The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-10-20

| were arOusing their guests, anu aoEls-
ing hasty departures; men, loaded with
most precious articles of the household,
| followed by awe-stricken women and
| frantic children, were rushing from the
| fire-deamon as rapidly as the thronged
condition of the streets would admit (;
women, separated FROM their families,
gave utterance to shrieks that rang clear
/ and shriIl above the horrible roar of the
| of the devouring flames and the wild
moan of the wind as it swept the fiery
deIuge along in its march OF ruin
A little after u O'Clock the guests of
the large boarding houses In the neigh
borhood Of State and Adams streets,
| were turned Mortified into the streets TO
swell the vast multitude already abroad.
ALONG THE LAKE SHORE.
The intense heat of the fire in the
city had forced the vast multitude col
lected along Michigan avenue back to
the furtherest verge of the beach, and
southwark into the Lake park and even
down TO Cottage Grove. The day
found not less than 5000 people ex-
posed to the wind and mist of the lake,
who had been but a few short hours be-
fore surrounded by the comforts of
home.
Many in the vast throng of anxious
spectators of the awful scene had been
startled by the first alarm, and left their
homes supperless; but the night passed
and day came again, bringing no pros
pects Of breakfast. The sun mounted
toward the zenith, and yet the gnawing
of hunger was not appeased. The
scene became pitiable in the extreme.
Thousands of children who had never
known what it was TO want even for
the luxuries of life, now piteously cried
| for bread they could not get. Men with
haggard look and bioodshot eyes, wear
led by exertion and anxious care, unre-
| freshed by slumber or food, moved
about with listless air, and if spoken
| to frequently returned for an answer q
vacant, meaningless stare, as if reason
and the power of utterance had vanish
ed together.
The day wore slowly away and still
thousands had taken no food. The
cries of the children became more bois-
ferrous; women wept, and even strong
men bowed in unutterable agony.
The wind blew clouds of ust. ashes
and smoke into their very faces, and
enveloped and covered them up until
they scarcely wore the semblance of
human beings. Nothing I ever saw,
nothing ever read about, nothing the
Imagination ever conjured up, ever pre-
scented to my mind so horrible picture
of human woe, as the scene witnessed
by the lake side on that terrible eve
ming. There rolled up the dark, por-
tentious clouds of smoke, mingled with
the red tongues of flame, mounting
high up into the heavens, that told of
devastated and ruined city. Here were
the inhabitants, hurried out into. the
streets almost without warming; away
from their homes, destitute of every
thing that could minister to their COM
fort
watching, and awe-stricken by the ex-
tent of their misfortunes. 1t was al
together such q scene as the world has
seldom witnessed.
The red sun went down behind the
smoke cloud. The mantle of night
rolled over the ruffied waters of the
lake. The lurid freight of the still
burning city cast great glare over the
scene. But never in the history of man
has day closed so sadly to so many
hundreds of thousands of people watch
homes. Never. before has night fallen
on ruins so vast. 80 suddenly made.
THE DEAD AND DYING.
And in another place seventeen thous-
and Germans and Irish praying for re-
lief, helpless children asking for bread,
heart-broken parents who know not
-
nothing to do but to await the distribu-
ton of supplies, which, at best, must be
a slow proceeding, as there are parts of
the burnt district over il Is almost i'm
possible to travel; women in the pains
of childbirth, and patients who have
been raised from beds of sickness to
save lives that at best were nearly
spent, all exposed TO the rain of last
night and the cold, raw winds of to-day.
Several deaths have occurred in Lin
coin park, and three women have
brought children into the world only
to die. There are people, who, in the
bitterness of their souls ascribe the ca
lamity to Gods judgement. A German
said TO me: "This is second Sodom
and Gomorrah, and the curse is ON it."
Another night must be spent in Lin
coin park and the brick fields at DiVi-
sion street, and yet another and an
other.
THE GHoULs AMONG THE RUINS.
No sooner was the extent of the dis
aster known abroad, than the ghouls of
the race, who ever haunt scenes of dis
aster and misfortune, began to gather.
Thieves mingled with the great stricken
multitude and busily piled their voca-
ton even in that dire hour of calamity.
Villains seized upon the fleeing inhab-
homes, and endeavored to take what
little remained to them, saved from the
general wreck. Hackmen and express
drivers and carmen seemed to have
lost all conscience, and charged fabu-
lous sums for conveying load from
the scene of destruction to a safe dis
lance. Men who had large sums of
money, endeavoring to convey it to
places of safety were set upon by
thieves, even in the streets, in the garish
light of their consuming houses and
robbed of their remaining all
One instance is know where a hack
man charged distracted husband $3.50
to convey his invalid wife from his
burning homo to place of safety.
TWenty-fiv dollars was regarded as a
very moderate charge for an express
wagon to carry load ten squares, $50
and 800 were frequently demanded
and paid for the use of a team and
wagon for half an hour. 1t seemed that
half the people of this class had turned
out to be thieves and robbers of the most
dangerous character. Instances are
known in which hackmen agreed to
convey ladies from the scene of disas-
ter to places of safety, and when little
way from the crowds, deliberately rob-
| bling them of their jewelry and what
ever other valuables they might have
about them, and then turning them out
of their cabs to take care of themselves.
When the fire was raging along La
Sale, Clark and State streets, and
sweeping towards Washington and
Randolph toward the North, the great
commercial houses were thrown open,
| and an effort made to save the most
valuable goods. The harvest of thieves
began at this time, The police had lost
control. Those intent on profiting by
the fire now went in with great zest.
They loaded themselves with the rich
est goods and sought a place of con-
cealment. A banker had cash box in
his hand containing $4,000, which he
was endeavoring to convey away. Three
desparadoes seized upon him with the
intention of robbing him. To prevent
it, he trew the box with its valuable
contents into the fire, rather than yield
to these ghouls of disastrous fate.
JOAQUIN MILLER.