Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-10-25

sight and sound that the moving mass was
stampede of cattle and horses laundering
along toward us away from the flames, below
ing, neighing and moaning as they galloped
on. Finally they came rushing past with
fearful speed, their eyeballs dilated and glaring
with terror, and every motion betokening
delirium of fright. Some had been badly
burned, and must have plunged through a
space OF flame in the desperate effort TO escape.
Following considerably behind came a solitary
horse, painting and snorting and nearly ex-
hausted. He was saddled and brid ell, and
as we first thought had a bag lashed to
back. As he came up we were startled at
the sight OF young lad lying fallen over the
animals neck, the bride wound around bis
hands, and the name being clinched by Il q
fingers. Little effort needed to stop the
Jaded horse, and at once release the helpless
boy. He was taken into the house, and all
that we could do was done but he had in
hailed the smoke, and was seemingly dying
Some time elapsed, and he revived enough to
speak. He told his name, Patrick Byrnes
and said " Father and mother and the chill
dreu got into the wagon. | don't know
what became Of them. Everything burned
up. l am dying. Oh, is hell any worse
tlan this -
The poor fellow lay in a critical condition
when l left. The next morning we drove
down to the settlement. The first house we
came to was that Of Patrick Brynes, father
of the lad before spoken Of. 1t was heap
Of ashes. The brick chimney, the cooking
stove, and iron portions Of farm tools were
the only remnants of the place. The forests
were burnt down close to the ground, the
stumps only being left, smoldering and
smoking. Everything was hot. Even the
road was baked and cracked by the heat
About mile further on We came 10 hOr-
rible spectacle. Alongside the road in
gully lay the bodies of SIX persons and two
horses, roasted to a crisp. The iron tires Of
the wheels, and braces and bolts of the
wagon were scattered about Here the fire
had surrounded and engulted them Evi
dently the animals in their mad struggles
had reared, plunged, and fallen headlOng
from the road u where they died.
We hurried on. All along the road lay
the carcasses Of cattle, sheep, hogs, and dogS,
burnt To a crisp. The smaller animals were
almost entirely consumed. Now we came TO
the village. Nothing was left but piles Of
ashes smoking and smOldering. La the eel
lar of one house we found eight bodies One
Of a man was III stopping position over
that of a child, as though he died trying TO
ward of the flames This was very HkeIvI
the body Of Mr.. Williamson, the owner OF
the mill, who, with his entire family, is said
t5 have perished. In tae rear yard of the
next house were four bodies, apparently
those OF a mother and her children. They
We're scOrchcd, not burnt crisp, and one
cheek of the youngest, a girl Of SIX, retained
an expression Of calmness that seemed u
indicate a painless death by sutJcati0n
But the most horrible Of all was at BOJr-
mal ; well. Mr.. Boorman house was the
largest IN the village, and in the center of
the yard, midway between the house and
F.9v I.r Itf~ n4lI
raj of the nelghbJrs We're supplied with
water from this fountain, and il is likely
that IN the cOnlagratIOn, when all hope wac
cut off, the nelgubJrs, insane with terror,
thrJnged with one purpose To this well.
The ordinary cuaiu and wheel pump used |
ID that place had been removed, ami tie
wretched people had leaped into the well as
the last refuge. Boards had been thrO ~n
down to prevent them being drowned bat
evidently the relentless fury OF the FIRE drove
them pel-Inel into the pit, to struggle with |
each other and die-some by drowning, and
others by fire and sufJcatiJn. None escaped |
Ihirty-tyO uOdies were found there. They
were in every Imaginable position. but the |
cJntJrtiOns Of their limbs and the agnuized |
expressions of their faces told the awful tale. !
All the houses along the roads down u
Sturgeon Bay were reduced 10 ashes, and IN |
them. or near by, were the blackened corpses |
yet are known to have escaped. These ran t. |
the lake and plunged tO their necks in the |
water.
Gov. FAIRcHILD's DEscRPTIDN or THE |
WISCONSIN, FlRES.-Tue following letter from |
Gov Fairchld of Wisconsin, IN relation u |
the terrible fires in that State, has been re- |
ceived by his brother in Boston. dated al
Green Bay, October Il.
n-.p ErfsBr / came here day b1fDre ]
yesterday. Very many are burned and |
maimei Hundreds of families are stripped |
Of all they possessed. They lived, many |
Of them, in the interior, and it is very dith- |
cult TO reach them with food and clothing. |
Many are penetrating the country. On the |
bay, on each shore, our steamers are con- |
ztantly going with supplies. But, do the |
best we can, there Will be much suffering
there has been already. But supplies are
coming rapidly. The calamity is perfectly Y !
awful. worse, in loss Of life and immediate |
suffering, than at Chicago, because Of the !
difficulty in reaching the sufferers. At least
5000 Will require aid all winter and then, |
aid ID begin again on their farms for they
have neither houses, stock, implements, food !
or clothing. Nothing is left 1t would
make your heart ache To see the men. women
and little children in hos spital, many of them
terribly burned just think Of little babes
burned nigh unto death The details
have heard from eye-witnesses are heart-rend-
ing. IL will require a great many thousand
dollars to provide for all who require aid.
We are doing the best we can, and hope
that there will be plenty for the winter.
20 to the burned district to-mOrrow, and
shall be in that section all next week, prob
ably. Yours LUCIUs FAIRcHIFD.