
them down in despair Lovely pictures
and statuettes, left by kind friend for the
establishment of our little rooms, and
which had turned them into bowers of
beauty-must they be left? AT last
stepped before our darling, sweet and
tender picture of Beatrice Cenci going to
execution, which looked down at me
through the dismal red glare which was
already filling the rooms, with a sanity
and weird sweetness that seemed to have
something wistful in it. | thought, 81
will save this, if | die for it." but my poor
parrot called my name and asked for a
peanut, and could no more have LETT him
than if he had been baby But, could
carry that huge cage? No, indeed so |
reluctantly tooh NY poor Ulllo canary
who was painfully flutteIine about and
wondering at the disturbance and, kissing
him, opened the front door and set him
free-only to smother, | fear But it was
the best could do for him if wished to
save my parrot, who had prior right to
be considered one of the family, if sixteen
years of incessant chatter may be suppos-
ed to establish such right.
What a sight our usually pretty street
presented. As far as | could see, horri-
BILE wall-a surging, struggling, encroach-
ing wall-like vast surface of grimacing
demons-came pressing up the street; a
wall of fire, ever nearer and nearer, steadi-
ly advancing upon our midnight helpless
ness. Was there no wagon, no carriage,
into which we could coax our poor E.
and take him away from these maddening
sights. Truck after truck, indeed, passed
by, but filled with loads of people and
goods Carriages rushed past, drawn by
struggling and foaming horses, and lined
with white scared faces. A truck loaded
with goods dashed up the street and, as
looked, flames burst out from the sides.
and it burned to ashes in front of our door.