Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-15

| thought It best to go and see what II
| was or who II and soon discovered
| that 1t was my fire which was burning
| at IA fearful rate sending its liefy tongue
clear across the hall. drew as near as
| I could and / happened to see squire
| McCauleys bandanu handkerchief lying
| on the floor short distance from the
| fire on the opposite side from me. 50 4
knew that my way led through the hte
MS that room was the end Of our trip.
| Now what was to do? knew no other
way out but through the lire. became
| horror stricken. Was / to be burned up
| by my own hands? q God, what snail l
do? Not knowing as 1t were what did.
| / threw my coat over my head and
made a dive through that he'll of fire.
striking my full length ON the ilu"r ana
/ rolled over and over until | got out
Of the reach Of the fer. When | got to
my feet ! took of my coat and eNtln-
guished the lire that had caught In the
lining, after which I put IL on again.
with difficulty l tried 10 run, for | acfl-
ously hunt my arm and one OF my legs
from my fall on the floor but | was 50
excited at the time that | did not real
lie the pain until afterwards WIN me
assistance OF few matches I-had. that
/ now thought OF, kept striking them
along the way, and at last reached the
door that had been going through and
fround II standing open. The squire
had come and thrown 1t open In hopes
/ might he able to see II star from
without. They We're satisfied that some
thing had happened on account Of my
delay. You can imagine our fecilngH
when stepped through the door.
pulled the door to ana locked II nud
ran away In an cnsterly direction, the
Judge and squire follOwingH, l was
sore. lame and burned and almost
choked, not being able to speak and
A.. A
away. | drank and threw the key in
the well. | then told the boys to sent
ter and 40 to the horees. which they did,
They got there long before | did for
was almost beyond going at All. After
reaching the horses l told them the job
was done and for them to go in different
directions and get home as soon as pos
slble and avoid meeting anyone. They
objected leaving me as they were
afraid was hurt internally,
which / was fearful was the
case had inhaled the. FIRE and
thought my time had come. ! told them
to go, that 1 would pull through all
right. So the squire took the river road
up the river to Appanooce, ten miles
distant, the Judge the road to Carthage,
about sixteen miles distant to the
south. while j took the prairie road In
the direction Of Pontoosue, twelve miles
distant After going about one-half
4
saw pickering light and the next
minute the flames burst through the
roof and lit up the country for miles
as light as day. ! put my horse into
dead run In the direction of the Mis-
souri, timber, which | gained in time
without being seen, as the people on the
road were all In bed, but had ~ soon
er jumped my horse over a fence into Il
field and secreted myself behind some
bushes. when along came seven horse
men on their way to the fire, which had
by this time been discerned twenty
miles around. After they had passed |
again tried to mount my horse, but
found 1t impossible and found that my
leg had swollen so that l could not
walk ] was in a fix sure enough; what
to do | did not know. but | had to do
something. so l got down on my hands
and knees and crawled on toward a
cluster of trees, leading my horse.
When | arrived at the timber / FORUM
atcly found Il large tree which had been
cut down, leaving high stump; crawl
ing upon this stump ! managed to get
on the back of my horse, and went
back jumping my horse over the fence
back into the road. | was suffering so
terribly that / could but just cling to
my saddle. turned my horse in the
direction OF Squire McCauey's cabin,
whore I arrived just before daybreak,
and found that the squire had got home
nearly two hours before. He was sur
prised to be called out by me, but after
giving him to understand my condition,
he cried like a child, he took me in and
hid me away for a week, where he and
his wife cared for me, as they would
for one of their own. until ! was able
to go about without suspicion The
judge got home the night following the
night the temple was burned, having to
ride In the woods on Rock creek all
day, which was in the south side of
Rock Creek township
So nfter nearly fifty years the true
history of the burning of the great
Mormon Temple is made known The
narrator of this story, as told by Mr.
Agnew, was a small boy at the time of
the burning of the Temple, living with
his mother just west of FIT. Madison.
Iowa. and he recollects seeing the light
from the burning building on that
memorable night. over twenty years
after the destruction of the TEMPLE
became intimately acquainted with all
the parties connected with this narra-
tive.
GEORGE II. RUDSILIA
-lHE Bowling Green, Florida.