The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-02-06

to Hope House. and Gordon lsid great
difficulty in getting Barton out to the
carriage.
He put him into II and was stepping
in himself when Barton pulled the
door and told the driver to go on.
Gordon hesitated.
You're needed here. Go on, driver.
I'll promise to live till tomorrow. John.
Go I'm and help her. She needs some
one"
The carriage started slowly on ac-
count of the crowd. Gordon waved a
silent goodby. When the carriage was
out of Bowen street, Barton tainted.
He lay like dead man in n corner OF
the carriage, and when the driver
reached his rooms and got down to
open the door he was frightened at the
sight os what looked like a corpse in
the carriage. He and Williams carried
Barton in. and before noon Barton lay
in a tremendous fever, which the doc
tor said was clear case of pneumonia.
Cant save him." the doctor said to
williams curtly 'T'll send up the best
nurse we've got. But Barton might as
well shoot himself as do what he did
last night"
Down at Hope House all day John
Gordon. Grace Andrews, the assistants
and a score of surgeons worked to save
life. with heart breaking doubt i'm their
souls as they labored as TO the future
fate of the mangled. crushed, burned,
MANNED humanity that did not merci-
R,,ru. Tn fut, 90
all, as the work of searching the ruins
went on and dense throngs of curiosity
seekers choked all the district. John
Gordon was aware OF one prominent
figure that was apparently omnipres-
ent-Tommy Randall. He was on hand,
cheerfuliy encourage those who had
lost everything, securing temporary
quarters for those who We're wander
| ing bewildered through the streets or
sitting dumb and stolid on their dam
aged piles OF household goods. distrib-
uting wagon loads of bread and coffee
and in several cases hunting up lost
| children and bringing together families
that had become separated during the
| confusion.
| Once as he stepped out of the hall for
a moment to get breath of fresh air
Gordon almost ran into Randall, who
had one child by the hand and another
I'm his arms. both of them devouring
sandwiches. Randall nodded to Cor.
don, but did not speak. and Gordon
stepped back without saying anything
But all the rest of the day he had a
vision of Tommy Randall and those
children.
J Both morning and evening paper,
contained full accounts of the 'Tene
ment Fire Horror on Bowen Street
The News printed list of names oi
property owners, and Philo II. Marsh's
name was prominent among them as
owner Of the double decker fire trap,
as it was labeled. Every paper in the
city had an editorial on the subject
but only one Of them, the Index, called
attention to the fact that for years the
nature of the construction had beer
fully known and nothing done because
lcity politics did not wish to interfere
with property owners who paid Ger
tain amount of blackmail for the privi
lege 6f ignoring city ordinances. A
Especial meeting OF the city council
called to consider the condition of tn,
people in the ruined district, took ac
ton to provide temporary quarters fol
the homeless. Meanwhile public indig
nation cooled almost as fast as th'
ruins in Bowen street, when it was ru
mored that several prominent men an'
women had subscribed several thou
sand dollars to the survivors and tina
as one result of the fire a set OF mode
tenement buildings would be built II
the burned district. John Gordon. read
ing all this in moments when he reste'
from the great strain that continues
for many days, could not repress ;
| strong feeling lthat nothing but Chris