, 1872-11-15

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attempt to rival Chicago, and that is the use Of
the Same accessories which we're part and parcel
OF our FIRE. We had fre-fends, lurid demons,
fiery monsters, carnivals OF flame, Lucifers in
the naked majesty OF Hell, snow-storms Of
burning cinders, furnaces OF white heat draper
les Of smoke, millions Of stars studding the
black brow Of night, forked tongues Of flame,
roars Of ten thousand batteries, kissing and
seething pillows, yortices, whirlpools, abyaaes,
craters, and maelstroms Of fire, and general
rattle, anap, and crackle Of all sorts OF things,
all OF which Boston has appropriated without
credit. We had our gas go out in good earnest,
and 80 Boston makes Intellectual attempt to
have hers go out. One Of the most dramatic
features Of our fire WAS the hanging Of incen-
diaries to lamp-posts by the infurated populace.
The amount Of hanging Of this sort which was
accomplished by the infuriated populace
OF Chicago, it will be remembered,
was literally immense. Thoae were not
wanting, men Of unimpeachable veracity,
who would make affidavit that they had just
come from the hanging Of three incendiaries to
one poat that the posts all along State street
were adorned with these pendant fre-bugs; that
even in the burnt district, where there were no
posts, they we're all full in like manner; and that
the military had just bayoneted several scores
Of incendiaries, whom they had caught on the
prairie setting fire to the tall grass. We all re-
member well enough how many exemplary tail
OTIS, shoemakers, editors, and servant girls, who
we're obliged to be out at night, were chased
from block to block by the citizen police, armed
with revolvers, shot-guns, clubs carving knives,
and pokers, and how these unfortunate iudiyidu-
ais at one end Of the city were served up at the
other end, the next morning, as incendiaries,
and by the time the story had travelled from
Lincoln Park to Cottage Grove, these persons were
invariably represented as having spent the night
hanging from the everlasting lamp-post. Boston,
in like manner, has attempted this kind of thing;
but We know all about it here and We have no
faith in the statement. It won't do. In the
parlance of the day, it is too thin. Then again.
it will be remembered that for week or two,
Wo we're regaled every morning with the an
nouncement that the trains, the night before,
came in loaded down with thieves, burglars, and
all sorts Of plunderers, bent upon stealing every
thing that was left, where everything was burned
up. In like manner, Boston has sent us graphic
accounts Of owl-trains, coming from New York
and elsewhere, with assorted selections Of
thieves, who we're to swoop upon the shoulder
ing heaps Of brick and granite, and carry them
off. That's some Of our thunder, too. The
saturna1ia OF thieves and the carnival Of crime
originated here, and clearly belong to US.
Another palpable attempt to come into COM
petition with us is Of an historical nature. Many
people, even at this late day, possess proofs in
their libraries or in their attics that sundry his
tories Of the Chicago fire we're written, and
helped to add to the miseries Of that fearful
October. They we're graphic narratives Of the
fire BY eye-witnesses, who we're in Kankakee or
Evanston at the time. They we're illustrated
with engravings made from drawings on the spot
in New York. They were wonderfully similar in
contents, showing that the gifted authors had
access to the same sources. They all commence
with the massacre at Fort Dearborn and ended
with an eloquent description of the great
fire at Moscow, carefully copied from the
same encyclopaedia. We do not remember how
many histories we're written here, but it WAS
large number, and they appeared in paper, in
cloth, and in Turkey morocco, and we're trans
lated into several languages. Their eternity
Of fame was SO brief that We have forgotten
the names of the historians, but, as re remem-
ber these works, they were foarfully and wonder
fully made. A great many Of them are still ex-
tant. The publishers have great many, the
paper-makers have some, and the public has
few. As Boston has already gone into the his
torica1 business, We suggest to the historians
that the Chicago histories can be bought cheap
1y BY the pound, and, with the simple alteration
Of names and dates, they will answer the same
purposes for them that they do for us, and will
save the historians much trouble and expense.
While Boston, with mere bagate11e OF fire,
has attempted to outdo US, and has coolly appro-
priated our perquisites, we are rejoiced to think
that there is one feature Of our fire which she
yet Of relics. She has no Mrs. OLearys COW to
be cut up into little bits and fashioned as orna-
ments for cabinets and what-nots. She has no
Court House Bell to melt up and recast into
little bells to hang from watch-chains and tintin-
nabulate in horse cars, concerts and churches
She just missed the opportunity for a splendid
assortment Of relics by not burning up the Old
South Church and Faneuil Hall. It VAS an
oversight which will undoubtedly be rectifed
at the next FIRE. Meanwhile, we congratulate
Boston that she didn't lose Us much as Chicago;
that she will collect moro insurance; that she
didn't need any relief: and TINT she didn't haYa