The Washington herald., 1909-01-24
FIRE.
Et Up Lon SkiIIing's Ham Smoke
House. Rain Puts Il Out but
Lon and Eh Green GET
Awful DTGlGhai

That BingviIle amt burned all 70
| pieces and all It's citizens without homes
Is because most everybuddy was blame
neeT drownd 70 deth by a terrible storm
which happened IN the nick Of time.
Lon SidllingS bit a FIRE IN his ham
smoke house last Friday night and went
out IN the yard 70. smoke hiSseIf and
see whot the weather was before going
into the house, as his wife objecks 10
terbacker smoke. being as she IS troubled
with aSna. As Lon walked I'D and down
his back piazza smoking and pulling his
whiskers, Hannah, that's his seckond
wife, come out and SAYS Lon Skillings
if yew don't move that smoke down back
in the field, III pack my traps and get
aout afore III be smoked 70 deth."
Jest as Lon was erbOut 70 say some
thing sassy back his eve caught sight Of
sparks shooting up behind the smoke
house and he run lords It as fast as he
could, only TO find the whole back OF
the structure in flames. As soon as
Lon see this he lnowd something was
wrong and he darts out into the street
hollering FIRE as loud as he could hoIler
Eb Green was passing by ar the time and
was Jest going 10 ask Lon where the
fire was when Eb remembered that he
wasn't on speaking terms with Lon be
cause Lon dunned him every week for
sc wich nc loaned him FIVE years ago
So Eb made believe he didn't heer Lon
and kept on walking lords the village
when Lon hollered 10 Eb 20 come back
and help put out the FIRE
Eb he hesitated a mint and desired 10
know if Lon would call the det square
seeing he wasn't q member OF the FIRE
dept and keep his mouth 5het about
them 81 cents. Lon sed YES afore he
thot and told Eb to hurry up and pump
some water in1medjet and they both Of
them together rushed TO the scene By
this time the flames had ct up the smoke
| house and was commencing to ketch the
pig pen and the wind had begin 10 blow
and the rain turned from a drizzle to a
heavy drozzle till Lon and Eb wisht
/ they had an umbrella or something If
/ they was agoiBg to fight fire long enuff
/ to get drencled Eb run to the pig pen
and managed to let the pigs out and
s,most broke his fool neck BY falling
over a pig which tried TO run betwixt
( his legs.
/ At this junckture the rain come in
! sheets and the wind blOwed ike all pos
sessed and outened the FIRE without Lon
and Eb doing another lick so they went
into the house to excape the fury OF
the storm. as you might say, and talk
I things over.
! Neither one or the other had a drv
stitch on them. 50 they peeled of their
/ clothes and set in two big rocking chairs
wrapped in two of Mrs. Skillingses old
quilts TIL their clothes was dry and past
the time a playing old sledge and drink
I ing some prime cid cider wich showd It's
/ effeckt when they shuk hands eight
times before Ed finally got started for
home.
When the storm petered out several OF
our citizens looked over their property
and found II damaged quite a good cal.
Cy Hoskins had II tons Of stacked med
der hay distributed all over BingvilIe
and Eph Higgins found whole pain
Of glass On the ground al smashed 10
pieces outcn the P. O. Jim Rawlins had
his cellar filed up with water till II
couldn't hold enny more, and Hank Dew
berry had 2 young heifer break away