The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-09-12

I wy yNa''' iN' iNBNo1 AtN'N'of AllhE
as Of ladders could reach down two
hundred feet to where the men was
They was clean gone with excitement
an didn't know what to do, an the 6re
roann' and cracklin like the DEVILS own
blaze.
Some rushed one way an some
another, while some of them stood starin'
into the hot black smoke an yaller fire,
dazed, scared, helpless. Quicker'n il
takes man to tell it man jumped
through the door of the histin' works
an caught hold of the chains. His coat
and hat was gone, an he looked like an
angel-almost-as he swung over the
shaft in his white frilled shirt m his
long, yaller hair,
1t was Dandy Ferguson.
He didn't wait fur nobody, but jam.
med big scantlin' thet two men
couldn't a lifted, down over the shaft.
Then he yelled fur a rope, an told some
men near the door to fetch him the OF
win'lass thet was lyin' outside, near the
dummy.
You never see men work like they
did as soon as ther was head. The rope
an the win'lass was brought into the
works on the jump, an fastened to the
scantlin'. Down went the rope and Fer
guson shoutin' after it. I'm here, boys,
an Pll stay till Iroast,' Then he grab.
bed the crank an spun the rope round
the bar'l faster'n it ever was rolled be-
fore. He used one hand first an when
she frightened he laid the other on.
Isl Holden wanted to help him, but
he wouldn't hev no interference. Time
enough says Ferguson, when ! drop.
1t wasn't long before half naked body
came up, an they got the rope off as
quick as they could, draggin' Harry
Miller out of the works more dead n
alive, tremblin' like u leaf They
thought AZ the time thet he was scared
at the danger he'd been in, an didn't
notice how much exhausted he was, but
they found out afterwards thtt he'd
played it down in thet shaft as mean as
one man can play it on another at sich
time,
You see there was five ef 'em in the
lower drift, an when the burnin' tim
bers of the upper works began to drop
down they all made. a rush for the main
shaft The cage was on an they couldn't t
get out till rope came down. They
could see flicker of light above, an
yelled till they was hoarse watchin'
thet glimmer CROWN brighter'n brighter
ev'ry minute, an KNOWN thet the
shaftin timber'd blaze mighty soon an
cut off all hope Of their ever gittin' out.
1t was Il terrible thought, an you
can't blame Bill Slocum fur grabbin' The
rope as soon as it dropped down to 'em.
Harry Miller jumped 'longside of him
yellin';
"Let'go, d-n ye, let go! They can't
lift two of u.s. Let go yourself, shouts
Slocum, turnin' round on him like a
tiger.
90 My old mothers up there, yelled
Slocum, pointin' up the shaft.
90 Ny wife's waitin' fur me, bowls
Miller.
"An' with thet he knocks SIocum
down in the drift an goes up the rope
hand over hand before the others could
stop him--they'd a. killed him on the
spot eff he hedn't climbed the rope as he
did. Sarved him right. Kerrect, mister,
they'd a sa1ved him mighty well an no
mistake, but he beat thet game. He'd
jist strength enough to tie the slack
round his waist wen he give way all at
once an hung to the end of the rope like
dead weight, an Dandy Ferguson a
haulin' him out o the fiery jaws O
death.
"DOwn went the rope agin, an Slocum
was tied on an hauled up, Ferguson
workin' the win'lass like a giant. The
cords stood out on his neck like black
snake whips, an the sweat poured of
him like sluice stream. Two Cornish
men stood by him tryin' to make him
let them roll up the rope while he rested,
but he cussed 'em and told 'em to dry
up; he said he was at the wheel, an he'd
stay there ef he died fur il. Wen Slo-
came up, the fire was all around an over
the win'lass, an the two Cornishmen
grabbed Bill an carried him out-they
couldn't stan the heat. Ferguson sent
down the rope agin', an up come Sam
Hildreth, with jist strength enough to
make fur the door. The roof over the
bier and the pitch on the door-posts
was smokin'. Jist as the rope went
down fur the fourth time, an we loafn'
round on the outside watchin' every
minute to see him drop, an not a man
of us with gumption enough to think
of what was wanted, a woman rushes
into the fiery furnace an Slings wet
blanket over the bravest, gamest man in
the State O. Californy.
"'Thet's the ticket shouts Ferguson.
You're trump, whoever you are, my
girl, an won't forget ye, live or die
"An' he didn't. 1t was Sam Hid.
reth's sister, Maggie, an when she came
out O the smoke and flame with her
dress in blaze, she calls out sharp to
the men:
"Keep thet blanket wet. There,
water in the tank. I'll marry the fust
man thet throws bucket O. water
over Dandy Ferguson-Pll marry hin
eff he's Chinaman.'
"Them's her identical words, mister
The men didn't need no further orders
cause, you see, Maggie Hildreth was the
han'somest girl in the country, an the
best, an he'd ev'ry young buck fur miles
aroun' close at her heels all the time
handicappin' each other fur smiles. But
her brother Sam saved her from them
galoots-saved her fur better man, by
victim the blanket himself.
About this time the heat was terri
Bile; one man in the drift an another
half way up, crawlin' slowly to the
rsgin' furnace on top, crawlin' fast
enough in ordinary circumstances, but
hardly fast enough with death racin
down on his savior at two-forty gait
Wen Jack Harmon came out O. tn,
shaft he stood minute on the scantlin'
| .wavin, hack an forth like n drunker