The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-09-13

The destruction Of Hale's piano
Eactsry cannot be ranked among
the great fires, for il IVES only one
square that was burned. But So
far rs the destruction 81 life goes,
Il will be remembered for years.
Probably one hundred men, women
and children were burned to death,
and many more were injured. This
loss Of life was entirely unnocessa-
~. Hero was . great six story
full Of combustibles, aud
crowded with working people, and
the only means of escape, in case of
FIRE which was liable to break out
ut any moment, was q Ere ladder at
each end and chair escape. So
long was the building that it was
impossible for those anywhere in
the centre to get to the ladders, and
of these who succeeded in passing
through the smoke and fame from
burning varnish and paint, only q
few got outside where they could
use them. Around the narrow,
small windows that opened to the
ladders there was the same jam
that blocked the doors Of the Brook
Ign Theatre, and scores persisted
lniserably within a few feet Of the
place of escape. A thousand dol
lars in iron ladders at proper inter-
walls from each stsry would have en-
abled every person in the building
to escape. There ought to be a law
in every State compelling manu-
facturers who mass large numbers
Of people to do this, and make such
provision, and in a very liberal
manner. Only year ago, the same
tragedy occurred in n factory in
Massachusetts,, and in the city of
New York there are q thousand
buildings liable to 60 ut any time.
We have got to face another ir-
ruptien Of tramps very soon. The
cold season has commenced in the
Northeast, and the advance guard
Of the army has already shown it.
self. Those who got far west dur.
ing the Summer, are not here yet,
but when they come we shall have
our hands full. l asked one of
them which he preferred, the city
or the country. He answered, the
country, Of course, when the wealth
err is warm enough to admit of sleep
ing in the open air, or in barns.
"You sse," said the vagabend,
Gin the city the cops are always a
watchin' Of us, and you cant do
nothin' without takin' q blasted risk
But in the country, bless you, Their
amt nsthin' to stand in the way.
Two of us watches till the men arc
away in the fields, and we know
Their amt nobody in the house but
women. Then we goes up and asks
for suthin' to eat, witch we don't
RELY want, for we kin kill and roast
as many chickens as We want. But
while the women are givin' US suth-
in to eat, we sights about, and II
Their is any loose property layin'
round, we gobbles it. If the women
make any fuss we show pistol,
and that ends it. We don't steal
enough to make it worth their while
to foller us very far, and besides
they are afraid, for we have dog
en- or two in a neighborhood."
Ode the women never make re-
sistance?'
Certainly they do. Every now
and then we strike one who has a
revolver and big dog, and they
make it warm for us. Ihavc hole
through my left leg, that a woman
in Steuben county, New York, put
there. And my, pardner was near
" finished by q bulldog, and then
the men come up, and they beat us
nearly to death. But Their amt no
biznis that you don't have to take
chances in"
elf you can get all that you want
to eat, without invading houses,
what do you want to take these
chances for?'
"Eatin' amt all Their is Of life.
Clothes don't bother as much, but
Their is likker and tobacker. Them
you hev to pay for, in suthin', for
you cant walk into q s'loon and
bluff 'cm out Of them. No indeed!
! wish We Good. But then, we must
have, and then we like to hev jam
borees when a lot of us git together,
and then we hev to take keer Of our
wimmen, and one woman viii drink
more and smoke mere than tive men.
They git crazy and are very expen-
sive. No, we hev to hev suthin'
besides our eatin'."
IF you prefer the country when
il is warm, why don't you 60 South
in the Wintcr?''
ave tried that, but it won't work
We kin git along with the weather,
but you see the country is 80 thin.
y settled that it takes too much
walkin' to git from house to house,
And then, they don't live well
enough. They cook terrible, and
/ won't live on hog and hominy and
all sorts Of grease. / could have
done it ence, but my stomach amt
what II used to be. lam gittin' old
and have to have things better than
/ used to. / fcelit al day i'll don't
have coffee in the mornin', and ]
must have . great many other things
wich they amt used to in the South.
And besides ill this, they are too
handy wifh THAR veanona down