Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-22
A NEW CITY EDITOR.
MIR. DUDLEY VI. PUCKETT'S BRIEF
 BUT BRILLIANT CAREER.
He Sighed For an Opportunity to Display the Stun He Was Made of, and It Came. Graphic Account of the Fire at Widow Beazeley's-A Personal.

The Tompkinsville Enterprise of recent date contained the following double lead ed paragraph:
 f'We have just had the editorial staff of our paper augmented by the addition of Mr. Dudley W. Puckett, who will fill the responsible position of city editor. MT Puckett had for some time been our valued correspondent at North Middleville Cen ter and has exhibited much enterprise as newsgatherer. The position he now CO., cupies is in line with his journalistic in- stincts, and our readers may expect to sec the local columns of The Enterprise scin- tillate under MT. Pucketts trenchant touch"
 The editor of the Tompkinsville Enter prise superintonded with great deal of care the 'copy" that MT. Puckett turned in for tho next paper. There was gen eral crossroads flavor about it all, but tho editor did not despair--he had seen mighty journalists evolve from the place where the roads cross.
 This is all very commonplace news" sighed young MT. Puckett as he handed in his last batch of copy. II wish there might be something exciting-something that would give mo chance to show what am made of. "
 The opportunity came sooner than he had expected. That night there was an alarm of fire. The editor was called out of town carly next morning, before the pa per went to press, and Mir Puckett had the pleasure of writing up the fire alone and untrammeled He saw his opportu- nity and profted by it. The first column of The Enterprise that afternoon corus- cated with the editors masterpieces:
 ALMOST A HoLoCAUSTl
 FLAMES ATTACK WIDOW DEAzELEYs HoUsEl
 THE FIRE PEND FELICIToUsLY FoILEDl
 SCREENING HORRORS AyERTEDl
 "As the city editor of The Enterprise was vending his way homeward late last evening, the pale moon anon fleckfng the earth with it's yellow radiance and then burying from sight beneath huge banks of superimpending clouds, his attention was suddenly arrested by long drawn note of silence that seemed to exude from tho story and half residence of the Widow Beazeloy, relict of the late well known Jasper P. Beazeley, who we are informed was the superintendent of the West End hotel stables and was fatally injured by being stepped upon by large sorrel horse which caused inflammation, and erysipelas setting in, he passed away, beloved by wide circle of friends and relatives who mourn his loss, realizing that an honest man is the noblest legacy that can be left to posterity, and being succeeded by MT. James F. Baker under whose efficient charge tho interests of the West End are admirably subserved There arc no flies on Jimmy.
 We had just time to look over tho high board fence that separates Mrs. Beazeley's house from tho circuinambient sidewalk when our vision was froZe by beholding flames and smoke issuing from above the piece of stovepipe that pierces the north side of tho shed attached to tho rear of Mrs. Beazeley's, employed, we under stand as a summer kitchen. A gale of wind was blowing at tho time, and mo- mentarily increasing in violence. Quicker than it takes to pen the transaction we vaulted over the fence, shrieking "Fire' and dashing through the garden we seized a pail of water that stood near at hand. The flames were now reaching their snake like fangs aloft and reveling In unsuitable glee as they licked up the dried boards
 'The wind, now increased to gale, was sweeping directly toward the widows house. Those familiar with the circum- stances can picture our horror when we realized that the Widow Beazeley was very lame of both legs ever since her lamented husband passed to his reward, also hard of hearing and sleeping in feather bed, and one of tho heaviest ladies in town, but stalwart Presbyterian and active in all good works. In the next room and sepa- rated by thin board partition, of which tho hungry flames would soon make short work, lay wrapped in innocent slumber the two Maxfeld twins from Coal Creek, hero on 0 visit to their Aunt Beazeley.
 Tn the next house, separated by only six feet of alley, was tho large and beauti- full family of our honored fellow citizen, E. Alonzo Bean, Esq seven children, all under tho tender age { 10 years, and both MT. and Mrs. Bean absent at the second annual reunion of the B. V. T. of $. D. N. P, leaving the house in charge of the hired girl, who, falsely recreant to her trust, had gone to walk with dark com plexioned young man who works in the lanyard. This house, with it's precious wealth of human life, once fallen sacri- fec to the unsuitable fire flcnd, what could stay its mad career2 The whole town lay at it's mercy The cooper shop, with cords of infammable material stood next; then comes the lumber yard of Tank & Stevens,
  spirited citizens, and tho destruction of the Second Baptist church beyond must necessarily have followed, and with this must have gone the entire line of business blocks, that pride of our town, together with tho opera house, and with such de- struction to tho beautiful shade trees as must make every citizen weep.
 Ut is small wonder, then, that, realizing, so far as one who is somewhat a stranger ih Tempkinsvillo, but whom WIG trust will not ldug remain so, could realize, what scene OF horror lay before him, we sum- moned up>ell our resolution, and with one herculean bound broke open the shed door with our rightIoot and dashed the pail of water full upon the incipient blaze. For tunately our cry as we vaulted the fence had been heard and heighbors came pour ing upon tho scene. When they saw how effectually we had extinguished the flames and averted disaster heircongratulations knew no bounds, and we were promptly invited down to Deweys saloon, where bountiful collation. of ice cream was served
 ''The recent drought has rendered water in tho river low, and both hand engines, we arc informed, are sadly in need of re- pairs. Would it not bo well to take cos, nizance of this fact and lock the stable door before another conflagration lays our fair