The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-12-09
SCENES OF HORROR.


ness.
Few stories can be moro heart-ren-
ding than the account OF the terrible
sufferings caused by the Honhagraticn
in Michigan as given to the Chicago
Inter Oceans reporter recently by Mrs.
d. W. Gardner, OF Yassar, Mich. Mrs.
Gardner IS a splendid specimen of the
typical country housewife of America.
She has proved herself heroine Of no
small caliber, and she told her story
with characteristic modesty, big tears
of genuine sympathy with the sufferers
the meanwhile rolling down her
cheeks.
The flames ofthe fearful fire were ad-
yancing rapidly toward Vassar Already
twelve houses and thirteen barns on the
outskirts of the town, stacked with
grain, had become their prey, when the
most terrible tale of suffering reached
Vassar. Several gentlemen at once
determined to start out for the purpose
of afrording relief to the sufferers.
Mrs. Gardner heard of this, and, with a
lady friend, insisted upon joining the
party, q band Of sturdy fellows going
forward battling the flames aad clear
ing the path of red hot ashei to make
way for the horses. The two brave
ladies' thought, and with good reason,
that I'll cir presence was due to the
members of their own sex and to the
children who had fallen victims to the
disaster. Seven miles from the village
of Vassar the party came upon eighteen
persons nine women, five men, and
four children-who had taken refuge in
well. They were all more or less
nude, their flesh was charred and
bleeding, and their eyesight was nearly
gone-in fact, several of them were
temporarily blind. Yet, notwithstan
ding all this, they were using heroic
efrolts to throw water up to crowd of
scorching and dying men, women and
children, who were focking around the
we'll, in the hope of either being able
to hide themselves therein or to assuage
their burning thirst, and mollify their
sulferings by some of its contents. The
whole party Of these poor wretches were
Immediately ,aken back to Va ssar
where they were cared for for five days
by local relief committee and the
landlord Of the Central Hotel, in which
they we're lodged.
Mrs. Gardner and her party then set
out gain, going twenty-five miles north,
their load lying through vast tract of
rcd-hot ashes which seemed almost
oundless-scattere thickly with the
charred bodies of the dead and dying
To the latter all available necessaries
we're freely distributed, but only few
of them lived long enough to realize
the benefit. A group of thirty women
and children dying from burns, hunger
and exhaustion were come upon. Not
afew Of the poor mothers were beroit Of
their reason, and were shrieking terribly,
declaring that the end of the world had
come-an expression, in fact, which
was shared by thousands of others.
But this was not the most awful
sight. At little distance further on
was a still larger group of women and
children. Many of the former were
prematurely undergoing the pangs of
maternity, while many had just given
birth to children, only to see the latter
fall a prey to the flames, and they them
selves to die in torments indescribable.
1t was to such as these that the services
of Mrs. Gardner and her sister heroine
were most acceptable. II was this very
class of sufferers that they braved such
dangers to reach. No words of COM
mendation can be too strong in speak.
ing of the bravery and self-sacrifice of
these two courageous women.
On the borders OF Sanilac and Tuscola
counties heartrending scene was wit
messed. A father, seeing that the flames
were making toward his home and that
its destruction was inevitable, had taken
His seven children, stood them upright
in trench, covered them up to the neck
with sods, and placed wooden boxes
covered with sods over the heads Of the
little ones, BY these means he saved
three Of them intact one other was
found alive, but it had become raving
maniac through fright; and three
others had been literally roasted alive.
in their living tomb Another father
endeavored to attempt the same expe'
dent, but too late. The flames over
took him and burnt him and his five
little ones to cinders before he had
completed his task. In the district of
Cass City people turned out in bodies
and ploughed the fields, and by hiding
their friends aud families in the furrows
saved hundreds OF lives.
The town Of Bad Axe presented q
terrible scene Of destruction TO Mrs.
Gardner and her companions. With
the exception Of the Jail andi three
houses it was mass Of smoldering
ruins. Three hundred and fifty persons
had taken refuge in the Jail and feared