Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-07-09
From the Cincinnati Gazette.
A WEIRD AND TERRIBLE CATAS-
TROPHE. sa' q
CoruMRus. o. June o.

COLUMBUS, o., June %.
One of the most frightful and as
founding affairs that ever occurred in
Columbus or any other city took
place in this vicinity last night. The
story has in it elements of the Iudl-
erous, the tragieal, the terrible, and
the pitiable, all combined. -rnD
About z O'Clock Friday evening
Timothy Kellar, a hackman, inform
ed William Waleutt, another hack
men. that he was wanted, with his
carriage, at Meneely's saloon, on
State street. Both haekmen jumped
on the box and rode down to the
place named. There they found d.
b. Webb, Samuel Fleming, and ia.
cob Huston, and learned from Webt
that heand the party wanted to ride
over to Franklinton to fire on some
pyrotechnics, the police having or
dered them to cease giving any fur
l'ther display on the street where they
were. Webb has been passenger
agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Rail.
road at Columbus about five years
Fleming was a locomotive engineer
on the road from Chillieothe to Gin
cinnati, and Huston is known as q
sporting man. atl aer.f. r-a ei p
The party went across the river to
Franklinton, and there let Off their
fire works, which they had obtained
at the store of Charles Wagner, the
principal Columbus dealer in that ar
ticle. This process was repeated, and
larger quantity of fire works dis
charged than on the first trip. .r
Is Is pretty evident, too, from all
the facts that have transpired, that
the men had drank good deal, and
that on this second trip they had be-
come reckless and ripe for mischief
and disaster. give the remainder
of the w.s.d and horrible story from
the columns of this evenings Dis
patch: ,rBal .rrs-
After this batch of paper and pow
der was destroyed, another visit was
made to Wagner's, where they ar
rived near II O'Clock. The driver re-
mained outside, supposing they were
getting something to eat, but finally
went in and fehnd Webb with anoth-
er large lot of rockets, Roman can
dies, and fixing fixtures Of every de-
soription on his arms. Webb told
Wagner that they were going to Lon
don. Seeing the carriage outside,
Wagner told them if the fireworks
were to explode In it that it would
be dangerous that there was enough
powder in the package purchased to
blow the hack up, Webb said they
were going to discharge the haekman,
from which Wagner supposed they
were going to London by rail. He
discovered after they were gone that
some one had taken a whole box of
matches without his knowledge. At
ter driving to Meneely's again, Webb
paid the haekman five dollars and
discharged him, Not long after, he
wanted to re.engage him to go to Al
ton. The disciple of Jehu had not
much confidence in the financial con-
dition of the patriotic party by that
time, so he put the figure high (S15J,
hoping the amount would deter them
from going. Webb says: "I'll give
you SO, take care Of your horses, and
Well come home in the morning. -
Give me the money now and I'll
gO.n mo; I've only got s., bus I'll
give it to you in the morning" Hay-
Ing received IS, the hackman said he
Donldn't lose much, so they all
jumped into the carriage. Webb
called for matches, and they were
brought out of the saloon, but the
driver got them and threw the whole !
lot away, and whirled the horses
heads. toward Alton. The tempta- |
lion to have another grand ilumina-
ion on the bridge was too great for
hem to Withstand, so they lined the /
lark roadway with stream of sparks /
md smoke, and caused its old passa-
yes to reyerberate with sounds which
et the wild horses on their hind legs
gain, and disturbed the nocturnal
'everies of the driver. With the ex-
,eption of random shots, nothing of
occurred until they reach
d Sulliyant Hill /; when the driver
discovered that they had o torch
lighted in the carriage, and remon-
trated with them against throwing |,
Ire crackers under the horses feet
They ceased, as requested, but re-,
aimed the torch. Tim Kellar had his
lair singed while trying to get it
way from them, he being on the
OK with the driver. The carriage
Ogged along; the two men outside
with each other mean
Fhile, except when they were chat
ing with the pleasure seekers behind
hem. The torch cast q tiickeringl
Ight upon the muddy roadway,
fhieh every now and then received
be debris Of an exploded fire crack
7. All at once a fearful cracking
in the carriage. As-1' I,
The horses pricked up their ears l,
nd started. The noise increased, and
he speed of the horses also. Present.
? the whole hack seemed to be in a
anne. The driver called out: "My
orses are running away; jump out
ant hold 'em ~ 1t was but q mo- ,
lent or two until the animals were ,
ladly dashing forward through the !
loom, splashing mud and water in /
very direction while the fzzing,
nd whistling, and cracking, and
,rrible explosions of the fireworks
lmping to the right and left, and
uder and over the frantic animals,
ad over and around the driver-was
most enough to split the stOutest
orse's heart with fear, and sink the
casts into the mud with absolute ter
Jr.
Tim KeIlar was about to jump of
le box, when the driver seized him,
olding the horses to the road with
,e other hand, and begged him not !
Jump. "Stay with me, Tim" cried
7alcutt; we're all gone up, but 1
ant you to stick to the team like
an." Tim remained, and, ifhe had
81 his life, the other driver would v
ave said, as we say of the engineer \
hen he jumps into the yawning 5
lasm with his engine or the cap Q
ins of i'll fated steamers at sea, when I
ey stand back and save every other i
irson on board, and then 60 down n
ith the craft they love SO well ''He \
d right; he was q brave man. - Z
he horses remained on a dead run )
+ one mile, when, fromssheer ex- y
lustion and the strong arms and b
ithful reins behind, they were 5
Ieeked and quickly taken from the ]
rriage. u