The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-07-14
NUMBER 10.
The Strange Story told by Servant
Girls mt the Southern Hotel.

The servant girls who escaped from the
Southern Hotel while it was in flames.
tell singular story about the Fremont
ton of a fearful disaster. The girls oc
eupied three different rooms on the
sixth floor, and about eleven O'Clock,
after they had ali retired and NEST of
them were asleep, a cat came, scratched
against the door and moaned pltifully.
As cat had never been seen in that
part of the house, many of the girls were
frightened Lizzy Leary, u girl strongly
superstitious in her inelinations, woke
up the other inmates of the room in
which she slept, and told them there
was cat at the door acting strangely,
and sine could not drive it away. She
expressed a belief that it was the sign of
something terrible going to happen, at
which the other girls laughed and ridi-
culed her. When they opened the door
the cat mewed, and refused to come in,
and in a moment retreated down the hall
MS il badly frightened. About twelve
o'clock all the girls in that room were
door. On opening the door they discov-
cred four felines erouching against and
scratching the wall, and moaning low,
as if in terror. They procured broom
and endeavored to drive the disturbers
down the hall toward the stairway lead
ing to the floors below, but they refused
to go in that direction. While making
the effort TO drive them away the door
of the adjoining room, where the other
girls slept wasopened, whereupon the cats
made frantic rush into the room, and flew
under the beds, where they crouched to-
gether. BY this time dozen of the girls
were awake, and highly excited over the
strange action of the cats. The cats
refused TO move from their position I'M
der the bed, neither blows or persuasive
scalls having any effect on them. All the
eats were recognized as those belonging to
the cellars and on the lower floors, where
they were used as mousers, and their
sudden advent to the sixth floor, to-
getber with their unaccountable actions,
very naturally aroused the fears OF the
servants, and the more nervous ones
couid hardly be persuaded to retire to
bed again. 1t was concluded to allow
the cats to remain under the beds, and in
half hour quiet was again restored.
When the alarm Of fire eann, the cats
were still under the bed, crouching and
mewing, and there they stayed until the
girls were rescued by the memorable
courage of Michael Hester.
1t is said that all the girls now have
firm belief that the visit of the cats was
warning of impending danger, and that
they were sent there by some mysterious
agency to give timely premonition.
The proper theory, doubtless, is that,
occupying that part Of the lower build
ing where the fire first started, and where
it spread and groaned and cracked in a
smothered way, perhaps for hours before
the general alarm was given, the cats
became terror-stricken and sought safety
by fight to the upper stories. They stop
ped at the servant girls room because
that was the highest point that could be
reached, and here they conducted them
selves in maner which the girls, very
excusably, considered altogether prefer
natural.