The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-11-09
THE TRAGEDY AT THE MILL
ANAWFUL EPISODE OF THE VISION.
SIN FIRES.
The Fire at the Mill.-Heroes and Pol
troons--The Centre Of Salvation--A
Black Golgotha.

| troons--The centre OF SalVat1on--A
| Black Golgotha.
| Human annals do not surpass, in equal time
and space, the Immensity and intensity of suf
fering and death which, at Williamson's Mill
in the midst of the burnt district of Wisconsin
were crowded into the meagre epitome Of one
frightful hour A correspondent Of the New
York Tribune gives graphic description o
the awsome scene:
Tiresome miles of incorrigble waste were
| passed, aud the prospect spread out limltless-
| ", when the blackboard came to q halt on the
| edge of clearing that the aching eyes could
hardly distinguish from the miles Of abomina;
BILE waste already traversed. .'Thls ere" said
tie driver, solemnly, rising impressiVely on
the treraulous platform of the blackboard, and
sweeping the air with his disengaged arm,
:'was the mill-Wllllamson mill, where they
had the dreadfullest roast that night that ever
| human Greater see; didn't see the fire, but
was here next day." he added cautiously.
night, and sot on the peak Of the barn long
spell, while the buildings was catchin'."
THE CENTRE OF SALVATION.
On that fatal Sunday morning the mill ope.
rations suspended, and the men who had
homes In the neighboring towns OF Big and
Little Sturgeon made an early start through
| the woods. When night came, some kindly
Providence detained them, and the massacre
was 80 much less. It was still early when
those casually astir outside saw great glow
ing light shoot athwart the southern sky, and,
spreading rapidly west and northward. con.
tfnue with dazzling brilliancy. Presently a
slender column OF fire shot forward, and,
caught by whlrlwind, came plonghing
through the solid timber toward the mill. BY
this time the sleepers aud all had rushed from
the barrack In wild, clamoring consterna.
tlon. Three brothers, Williamsons, owned the
mill, and had in the little colony mother,
father, sisters, wives and children. The
women were directed, as far as pos.
sible, to put on mems clothes through
out, as offering less chance for the
fire to catch. So far as known, not q woman
needed the advice. Had they done 30, their
lives might not have been sacrificed on that
lgnoble pyre. This was the last shred OF CO.
herent conduct among the frightened people.
A desperation of terror filed men, women and
children-a terror as natural as fatal, for, had
common fortitude led the group, not soul
need have perished. With one impulse the
frantic mass, battling and crowding, rushed
to the potato patch. Here rising ground
was crowned by shallow pit, not six feet
around, and hardly, at the deepest part, two
There had been constant jocosltles and
banter about this "centre Of salvation"
and some one actually attempting to enlarge
the cavity had been driven of by good-natur-
ed ridicue. Even as late as Saturday 1t had
been used as place of refuge nothwithstand-
ing, and when the actual danger came, the
credulous mass remembered the delusive pit.
II that fatal spot had not been, If the whimsi-
cal belief had not obtained firm hold, there
is not the slightest doubt but the forty.seven
that perished would have escaped In the
neigh6orlng woods. Into that cramped place,
crowding, buffeting, begging, eursing, implor.
ing, praying, shrieking, men, children and
women elbowed and fought In the frenzy Of a
hldeous desperation and terror. Not large
enough to admit dozen by the closest pack
about the fatal spot. With ostrich instinct, In
the abjectness OF their unreasoning fear, men
ploughed their burning heads under the living
pyre. An inexlrlcable pyramid of bodies, In
all sorts of conceivable postures, stood In the
6ame-swept place.
LOVES LABOR LOST.
There were 8 few In this awful time that
preserved an amazing equanimity. The engi
neer of the mill, Bryan Merrill, q young fellow
OF marked character and Intelligence, battled
resolutely till the last chance to save his en-
ployers' property, and only when the futility
of the effort and the danger to lite became OBJ
vious, was his self-imposed duty resigned. A
bit of romance tinges the glaring picture.
His sweetheart was the relative of the mill
owners, Miss Maggie Williamson, q girl, 1t is
said, OF rare beauty and, attraction. The
young fellow, bright and cultured beyond his
kind, regarded with favor and affection for
many mile around, had won her heart, and
the two were to have been married. The girl
and here suffocatlng with smoke, their gar
ments In flames, and writhing in awful agony,
the young fellow found the chief part Of the
people. He tried TO scatter the infatua-
led group; with his hat pressed closely
over bis mouth and nostrils, he directed the
group to break and take shelter In the edge
of the timber. Hopeless! The roar OF the
hurricane, even the blood-curdling shrieks OF
the sufferers, drowned his voice. He tried by
main force to tear the hideous mass asunder,
but the strength of o giant could not have
broken the madden clutch OF the wretched
sufferers. The group was immovably fixed to
the fatal epot, and rose from burning sand q
fiery LAGOON struggling with the coling
flames. Merrill, hastily fetching wetted blan-
kets, threw them over the nearest sufferers,
meantime shouting TO them TO break for the
timber, not twenty steps away. Useless. With
the skin hanging In shreds upon his hands and
forehead, he carried water and poured 1t on
the Infatuated group, while the ignoble crowd
ing went on madly among the swiftly roasting
crowd. The tumultuous struggle had been
from the first q loathsome, unreasoning fear; a
moments coolness, moments cessation of
the trlghtful effort TO wedge downward, would
have given life to all. The time came, how
ever, when the faithful Merrill, stripped almost
OF clothing and burned beyond recognition,
had to give up the heroic effort, and plunging
through the da-ting flame, dashed his burning
body In the well.
ON THE BRINK OF ETERNITY.
The falling trees could be guarded against,
but nothing could save from the encompass.
ing fire In the clearings One came, whose
struggling In that hot pit, would not have re-
fused, an old totterlng half blind, trembling
woman, mother to the owners Of the mill.
She must have been forgotten In the first
rush, for when she came toward the potato
patch it was filled with q swarming crowd
thrown prone upon their faces In the shallow
depths OF the potato pit. Seven of her kin.
dred writhed in that hideous knot. Passing
on with decreplt step, the venerable mother,
whose eighty-four years had not worn out
GOODNESS and discretion, came upon o great
bowlder near the edge OF the timber. Climbing
on this, although half sufocated, she covered
her head with her skirts, and, with clothes care.
fully tucked up from the running flames, kept
for hours on the back OF this unique salaman-
der. The only son that came out of the fire
with his life, 1t is said, did not forget his duty,
and aided his mother to this forlorn refuge.
Be that as 1t may, with thick blanket well
wetted over her body and her skirts out of
reach of the hot incendlary sand, the brave
old lady perched on that rock through the
long night OF agony, every shrek of her roast
ing kindred 8, lifting her ears, and their burn
ing bodies almost within reach Of her helpless