Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-02-12

some boy came around from the front
and reported that the key was in the
front door. This often happened, the
person who opened the door leaving the
key there and forgetting to take it out
again until the time came for the door
to be locked. The door was closed
and the outside guard was inside. 1t
was at once proposed that we should
lock the door and run away with the
key. This was done, but when we
had gone some distance from the school
house it occurred to us that we would
not see the fun of the people trying to
get out, because by that time we would
have to be at our homes, for, of course
our respective parents always thought
that we were staying quietly indoors
taking care of the residence while
they were away. They had no idea
that the country was being devastated
by lot Of young vagabonds whom
they thought were safely and quietly
in bed. 1t was therefore necessary
that we should get home and get to
bed before the homecoming time
of the lodge people. At last one boy
said:
Lets smoke 'em out. Wecan start
a fire underneath one of the windows,
and when they smell the smoke they
will think that the school house is on
fire."
This was look ed on as a great pro.
posal. We pulled out a lot of shay
ings and put a few sticks on top of
them and somebody struck match
and away it went. But the wind, Il
happened. was blowing away from the
school house and therefore the smoke
did not envelop the building at all.
But as everything was as dry as tin
der, and before we knew it the line Of
shavings that ran to the big pile had
taken fire and set the heap under the
school house ablaze. We were all
appalled, at this result, but perfectly
helpless. Nobody thought of run
ming and putting the key in the door
and giving the alarm. The chances
are that if we had thought of it we
would have sacrificed our parents
rather than given ourselves away.
But as the smoke now rushed out on
all sides from under the school house,
we heard wild commotion inside,
and we ran until we were out Of range
of the light which the fire was caus-
ing. We expected to see somebody
come out of the window and then try
to open the door, but no such action
was taken. Some strong man simply
stood back and kicked the door out
and let the shrieking, terrified people
escape.
1t looked as if the school house was
doomed, but the very fact that SO
many were there was the saving of
the edifice. A line of pals was run
to the swamp and one to the nearest
well, and although the flooring un-
derneath was burning, it was burning
slowly, and after a couple of hours
of hard work, during which the women
helped, if I may say it, manfully, the
conhagration was extinguished.
Long-handled rakes were obtained
and the smoldering pile Of debris un-
derneath was scraped out and water
thrown on it, and although the school
house smelled of smoke for many days
after that, no great damage was done.
We boys, of course, were home and
in bed long before the first of those
who had been at the exciting contest
had returned. In fact, many people
stayed by nearly all night to talk
about the appalling disaster they had
escaped. remember hearing our par
ents reading the accounts of this ira
gic affair in the local newspapers. It
was charged that this was a 6endish
attempt on the part of the anti-tem-
perance people to remove at one fell
swoop all those who were interested
in the good cause. This was stoutly
denied by the friends of the liquor in
terest on the other side. Letters of
coincidence poured in from all parts of
the country to this particular lodge
on their fearful and heroic fight with
INSCRIPTIONS opposition. But this
was largely checkmated by the Tavern
Keepers Association playing trump
card. They offered reward of $500
to the one who would discover the per-
petrators of the vile deed, but no one
was ever brought to justice, and / be-
lieve that this is the first confession
that has ever been made as to the true
culprit of what was nearly fearful
holocaust.-Luke Sharp in Free Press.