The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-20
A SPIRIT KINDLED FIRE.
THE DIABoLICAL DEED OF A SUPER
NATURAL FIEND.
Recalling Jack Bradshaw's Ghost and
Tracing to His Skeleton Hand the
Torch Which Set Afiame the sawrie-
Rozier Factory.

The terrific and seething fire early last
Sunday morning week ago, and its fear
Iul work in razing to the ground in a brief
hour the largo and valuable Sawrie-Rozier
cracker factory, is still fresh in the minds
Of the public. 1t was one OF the hottest
and most sitting fires that the department
has had to contend with in many. a day.
No amount OF brave and well directed
work could constrain the kissing flames
that delightfully."- and with fiendish glee
leaped from one department to the other,
until the entire structure was at their mercy.
II was most unreasonable hour, near
O'Clock in the morning when the first evil
dences OF the impending conaagration
attracted attention. When all was over,
and nothing but skeleton walls dismantled
aud dismembered machinery stood where
but few hours before profitable plant
and stock Of near $4,000 In value had
been left by its enterprising owners, the
next question TO solve was, how did the
fire originate, and through or by what
agency had the fell work been done. The
theory advanced was that the fire had its
origin in the furnace-room. BY all odds
this was the correct theory. But how was
the fire famed into life? II was quite
sure that when business operations had
closed the evening before the last live en-
Der in the great furnace had died into
ashes. The boilers had even cooled of,
and there was not even vestige oil latent
heat TO be felt or seen in the apartment.
But the fire originated in that furnace
L. tlxatu Co.
in human form could have, like demon
in the dark, stolen into the factory and APP
piled the torch? No. Every door with
out was securely locked, and any attempt
to effect an entrance would have been
readily detected by the watchful sentry
who guarded the property. Could 1t then
be that from the regions OF limitless space,
| or rather from the expanseless depths Of
impenetable darkness, that some hellish
| fiend could have unrivetcd the chat ms that
held it writhing in secthing pit OF eter-
nal woe and He'd to aspot once familiar 10 il
while In the flesh, and then with demon
delight have, by touch OF its iire-iingers
or Whit OF its flaming breath, set ablaze
this costly property
Incredible, may be the thought; but let
| us see.
It lisa weird story, and may give one
| the shivcrs. Whether true or not, IL has
| already made one mans blood curdle and
the beaded sweat fall like rain from his
\ pallid face II at least confirms one thing,
and that is the fire started In the engine
room, but, bear in mind, the last spark OF
fire had been extinguished there by human
hands before they left tho placc on the
evening before. II was no human agency
that famed that fire 10 life. The question
then is, what internal agency could il have
been9
Listen 10 this: In the latter part of last
summer, when the torrid heat Of the sun
added its force 10 that which those must
endure who kept alive and at white
heat the furnace fires, there was q
man named Jack Bradshaw, big gruil
fellow, careless Of himself and careless OF
everything else. lie lived and toilcd in
the engine-room. Ills assistant was Tin
O'Brien, almost his prototype in disposi'
ton aud habits. One day, in the latter
part OF the summer, Jack Bradshaw fell
limp and senselcss, almost at the furnace
door. The intense heat had melted hi'
brain, he was practically dead, for lac never
spoke during the few hours that breath
remained In his body. Jack wal
buried, another man took his plac,
and the work went on rs usual. a day OF
two afterward Tim O'Brien, while sitting
In front OF his boarding-house on Adam
street, suddenly spmng up. screamed "Oh
jack" ran into the house, and with al
his power began 20 tear his clothing IL
shreds from his body. II took sevcra
men TO control him and keep him from
battering his brains out against tho wall
Their watching did not last long, for In I
few hours Tim was corpse. Both mel
had died sudden aud horrible deaths, sep
anted by only a brief time. But what o
this9 They had died, were buried, anC
that was tho end OF II maybe.
few weeks aftcrward, late one night
when all was quiet and no one kept vigi
save the faithful Waterman M he made hi
rounds suddenly saw through a window
the stalwart form ol n man Standing hal
bent at the furnace door kindling a fire
| Horrors II WIS that IL Jack Bradshaw
There he stood in all his lifc-like robust
tudc, and his dcep-lunged breath blew IN
into the incipicnt flames. Fear and homo
almost took possession of the lone watch
mans faculties but half rcgaining then
and seeing that In few moments ihl
object of his care, the grca
property Of his employers, wonl'
be In hamcs. lac summc,
up all his courage. unlocked the door AM
entered. Tho fire was last assuming pro
portions, but Jack Bridshaw-ycs, Jacl
: bradshaw, whose form he had seen iron
the window. and whose hands he had seei
kindling the FIRE where was heg Conc
Vanished into the darkness. With read
nerve, and commendalle excrtion, the Or
! wns extinguishcd. What the watchmnl
had seen, and what he had done, be
numbcd his own senses. Should he tcl
! it2 No, for no one would believe Il.
lie pondercd over u almost 10 destruC
ton within himself, and reasoned u
, could be n dream. Hut that II could NO
be, for he had sccn the form, and by hi
| own excrtion couniencted the dire dc
: Siruction u had set on foot.
Several weeks passed by, but the mys
FERROUS performance was not repeated, AM
the watchman, though he could neve
: Danish the agony Of that night from nj
mind, had ceased 10 think Of u 70 viyidly
when one night about o'clock the horn
: BILE spectacle again confronted him
: From the very window NJ beior
y he looked into the furnace room
and there again stood Jack Bradshaw
= looking intonily on the pile Of burnin
4 stuff he had heaped on the floor, rubbp
his bony hands gleefully rs the ready ma
y ierial cracked and last grew into a blaz'
: There was no time 20 he lost, and boltin
: through the heavy door a. siout-bo
turned, the waichman made quic
work Of the newly started sr,
The blaze which arose from