The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-06-17

"Stra1ger, come nearer; I'm going
fast and must tell you the rest. After
/ had killed that man / hid the body In
. clump of brush and searched him to
learn who he was. never found out,
for he had on his oily clothes and there
was nothing in his pockets only this. q
little piece Of paper, and on it is written
What is life? IT'S but vapor; soon
it vanishes away True, isn't it? At
least / have found it so. Well, after
l hid that man in the brush heap /
wandered around the country and
couldn't eat or sleep. 1t was glorious
weather at that time; everything
was as dry as bone; and the next
day as stood before that brush-pile, by
some power of attraction that made me
60 there, l saw great column of black
smoke rise up near Rev City. knew
it was an oil fire, and I knew it would
sweep large area of country and leave
nothing but ashes and the casing in the
oil wells. The ground was sprinkled
with oil all over the field and the
leaves were as inflammable as
powder. Well. I watched the Rev City
fire grow larger and larger, and all
at once became fiend incarnate and
set the leaves and oil-soaked brush on
fire around the big tender-pile that hid
the body of the unfortunate pauper l
had killed. Instantly the whole place
was blazing mass and the fire spread
So fast l had to run for my life. Did
you ever see an oil fire? Yes? And saw
the fires in Rev City, Tram Hollow and
Foster Brook on that awful day? Is that
so? Well, then, you know how fast they
run and what a roar they make. Itwas
just awful that day. Inever saw any
thing like it. 1t was reported that the
Tram Hollow fire was accidental, and
that the fire started from some sparks
that had been smoldering in q stump
pile. That's all nonsense, for I started
the fire myself and had to run for life to
keep out of its way. Like a crazy fool
l ran down the valley, with the wind and
the fire following me like a monster
ready to avenge itself. There were
some houses down in the valley and they
used to call the place Oil Centre, and
when I reached the first house the fire
had caught up to me and jumped into
the creek and ran down in safety out of
the reach of the fire.
"Pretty soon l came to house that
belonged to a woman, and it was all she
had between her and poverty, and 1 saw
her trying to carry out some things, but
before she could do anything the fire
swooped down and caught up that house
1ityo II Tko< k,,~ ,ol
to me, gave one unearthly, heartrending
scream and tainted away. I took care
of her until she was able to walk, and
then put her in charge of some of her
friends. Oh, that awful scream! I have
heard it many times since, and 1 heard
it tonight while you were here. 1t has
haunted me day and night; it has given
me no rest. I sometimes think that the
pauper l killed was relative of hers,
and that her scream comes to ME in
punishment for the deed. You know
the result of that Tram Hollow fire.?
Scores of people thrown on the world
homeless and penniless; thousands upon
thousands of dollars lost; children cry
ing for bread about the skirts of their
heartbroken mothers. have since done
what I could in feeble way to see that
those Homeless people did not suffer for
the necessaries of life; but, oh, the re-
morse that has gnawed at my heart
since that fatal day! Why, oh, why did
ever touch the accursed whisky that
made me fiend? Why, oh, why did
the woman loved drive me to this?"
He stopped as if stricken dumb, his
eyes glaring wildly from their sockets,
his face picture of horror and fear.
"My Cod" he shrieked; "that
scream again! Did you hear FTP No,
how could you, for it comes only to me.
l feel that I'm going very fast now, and
oh, I hope God has forgiven me. Come
closer. Here, take the picture and keep
it, and-some-day show ito the
woman it represents -and tell her-and
tell her-1-I-loved her-to-the-
the-last!"
The galight came struggling through
the cracks in the rough cabin and fell up
on an upturned face, from which had
faded sorrow and care and hate and
fear, and all things earthly, and which
as the angel of death released the suf-
fering spirit, reflected from its cold form
the look of peace and love of the dead
but unforgotten past. Slowly, rever-
emily, closed the door of the rude
building and left the dead alone with
the changing shadows under the moan
ing pines. Out into the wintry night,
down the little valley to the test-well, I
walked as in dream, and as opened
the door of the derrick and stood before
the giant form of Big Jack Sanford, that
large-hearted man gazed at me in sur
prised silence.
':The man up at the shanty-" I be-
gan, and lump seemed to come into
my throat all at once.
Yes?" said Jack, interrogatively.
He is-is-dead!" and l sat down
on the anvil in sheer despair.
"What! Jim Barton? Torpedo
JIM"
1 could only nod assent.
"Dead! Torpedo Jim dead! Poor
Jim!" And great sob shook the burly
form of the drilIer as he CROPPED blindly
for the throttle wheel.
Softly we entered the little cabin and
stood in the presence of the dead. 1t
seemed so strangely that death should
come down and lay his handson the sick
man under the health IRVING mines. IT,