Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-09-03
1T SAVED HIM A TRIP TO WASH
INCTON.
That Was the only Reward of Ver-
mont Soldier Who Rescued Sew
eral Persons When Barnum'S
Museum Burned.

museum Burned
A number of veterans of the War of
the Rebellion met at the Grand Union
Hotel recently and began talking over
old times. One Of them remarked that
many individual acts of bravery were
performed by some of his old comrades
for which they never received any credit.
The training at the front made them face
hardship and death like Spartans.
II remember" continued the speaker,
"the morning Barnum's Museum, at
Broadway and Ann-st., was burned.
The date was July 10, 1865. The war
was over and my regiment, the Sd Yer
mont Volunteers, was on its way home.
We landed at the Battery on the morn
ing OF the fire, and Il number of officers
including myself, came uptown to get
our breakfasts. Some went to the old
Stevens House. Others to the AstOr
House, while | and the rest found COM
Portable seats in the Branch's restaurant
in Park Row. We had just made a con-
certed attack on our breakfast when we
heard the CRY of fire, and soon after the
clatter of fire engines. We were too
hungry to pay much attention to such
things, until the smoke of the fire. which
was only a few doors away. began to
pour into the restaurant. We then hur-
ried matters and got out to see what
was going on. 1t was Barnum's sure
enough, and it was great fire at that.
The building was enveloped in flames
which, with dense clouds of smoke, were
pouring ont of the museums many win
dows. A big crowd had assembled in
the streets and the police had stretched
ropes to keep people back.
Suddenly cry went up that there
was woman with several small children
in the burning building. A moment af-
ter man had pushed his way through
the crowd, and before the police could
stop him he had disappeared into the
! fire wrapped structure. Nobody attempt
ed to follow him and while many a sill
ent prayer for his safety 70 doubt went
up from those in the crowd the majority
probably thought his foolhardy ac'
would cost him his life, aud that would
be the last of it.
"a few moments later the smoke black
ened form of a man came stumbling out
of the building carrying a woman in one
arm aud pulling along by the hand a
little tot of child. And behind him
grasping the oGher hand of the child, was
a little girl about seven years old. The
man continued on his way until he
met the policeman who ran to meet him
| After delivering the rescued family oven
to them he disappeared in the crowd as
quickly as he had come, and without
saying word to anyone. The news
papers in commenting next day on the
unknown mans brave deed, said that he
had disappeared as completely as if the
earth had opened and swallowed him up,
81 had followed the man, however
and caught up with him on Broadway
and Fulton-st. He proved to'be Yer
mont soldier, and member of my own
regiment. His name was Henry Talbot,
and he was a private in Company d.
was lieutenant in the same company
Talbot was quiet, unassuming young
fellow about twenty-five years old. He
was brave soldier and had fought al
through the war. He had been home or
a furlough and when the fire broke out
was passing through the city back to the
front. He thought his regiment was il
the vicinity of Washington. My witness
ing his act of bravery at the fire saved
him tedious trip to Washington and
possibly a weeks hunt for his regiment
That was his only reward. New York
Tribune.