Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-11-24

A Fearful Trotting Match.

AFearful Trotting Match.
[Chicago Correspondence of the n. Y. world.l
On the morning of that terrible
Monday, when one-third of the Gar
den City went down in the mael
strom of fire and flame, there oc
Cured one of the strangcst, ant
probably most fearful trotting races
on record. 1t was race wherein
the fire tiend and storm king wen
in double harness, with Death for :
driver, against Mr.. Fred. Blackma1
and his brown mare, Kittic. 1t was
single dash Of less than a mile
contested with all the firmness o
fate Oh one side, and only hope o
salvation on the other Kittie, who
had become a well-known equine tt
all those who frequented the boule
Yards, was stabbed in barn or
Dearborn strcct,almost opposite tho
Post Office. The fire had eaten fal
into the CITY, and was rapidly swal
lowing building after building il
its rapacious jaws. Southwark and
northward along famed Newspaper
avenue. as Dearborn street wa.
sometimes called, the fire was driv
en- by the fierce gale, which swep1
in eddies from over the prairics.
Blackmar, who lived in the West
Division, had gone down early in
the fight to assist in saving propert,
from the store, and it was not until
late on Monday morning that he
thought of Brown kittic. Then he
started for the barn, only to find
the front of the building was ono
vast sheet Of flame. No where
could he see the hostlcr. Through
back door he rushed into the sta.
BILE, and there stood his pet shivcr.
ing i'll every limb. With a cry OF
JOY She recognized her master, and
while he was untastening her halter
the grateful creature placed her nose
against his face and gently rubbed
his cheek. A moment later and
the mare was hitched to the light
road wagon, the back door was
was thrown open. Fred. sprang into
the seat, and while the burning hay
dropped down upon him in fiery
flakes, he drove forth into a perfect
hell OF flame. There was a narrow
alley with buildings on fire on eth
er side of it for him to drive
through, and faster than Ki,tic ever
went before went she through that
gauntlet Of fame. Once a tongue
of flame reached across the alley
and Sc rchcd poor kittie's hand
some mane, and almost burnt out
one of her bright eyes, which were
almost human in their expression,
but Fred. spoke gently to her, and
with never a skip she went onward
and onward across State street, and
no chance to turn to the right or
left, with buildings blazing up in
front, and Death with the double
team crowding him closely in the
rear. Now Wabash avenue was
reached, and like lightning the lit
tie darling turned the corner and
flew with the speed Of thought
southward ale NJ the b1 o I'd thorough
fare whose western side was already
one long row Of flame. With
straight road before him, perfectly
level, and laid with Nicolson pave
ment, Fred. sent the mare along
faster and faster. Away off towards
Jackson street he could see the
black smoke and the red flames
reaching across, trying to seize up
Oh the opposite side of the way,
and, should they succeed before he
passed the SPOT, then all escape
was impossible. "Gently, kittie,
gently!" They were the first words
he had spoken for some time
Snow then, my little lady," and
for the first time in all his life he
her with the whip. The
mare broke into a run, and there
was no stopping her. Like
thoroughbred she sped before the
wind, and almost in trice she had
cleared the fire, and was still run
ming desperately to the southward.
Blackmar succeeded in
pulling her down to trot, and final
" he logged along at Il pace so slow
no one would have supposed her
the best little equine in Christen-
dom. Fred. wouldn't take thous-
inds of dollars for her now, and
when, few days after the fire, he
drove around on Ashland avenue
and told another HER of his esca-
radc, handsome Kttie was pclted
and carcssed by fair ladies until
her owner was fain compelled to
wish it possible change of places
might be effected between himself
and his brown mare.