Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-11-16
That Cow and Lamp Story.


A reporter of the Chicago Erening
JOHrsedl has interviewed Mrs Leary,
in whose barn the Chicago fire was said
to have originated, with the following re-
suit:
We saw a stout Irish woman, some
thirty-fiye years of age, standing at the
. rear door of this solitary house, with a
babe in her arms, talking with one of her
countrymen. Without announcing our
errand we fell into conversation upon the
subject that everybody is talking and
thinking about, gradually leading her on
TO the specific point in purpose. She was
nothing 10th to tell her tale The dia-
logue ran substantially as follows.
Reparter-"Are you the lady of the
house ?"
Mrs, Leary-"l am, sir
R.-"Have you lived here longe"
Mrs. L.-"Going on five years."
R-"Do you own this place %
Mrs. LII do"
R.-"Did the fire start in your barn -
Mrs Lit did"
R-"What was in iten
Mrs. L.-"Five cows, horse, and about
two tons Of hay in the loft"
Rs your husband an expressman? ~
Mrs. L.-"Indade, he is not We all
knocked our living out of those five
blessed cows, and Inever had clint from
the parish in all my life, and the dirty
Times had no business to say it bad cess
TO it"
R.-"IIow about that kerosene lamp
story?"
Mrs. L-"There is not word of truth
IN the whole story. always MIXED my
cows by daylight, and never had lamp
Of any kind or candle about the barn
1t must have been set afire Two neigh
bors near the far end of the alley saw O
strange man come up about half past nine
in the evening. He asked them was the
alley straight through. They told him ii
was, and he went through. Itwasn't five
minutes till they saw the barn on fire
Before we had time to get out the horse
or any ofthe COWS it was all gone, and the
fire was running in every direction. The
boys turned to and saved the house |
hope to Gle if this isn't every word of it
true. Ifyou was priest, | wouldn't tell
it any different"
The story told that night, and before
any one had the least idea that a great
contiagration was in store, was caught up
by the electric wires the next morning
and was flashed wherever biography ex-
tends. Mrs. Leary has made sworn
statement in refutation of the charge, and
it is backed by other affidavits.
All further questioning was useless.
The woman had nothing more or differ
ent to say upon the subject Finding that
no more was to be gathered from her, and
feeling sorry for the poor DANES loss, our
reporter somewhat tamely and tritely re-
marked, ut was pretty rough on you,
anyway" Rough" she exclaimed,
why, my God, man, it was a terror to
the world"
The fog will probably never rise from
that barn. Whether fired by an incendi-
airy or a kerosense lamp kicked over by
an irate COW, must remain an open ques-
ton. The woman would naturally shrink
from the responsibility, knowing that she
would be severely blamed for her care
lessness, and feeling, in her ignorance,
that she might be made to suffer for it,
either by mob violence or the hand of the
law. On the other hand, there is nothing
improbable in her story. One thing is
certain: Whether man or COW, match OF
lamp, the greatest fire Of all the ages be
gan IN dairy kept in the very heart Of
the city.