The Washington herald., 1914-07-31
IERALD'S PAGE FOR WOMEN READERS!

Il
greatly upset the place.
With the ringing OF the bell change
came. Persons not yet apprised Of tbs
enemy's presence In the town-the sick
the aged and those living on the out
skirts-now knew that something grave
was astir.~
To the citizens who gathered at thu
courthouse Gen. McCsusland made Z
final appeal. II fell on barren ground
All declared there was no way OF rails
ling the money demanded
Before the pariey had ended came evi-
dence that there was no Jest In the
enemy's demand. Smoke already began
TO curl upward from certain buildings.
T. Groups of soldiers ran from house 70
house with matches and axes. Barrels
of oil from a grocer's shop were rolled
into the Courthouse and the oil was
spilled under the stairs and fired. Other
large buildings were soon burned.
But within half an hour II was appar-
ent that the town was doomed From
house to house the soldiers went In
each fires were started. usually in clos
cts. or by breaking furniture and piling
It in a heap. for kindling.
Panic and Distress.
Scenes and incidents in the burning
town are best described in the words OF
witnesses.
I "A
street,, wrote one. 'the occupants of the
houses were endeavoring to carry ar
lticles TO places Of safety. The people
were running wildly through the street,
carrying clothing and other articles.
IOthers were dragging sewing machines
and articles OF furniture. Children were
screaming after their parents, and pa
rents were frantic for their children.
The feeble efforts of the aged and in
NTaINa aa1
Iarticle were deeply distressing.
The roaring and cracking Of the
flames, the falling walls. the binding
smoke, the intense heat, intensified by
the scorching sun. all united to oform
a picture SO terrible that one would not
desire to witness its like more than once
in a lifetime"
All accounts agree that some Of the
Confederate soldiers secured liquor. be-
| came drunk and began pillaging the
burning houses and robbing owners.
Others did everything possible to aid the
distressed citizens. Some OF the officers
had little stomach for their work. and
in some cases tried to avoid carrying
out their orders.
One citizen found an officer in a room
in his house. The Confederate said. For
Gods salee. my friend. let me help you.
Tell me what you value most. and will
take IT to a place of safety"
The women OF the family were gather
ing up q few articles Of clothing. The
| wife and mother grasped a photograph
of her dead father. The officer preceded
them to the door. and begged them to
mount his horse and escape. as flames
| were then bursting out on all sides OF
4 them. As the man spoke he broke into
hysterical weeping and pointing to the
fire said: My God. Ny God. Has It
| come TO this that We must he made a
| band of thieves and robbers?'
| In another home a touching scene was
enacted. woman had just died there.
| and a compassionate neighbor held in her
] arms a dying babe. Although shown the
l woman's dead body. Confederate soldiers
applied the torch to the house. They
| had no alternative.
Friends came and took the body TO
| the yard. hastily burying II. As the
| flames drove the mlnisterinE neighbor
: out OF the house she held the dying child
up to the face of Confederate soldier.
and with burst OF bitterness exclaimed:
rs this revenge sweet?''
The man said never a word. What
picture this pitifuI little form conjured
! in the rough soldiers heart may De
guessed. for he burst into tears. Then
in a broken voice he asked the woman
| II he could do anything for her or the
baby. He was too late. for even then
| the white soul took its flight. The child
was hurriedly placed in the grave with
| its mother, beside the burning home.
As the confagration progressed the
| fires mingled in one great column OF
flame and smoke that seemed to reach
mile into the still. superheated air. This
roared like a gale in a forest, and ere
/ ated a draft so strong that solid OBJ
jects were drawn high from the ground.
bolt of cloth from the plunder of a
burning store was drawn up from the
49, 1al
soaring like a trail Of smoke. A child
escaping from the fire was lifted sew
eral feet from the ground.
In a few instances persons were so
surrounded by flames they could not fee,
yet no life was lost. One woman re-
manned in her garden, hemmed in by
blazing houses. and saved herself by re-
peatedly wetting A blanket in cistern
and lying under II.
The people took to the fields. with
such of their effects as they could carry.
and from a distance watched the de-
struction Of their all.
At IL o'clock the destruction of the
heart of the town being assured. the!
enemy moved out westward, and began
their return march to the Potomac. As,
they topped a hill they looked back
preston Of that last look was indelible.
One of the officers, Col Harry Gilmor,
wrote thus Of Il:
Hitherto the fires Cof the war; had
been applied to the houses Of my
friends, which reused within me the
feelings OF the sternest vengeance; still
I felt more like weeping over Chambers
burg. although the people covered me
with reproaches.
The day was bright and intensely
hot. The confiagrttion seemed to spring
from one vast building. Dense clouds
Of smoke rose to the zenith. and how
cred over the darkened plain.
How piteous the sight Of those beauti- !
full green meadows-groups of women
and children exposed TO the rays of a.
burning sun. hovering over the few ar;
ticles they had saved, most Of them
wringing their hands. and with wild
gesticulations bemoaning their ruined
homes"
When is was possible to inspect the
ruins It was found that between 800
and, 100 dwellings had been burned with
in a space OF ten squares in the center
of the town. Only the outskirts had been
SHARED The bank. townhall, courthouse, !
hotel, and two churches. as well as all
stores and mills in the center were de-
stroyed. The persons rendered homeless
numbered 2.50o.
Tomorrow: Sheridan ordered to the
Shenandoah Valley. |
| T. D,I ~ EronLTod II