The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-04-09

house grew too old to be inhabited,
thew moved into another. The Big
House was desolate. One OF the daugh-
tiers had married Judge Bicknell OF OHIO.
Another had been buried on the Mill
side. and the third was the wife OF a
Confederate Major.
| THE HEIRS.
OF the sons, Thomas had died, Jesse
occasionally visited the old place, and
Samuel lived in Philadelphia. Mortga-
cages had grown upon the village like
moss, and the court in Mount Holly a
judgement of $4,000 against the es-
tate and to other retainers of the fam
lily judgments for smaller amounts.
Mr.. Joseph Wharton has brought up
the mortgages, and with the Judgments,
the once prosperous village and 5000
acres must satisfy demand OF nearly
$4,000.
Seven years ago the Post Office was
taken away from the village and given
to Pleasant Mills, a smaller place in At
lantic county. The old store at the
Big House was exhausted, and there
was no money in the town to restock it,
and no money to patronize it ifrestocked.
The carpenter, the joiner, the shoema-
ker. the blacksmith deserted their
shops, and the doors stood wide open,
but no BODY entered at them. The
mill race burst, and the splash of the
falling water night and day re-echoes
as it did before Quaker Ball discovered
its water power. The middle-aged man
moved away, and the old men and wo-
men chung to the ruins. As the years
weakened the timbers in the houses,
they gathered in the strongest OF them,
and where one house would accommo-
date two families they lived together.
They kept COW or two between them,
and raised pigs, chickens and vegeta-
bles. The little returns from the wood
choppers brought bread and scant
clothing, but like their former masters
the men formed an
AFfEIiIE fuis
and whiskey intensified the desolation.
Last Monday afternoon a spark from
the chimney of Robert Stewards house
burned his own dwelling and strong, |
sweeping wind carried the fire before
ii, and within two hours eighteen OF the
best dwellings in Batsto were in ashes
The flames seemed to lick up the homes
Of the inhabitants and leave the broken
and crumbling dwellings, Tor the bats
and the owls The families were drIv.
en- into the Ticket by the heat, and the
fire burned the dwellings along Oak /
street, leapcd across the avenue lead
ing To the stone mansion, shriveicd the
limbs of the tallow trees. split the bark
and blackencd their white wood, con.
sumed the bu,tonwood trees and show
ering n multitude of cinders upon the
beautiful lake, went out
Mr.. Farrell. from his paper mill AT
Pleasant Mills, saw the flames, and
shutting off the water power started
his gang Of men with buckets The
farmers hurried in from Ba,sto, but the
last Of the village was burned before
they reached it, and they hurried home
FOR provisions for the distressed. The
women huddled together in one Of the
empty houses, and suffered MI night
with hunger and cold. From Ham
twelve miles away. n supply
IF bread was sent the next day, and
men from other places helped to repair
some Of the bleak, windowlcss houses,
and the families were installed in them ,
The household goods were nearly all
consumed, and crockery and coking ,
utensils are sent from house to house TO ,
De used by each family in turn. Post !
master Miller in Pleasant Mills, Mr.. ,
Farrell, Mr. Holloway, and others have
nearly $500 for the distressed !
villagers and on Saturday most of them !
we're comfortable, and had enough to I
lat. II
THE OLD, OLD STORY. II
The old frames of the houses have
,een patched up, carpets stretched =.
Icross the windows, and fires lighted in
he quaint fireplaces. Robert Stewart
Who has 5000 judgment against
he village, occupies part of one house, a
md eats in the ward or his neighbor's q