The Ravalli Republican., 1898-08-03
FLED IN q MATTRESS.
The Experience Of q Chicago Man at tho
Great Fire.

The Experience of q Chicago Man at the
Great Fire.
Justice John K. Prindiville had
the experience of being carried
through the city on 4 mattress, as at
,the time Of the fire :he was unable
to walk The Prinliville eresidenco
,stood, in the days before the fire, at
tthe intersection Of Chicago avenue
and State street. 1t WAS (: spacious
house, in the center Of Il large yard,
and was in what was then the most
fashionable residence district Of Chi
cago. A fall in Il gymnasium some
three weeks before the fire had left
Justice Prindivillo cripple for tho
ttime being, and he was confined to
his bed.
'Late Sunday night a friend Of
the family came to the house, said
the justice, land called my father to
aone side, telling him that the city
was burning up. My six brothers
5toldme as soon as they were dressed
,not to worry, as there were enough
of them to care for me. assured
them was not frctting, and while
they made preparations to move me
Ito Il place Of safety I, from my sick
,uoom window, could see the reflec-
ton of the fire, then just beginning
to get under way on the South Side.
Father sent one Of the boys to
Wright's livery barn, at State and
.kinZie streets, where our horses
were kept, TO get them and the car
,riages, which he intended to use in
moving my mother, who was also
Ill, and myself as well as what prop
.erty he could save.
1t SO happened, - continued JUS
tico Prindiville, "that Wright's barn
was the first building to burn on the
North Side. When it was learned
"by the other boys that our horses
wore gone, one OF them went out
:and in some manner got possession
OF an old express wagon. I don't
know how he did it, but have al
ways thought he must have turned
burglar for the nonce, as vehicles OF
all descriptions were then ut a pre-
MUM. They started to carry me
out Of the house on q mattress. The
front door was too narrow, and they
had to lmITovise stretcller from Il
sheet. [ remember that it was just
lat daylight Monday morning, and I
swas calmly smoking my pipe. This;
%annoyod father, who told me to stop
smoking, for fear I would set the
house ON fire. -Four hours afterward
the whole building was a smoldering
mass Of rubbish.
4'Three Of the brothers pulled the
wagon, for want OF Il horse, and I
was taken to Elm and Dearborn
streets. Thero they left me, while
they hurried back to save us much
property as they could. For three
hours tossed about in the bottom
Of that wagon, unable to rise, while
steady stream of excited and in
many cases frantic people poured
past me, seeking shelter i'll Lincoln
park. Many of them put things into
the wagon and asked me to watch
them One man had three dishpans,
and another some valuable oil paint
ings. A woman ran by, I distinctly
remember, with Il big billy goa
c]asped i'll her arms, and a little girl
left a cat in my charge. All the
property I threw out Of tho wagon,
but I kept the cat.
Somewhere one Of the boys hired
a truck with Il team, get my mother
and came where was and took us
to ST. Joseph's hospital. We were
left there, and the boys and father
hurried back to save all they could
from the house. They took the fam
ily silvcrware and other valuable:
to the beach at Lincoln park and
buried them in the sand As far as
we have been able to learn up to the
present time, the property is still in
the sand.
Late Monday night it was feared
nall sides that the fire would come
rs far north as tho hospital. The
sceno in the institution when the
sick and injured learned of tho new
fear | will never forget Mother
and lwere not worried, for we knew
father and the boys would come fo1
us, but the friendless and poor pa
tients were in a frenzy OF fear, many
of them giving up to despair. Pray
*ors and curses were mingled, and
more than one unfortunate, unable
to help himself, tried to crawl away
Father did come for us, and we
were taken to the home Of friends
ON Warren avenue, out Of the path
of the fire. The hospital was III
burned, but the excitement there ]
will always remember. '-Chicagc
News.
Married to Flower Vase.
IT,