Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-10-14
A Curious Story from Maine About the
Fall River Fire.

- OAAVs's otVA l1VH NidlIt AUOilt bit
Fall River Fire. .-.-'. s.
The editor of the Brunswick (Me.)
Telegraph, himself a trustworthy man,
III the issue of his paper for last week,
tells the following:
On Monday last we called on Mr..
John Fitzgerald, the well-known tenn
perance lecturer, diving on Bank street.
who is confined to his bed, quite feeble,
put still able to converse briefly with
friends who call. At this interview he
related to us remarkable experience,
for SO we will call it, through which he
passed on Saturday moring, 18th ult.,
the day upon which the fire occurred in
Fall River, Mass. Mrs Fitzgerald had
arra1gned her husband for his morning
nap, and left to enter the stable
IN the rear of the house and attached
thereto; almost as soon as she had pass
ed into the building she heard the cry
OF $ fire, in tones SO startling that she
rushed back to the house in the great
est alarm, to hear her husband repeat
the cry III tones as loud as the first call
ALL the more startling to her as for
several days he had spoken not above
whisper; he was evidently greatly ex-
cited, catching at the clothes, and
attempting to get out of bed-saying he
must have his clothing Mrs. Fitzger-
aid asked her husband "What does this
mean ?" "..- u.-. . -a#"gE aH,
"Wife, y says Mr.. Fitzgerald, "there
is fire in a factory in Fall River,
Mass, in the upper story, the mule
room; [ see the spaaks flying from the
n mo a.
stone when men are grinding their
tools, and the factory is full of women
and children. [ see it all. " ..... .
Mr.. Fitzgerald remarked that his wife
must tell us the rest, which she did sub
stantially as follows-but in as brief
from as possible, as our only object is
take a plain recital of what we heard in
the course OF conversation. Mrs. Fitz-
gerald then went on to remark that her
husband all the time was endeavoring
to get up from his bed to escape the
fire, saying that it was near to him and
he must assist the poor people-close
that door into the entry or the women
and children will be burned to death
an old sailor, he could rig better lad
der than that-splice this, splice that
don't jump from the windows, (this ex-
preston Of-repeated,) for it is only
a choice, of death between fire
and being crushed upon the pave
ment-to the fremen, why do you do
this and why do you do that-see those
poor women and little children filing
the room, and, yet, the laws of Massa-
chusetts forbid the employment in fac
tories of children under certain age.
Mrs. Fitzgerald was alone with her hus- |
band, and exerted her utmost strength
to keep him In bed. It seemed to her
almost an age, but she took no note of
the time. All at once Mr.. Fitzgerald |
fell back upon the pillow and said: 'tIt
is all over; the roof has fallen in, and
those poor people are burned" After
that he was completely prostrated, |
and Mrs. Fitzgerald for some time
feared that he would not recover from
the shock 20 JaJ.a.-s a" ..srI
Mr.. Fitzgerald said he never thought
Of looking at his watch, but that he saw
the fire IN the morning, somewhere
from Z to 9 o'clock. It was not until
Monday that Mrs. Fitzgerald heard of
the fire, and not until Tuesday, ODD,
that she got paper containing an ac-
count of it. This she read to her hus-
hand; he several times stopped her and
told her what was to come in the news
paper account, as !" he had seen it all. -
Subsequently Mr.. Fitzgerald repeated
somewhat, and said: 81 saw the fire i
but somehow [ could not tell the build
ing, and it must be a factory put up
since [ was acquainted with Fall River. =
He has often lectured there.