The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-11-20
From the st. Joseph Herald, Nov. Il.
BURNED ON THE PRAIRIE
Terrible Pate of a Nebraska Family

Captain Lakeland, a resident citi
zen Of Lincoln, Nebraska, and a gen
tleman well known in this communi
| ty, gives US the details of terrible
calamity which overlook the family
of Mr.. VIM. S. Herndon, a vel
known farmer of Gage county. He
says he met Mr.. Herndon on Mon.
day night on his way to Lincoln.
where he has relations residing, and
where he expects aid. From Mr..
Herndon's own lips he learned the
story of his suferings.
Some three years ago Herndon
moved to Gage county, Iowa, and
purchased sixty acres of land nine
miles from the county seat. He
prospered and was succeeding well
until the late disaster, which not on
ly destroyed his property but left
him alone in the world the fire hav-
ing Overtaken his family, consisting
OF his wife and tive children, and
burned them to death.
Herndon says he noticed the fire
miles away on Saturday night, but
it was no uncommon thing to see
the grass burning, and he paid but
little attention to it, although his
wife seemed considerably alarmed,
and before bedtime che had called
his attention to it several times. He
still thought nothing of it, or that
it was nothing more than the grass
burning and would be out by morn
ing. Under this belief he and his
family retired. In the morning it
was noticed that the fire was even
burning with more vim, and had ev-
identity come nearer to them. He
was still inclined to believe that it
would pass around and leave him
unmolested, or that it would rain
and thus put danger out of the ques-
tion.
A heavy wind springing up at |
noon, however, and blowing directly |
from the fire to the house, warned |
him that the danger was growing i'm
inent. His children were now cry
ing through fear, and his wife was
import uning him to make the best
of his time. Arrangements were
soon made for the journey, and in
two horse wagon they started, more
than ten miles in advance of the fire,
with every probability of being able
TO get out of its reach.
Good time was made by the team,
and not until late in the evening,
when the wind increased in fury,Was
there any apprehension of danger.
About dusk the wind increased to q
hurricane and the flames began to
them with terrible speed
and awful grandeur. Faster and
aster they came, and Mr.. Herndon
'ays that it was evident they would
'vertake them in a very few mo-
nents. What to be done under the
circumstances was a question that
lad to be decided quickly. The
lorses had now become unmanagea-
Die, and were as likely to overturn
he wagon and start for the flames :
IS any other way. A marshy piece
# ground was some two miles dis Z
ant, and near this was a small
'ranch of water from which he re-
nembered, he had frequently water :
d his horses. This was the only r
hance for life, and hastily leaving ,
is wagon and team to their fate, he +
tarted for the marsh, with his r
oungest child, a lad of eight years,
q his arms. Itwas a struggle for
fe. Death was coming, and they '
lade one grand effort to get out of a
IS reach, but alas it was unavailing. ?
Ee will not undertake to depict the t
nguish of that father as he was 9
to see the cherished ones q
his own heart those whom he q
wed even better than his own life a
lood, sink down, one after the 9th II
:, and become prey to the most II
.rrible of all deaths-by fire. The a
tile daughter was the first that was tC
7ertaken, and the mother WIS prone
stay and give up her life with her O.
Irling, but she kept on, while the Il