Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-01-15

hitCAcO PuJ SiNaA WI
t already almost unbearable men
! tai agony. Fry moved the spa
v with comparative ease by swim
: ming behind and pushing it
a This gave him the idea of at
tempting to reach the shore Will
D it and save the girls, the young
4 Iest of whom was rapidly becom-
ing exhausted. He told then
what he intended to do, and beg
ged the girl to summon all hel
1 courage, as he would surely save
? her. This was the moment when
the three men were driyensf'o
the hay by the burning oil. The
men at once attempted to reach
: another bale a few feet from them,
to which four other men were al
ready clinging, and which was
barely sufficient to sustain their
weight. Two of the men sank
before their object was gained.
The other swan to the bale and
tried to seize hold upon it. The
four who were supporting them
selves with this bale fought "a
gainst having the added weight
of the fifth, as it would swamp
them all. Three times they push
ed him away, The pale, terror
stricken faces Of the men were
plainly visible in the glare of the
flames. Each time that the fifth
man was repulsed he returned to
the bale, begging for place to
hold. The fourth time he sue
ceeded in seizing one corner of
the bale. The hay began to sink.
One of the four who had possess
sion of the precious bale was an
Italian. He drew a knife as the
bale was going down, and plung-
! ed it in the breast Of the man
whose weight was taking their
only hope away. He fell back
and disappeared beneath the wa
ter.
This terrible scene was enact
ed within five feet of those on
the spar. 1t was more than the
girl could bear, and she tainted
away. Fry, supported her in his
arms, and, hastily telling the 9TH
er young lady to cling to the
spar until he returned, he started
for the shore with his burden.
He reached it in safety, and, Civ
ing the girl in charge of persons
who were helpless witnesses of
the fearful scene on the river, re-
turned to render aid to the young
lady he had left. He was gone
only a few minutes but during
his absence the four men on the
bale Of/hay, had been in turn
driven off by fire, and all were
drowned. A boat had also
reached the scene from Neeley's
Landing. Out of the two hum
dred passengers and the crew of
twenty only thirty-fve were
saved. The girl rescued by Fry
was sent to Toledo, Ohio, where
she said she had friends.
A year ago last month Fry was
in Cincinnati, transacting some
business for a house in St. Louis {
in whose employ he has been for .
several years. An acquaintance
OF his insisted on taking him to
call at the residence of a friend \
one evening. He met there and |
was introduced to Mrs. Rich s
mond, widow of great personal l
attraction. She had been Wild '
ow for three years, and was then
only twenty-four. She was Wis
iting at the house where Fry met ;;
her, her home being in Chicago. ;
Fry fell in love with Mrs. Rich |
mond. They coresponded for
several months, when the travel
ing agent made the young Wild j
ow an offer of marriage, and she
accepted it. A day early in the
present month was selected for
the wedding. Fry went to Chi 5
cago the last day Of November.
A few days before the wedding
he and his betrothed were laying
out a route for the wedding tour.
She told him to select any route :
that pleased him, the travelling :
Of which did not oblige them to
90 any distance whatever by .
water. She manifested such hor-
ror of travelling by water that :
Fry was curious to know what :
nad caused it. His astonishment =
may be imagined when she rela-
ted to him the terrible expenen-
ces of the night of October n,
1869, on the Mississippi, during !
the burning of the steamer Stone
wall, OIL which she was passen-
ger, and at which time her faith :
er and mother were drowned. :
Mrs. Richmond was none other =
than the girl of fifteen whom Fry
had rescued on that memorable !;
night. BY the sad death of her
she had been left with a
few thousand dollars, but no
near relatives. At the age of :.
nineteen, to obtain a home, she :
Frank Richmond, Of !
Chicago, dealer in wheat. He
became a bankrupt, and died in
1876, since which time she had !
,x,aIo ha.. home a.nonrr bia auI :