The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-01-04

or had the wind got into the south. il
| would have swept on 25O miles fur
ther, out Of Dakota and on into the
British p"sses~ians, no one knows
no" far. Probably about 28,OcO
square miles Of prairie was burned
over by this moving sea Of ire. About
thirty hunters aud few families were
caught in that FIRE and burned 10 death.
Hundreds Of buffaioes aud autelopes
were roasted.
Among the most devastating Of the
last great. fires on the plains was one
in 1880 A prairie Gre swept down
from British Columbia. across the in
ternati"ual line into Dakota, until it
reached the Northern Pacific railroad.
AT it's greatest vidth, iu Northern
Dakota, the flames were 15O miles
vide. Over 10000 square miles were
covered by the sweeping fire. Pas
sengers on the Northern, Pacific rail
road had a chance to see part Of the
awful FIRE aud to this day there are
those among the passengers who say
that the sound Of the roaring flames
qnd the enormous walls Of fame NOV
ing over the dry grass IN leaps aud
bounds, like red. angry. hello Hing,
'GeFy surf, was terrible beyond de-
ecription. For two days and three
nights the flames could be seen raging
TO the north Of the railroad tracks.
The great tongues Of flames seemed to
be shooting higher than the cars and
almost reaching them, though shey
were really further away than they
looked, being held back by the com.
;Vany 9 fre break or burned "trip along
the track. There was no sleep on the
ssrains passing that IRE, bnt the win
dows and platsorms Mers crowded with
passengers, eagerly Watching the roll.
ing Games. Antelopes. deer, prairie
wolves, foxes, jackrabbits and other
animals could be seen in great num-
bers hurrying before the flames and
crossing the track. Itfrequently hap.
pened that anme Of them we're run
over by the train and killed. Those
that reached the south side Of the
track found safety for the. time being,
at least, as the FIRE did not cross.
Later In the season, however, the
usual smaller fires prevailed south of
the railroad.
Many, man has been hanged or
shot to death If the conveniences for
hanging were not to be had on the
treelese, poleless plains, fos starting
prairie fires. TIE cattlemen and cow
boye, assisted by the soldiers at the
army posts on the.prairie always start
ed out immediately after prairie Gre
to investigate the cause. But very
often there was nothing left. to tell
the Gale Of the origin Of the eonAagra-
zion. The plainsmen were, however,
so angry usually at their losses aud
the suffering and death Of human
beings and beasts in the fire that they
meant to fix the blame somewhere.
No doubt scores Of men have been
hanged for starting prairie fires when
they were either innocent or the fire
had BET n started by carelessness. In
August, 1870, when the great prairie
fire q western Kansas swept from the
Arkansas river down into Indian ter
ritory, a distance Of nearly 800 miles,
the origin of fire was traced by a
gang of cattlemen to round up party
in the employ Of the Arkansas Cattle
company. located near where Coolidge,
Kan, has since grown up. The Tex-
ans went to Dodge City and secretly
told the Arkansas cowboyss A posse
started across the plains, sixty miles
to- their camp. The latter were ar
rested and the trial began at once i.
The prosecution contended that a
grudgc had existed between She pr;s-
oners and the Texas cattlemen, that
the prisoners had sworn vengeance
against the Texas cettlemen at the
earliest opportunity and that when
the prisoners had learned that the
Texas fellows were in western Kansas
driving q herd slowly on the way to
Dodge City market, they had set fire
to the prairie grass, SO that its flames
would envelope the whole region, de-
stroy the Texas herd, and anyhow,
| burn all the. fodder for any Texas
herds coming that way. The testi.
mony Of several cowboys, who swore
they knew the plans Of the prisoners
was introduced :
The trial started It'll p. m, !, and
teloseds at 2s4ma The prisoners mum.
bered seven men and one boy. Six Of
;she prisoners were condemned to
death. The boy and one man were
4 fnrd ssrtd mt nfE IZ Snrar9 9 ~, 6as, 70 d,n.t