The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-12-22
KATE CLAXTOS'S ESCAPE.
The Life OF An Actress Sayed by a
Cool Head and a Thick W0Olen
PetticOat.

NEW BRUNSWICK, n. J., Dec. II.
Miss Claxton, whose real name is Kate
Elizabeth Cone, and whose father, Col
onel Spencer w. Cone, we'll known
New York journalist, lives in New
Brunswick, has given her family much
fuller account of her experience in the
Brooklyn tragedy than she gave to any
of the reporters. ]. is abent as follows:
when / saw how the flames had
caught almost every part of the scenery
behind and around me. ] made up my
mind that it was my last hour on earth.
Strange as it may seem, ] felt no sense
of fear, not even the nervousness that a
slight thing would provoke under ordi-
nary circumstances. seemed to know
that had no hope of escape, but there
flashed also through my mind the splen-
did lines:
"Whether npon the scaffold high,
Or in the battles van,
The neblest place for man. to die -.-.-s
Is where he dies for man.
at seemed that it was a small thing
for one to die if many might be saved
So when spoke to the people felt
that my voice rang out as it never did
before in. my life, and that it was sc
clear and calm it must have a controll
ing power. 1t had, for one dear, brave
woman close down on the parquette an
swered back to me chee-ily, You ars
right, Miss Claxton,' and sat down an6
helped stay the panic and save many
lives. am sure that woman is alive
Oh, hope she is. If she is, want t.
see her and know her, for her. hesr
must be brave and true. WhileI wa
talking took the precaution to tear OF
the ragged muslin sleeves from m.
dress. but quietly; they were perfec
tender. Under my Louise dress | ha'
on an extra heavy wooden petticoat.
"There never was braver man o.
earth than Studley. He stood by m
cool and collected as the best man of tb
Six hundred, and kept the falling FIR
, off me. When the flames swept dow
upon US and flight was imperative, an
, no good was to be done by staying,
gathered my wooden petticoat firmly i
each hand, and fought the fire from NJ
as / dashed through it. I stopped onl
once, and that was 10 seize peor Mu
, doch, and try to drag him off; but /
was pulled away from me. Then
fought my way through with that WOO
en- petticoat; it was my salvation.
either heard Maude Harrison in hs
q room and got her out, or met her at Il
door of it. Then ! remembered II
s underground passage to the box ofhe
and went for 1t, for the burning sta,
;, began to fall on US. The horror Il
! few minutes in that dark place-on
wide enough for one to pass at time
indeacribable. / knew that the door
the end was usually locked, and mig
=, be now; but the Good Providence tn
Il directs even the fall of the sparro
~ made whim of mine the means Of o
O escape. In the morning of that drea
90 ful day, merely for fun, bad insist
upon having the door opening from t
hox Office to this passageway unlock
and went through it to my dressir
room Instead of going round to I
stage door. The key was reluctan
~ given to my agent, Mr.. Stanley Mex
:, ma, with many injunctions to lock
door behind him. He promised to
l. so, but dropped the key into his poe
- instead Of putting it in the door on
inside, as he should have done. He 8
!, that his fingers were cold, and when
:: put them into his pockets be vowed
r. wouldn't take them out for all the k
in Brooklyn. Those cold fingers,
Gods mercy, saved all our lives, for
tcT VIC udu tuht
:. sage and up the stairs the door yield
= and we tumbled into the box-off
The smoke was suffocating.
eu Beyond the office were the Gre
treadipg over each other. gathe
that dear old wooden skirt around
:, clutched it in one hand so as to h
,h my limbs free. gave it twist and I
that turned il almost to girdle,
" leaped from shoulder to shoulder of
- packed and sitting crowd. liter
.ob walked on their heads, or sprang +
one coien of vantage to the other
living mass of surging human bel
~, 1t seemed TO me that in three leat
was in the street."
RaunorE 20 hlo Ci1vor Glory