St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-22
HOW JACK BECAME A HERO.

Atlanta constitution.
was seated at my desk dashing off
an account of the big fire that day, in
which two persons had perished, and
from which dozen had barely escaped,
for the morrow's paper. A half-dozen
penciled pages, containing the opening
paragraphs of the story of the horrible
occurrence, lay before me. l wanted
to paint as vivid and realistic picture
of the terrible scene as the character of
the matter demanded, and stopping for
a moment read through the introduce
tory sentences to my story.
Some one touched me gently on the
shoulder and | looked around sharply. a
shy-looklng young man with blonde
face and hair stood heSitatingly at my
elbow gazing inquiringly first at the
copy Oh my desk and then apologetic-
ally at me. His dress and appearance
was that of mechanic. He was rather
slight of build and stoop-shouldered.
His small blue eyes shifted about un-
certainly, and the unevenly featured
face was crossed and thickly intersected
with lines denotlng weakness of char
acter. When his eye caught mine he
shifted nervously upon his feet and
seemed to be meditating precipltate
flight. Rather impatiently [ asked him
what | could do for him.
II just wanted to give you a-you air
the one that's a-writlng it up, amt
youw He was speaking very fast. and
when l answered him with an aft rm
ative, he went on even more rapidly
than before.
well, did you git my name-did they
tell you it was me that run the ladder
up and saved the people in that other
building? None of them firemen would
do it: they was afraid, but l done it, and
everybody said | was fool. Looked
like that wall was going to fall every
minute. The fremen said so, and SAID
there wasn't no chance for them people
in the top of the next building. They
were just as good as killed, you might
say, and when all the rest of them was
afraid to go under that wall run up
the ladder to where the people was at.
You didn't get my name?-Fm John
Griggs. Guess you know how to spell
it-John Griggs. Lots Of people know
me-"
OF all the fifteen men or thereabouts
who had claimed the credit for running
up that ladder, John Griggs was the
most interesting and modest, but not
tense seriousness, did not stop to COM
pliment him for his herosm, or to tell
him about the other fifteen pretenders
to the honorable claim.
'All right, Griggs, all right" | said,
anxious to get back to my story; lit was
very brave of you, very"
His sallow face flushed with pleasure,
and for minute he was too nearly
overcome by his smiles and bushes to
continue.
"Will you put it in the paper that
way?" he asked eagerly, his eyes spark
ling. Just say so as everybody can
sect 1t that John Griggs done it and it
was brave act, and he's brave man.
Say he's braYer than any of them fire
men. viii you put it in that way?"
YES" L said evasively, II will give
you all the credit you deserve"
''And you won't forget" he cried ex-
ultantly, you'll put it IN that way. It's
John Griggs-you'll remember the
name? Here it is. He produced from
his vest pocket slip of paper, ON which
the name of John Griggs was spelled
out in rude, miSshapen letters. l took
it. ''All right" l said, and turned to
my work.
JOlHCO ulC' hlSllt JuoV pay cOilu OLlSGO
done it, and he's a brave man. The
doctors said I was hurt bad, but l
laughed at them. Might have hurt
other people, but not me. Don't forget"
He went out uncertainty. | listened
to his hating footsteps as he walked
out. and began writing again. In words
as distinct with life as l could make
them l told of the fearful occurrence
which was lingering on my mind like
an ugly dream. The fremen did not
reach the fire until all possibility of say
ing it was past. All they could do was
to save the people in the upper stories,
and they did it. To their astonishment
the adjoining building caught. The
flames started from below. and the
dense volume of smoke poured up the
stairways and shut off every way Of
egress to the people in the upper stories.
The situation was appalling. A dozen
people on the side of the building next
to the fast consuming one seemed
doomed, for their only means Of escape
was through windows which were i'm
beneath the tottering walls
their aid would he worse thap folly. |
The mighty wall was trembling; any
moment it might give way and fall.
1t was time of terrible suspense.
The fremen shook their heads. The
onlookers wrung their hands. The
doomed ones cried out frantically.
While the agony Of suspense was at its
height, young man pushed his way
the crowd, grasped ladder,
and, disregarding the warning cries of
the flremen, raised it to the windows
where the frantic people were. 1t was
a mad thing to do, and no one who saw
it can tell exactly how it was ever done.
Following the mad example of the
young man half hundred people
rushed in to assist the people in escap
ing. The people were down in a mo-
ment, and, once on the ground, hurried |
from beneath the wall. All the while
it was tottering. In moment all would |
have been saved, but suddenly the
mighty wall SWayed and came to the |
ground with deafening crash.
Two people were buried beneath the |
wreck. Many were hurt. In the wild |
disorder that followed | was totally un-
able to discover who the young man was
who so bravely lifted the ladder to the
otherwise doomed ones. | was given
no less than dozen names of people
who were anxious TO be published |
20 the world as the hero who did the
Iced. TO this class / assigned John
Irisgs, and went Oh with my story.
The next day as was going to the
,ffice policeman stopped me OH the
corner.
'If you'll go round to 345 = street,
7ou'll get a pretty good piece of news"
,aid the policeman. Young fellow
lamed Griggs, that was hurt at the fire,
ives around there, and he's a-dyin'.
hey say. Didn't think he was hurt
much at first" =
found the place easily enough, any
John Griggs' father met me, and, after
earning my errand, took me to one side
md became confidential.
Yes" he said tremulously, "John's
dying He would have it that he
Yarn'5 hurt, but it was easy to tell that
Ie was. He done brave thing, and