Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-06-15


Point of Attack.
set in. Two full trains went east this
forenoon, and two more are scheduled
for this afternoon if the railroad peo-
pie can get the cars here"
'Good-by, little girl, good-by,'E
hummed Grislow, entering in time to
hear the report of the flight.
But Leshington was shaking his big
head modify. Laugh about it if you
can, but it's no joke" he growled.
When the froth is blown away and
the bubbles quit rising, there are going
to be some mighty bitter settings left
in the bottom of the stein"
You're right, Leshington," said
Harlan, gravely What we're seeing
now is only the shocked surprise of it
as when a man says 'Ouch!' before
he realizes that the dog which has bit
ten him has a welldeveloped case of
rabies. Well come to the hydrophobic
stage later on
By nightfall Of this first day the edi-
tors ominous prophecy seemed about
to reach its fulfillment The avenue
was crowded again and the din and
clamor was the roar of a mob infuri
ated Brouillard and Lexington had
just returned from posting a company
of the workmen guard at the mixers
and crushers, when Grislow, who had
been scouting on the avenue came i'll.
Harmless enough yet" he reported
tits only some more Of the getaway
that Harlan was describing. Just the
same, it's something awful. People
are fairly climbing over one another
on the road up the hill to the station
with no possible hope of getting a
train before some time tomorrow
Transfers are charging twenty-five
dollars load for moving stuff that
won't find cars for week, and they're
scarce at the price"
LeshingtOn, who was not normally g
profane man, opened his mouth and
said things
IF the Cartwright crowd had one
man in it with single idea beyond
saving his own miserable stake!" he
stormed. What are the spell-binders
doing, Grizzy?"
The photographer grinned. "Cort-
wright and a chosen few left this aft
efnoon, hotfoot, for Washington, to get
the government to interfere That's
the story they'd like to have the people
believe. But the fact is, they ran
away from Judge Lynch"
I n T hoo
mott" snorted the first assistant
Then to Brouillard: THAT puts it up
to us from this out. Is there anything
we can do?"
BrOuillard shook his head. 81 don't
want to stop the retreat I've heard
from President Ford. The entire west
tern division will hustle the business
of emptying the town, and the quicker
1t is done the sooner 1t will be over"
For a tumultuous week the flight
from the doomed city went on and the
overtaxed single-track railroad wrought
miracles Of transportation. Not until
the second week did the idea of mate
rial salvage take root, but, once start
ed, 1t grew like Jonah's gourd. Hun
dreds Of wrecking crews were formed
Plants were emptied, and the ma
chinery was shipped as it stood. Houses
and business blocks were Quilted Of
everything that could be carried off
and crowded into freight cars. And,
most wonderful of ALL cars were found
and furnished almost as fast as they
could be loaded.
ut begins to look a little better"
said Arson on the day In the third
week when the army of government
laborers began to strip the final forms
from the top Of the great wall which
now united the two mountain shout
ders and completely overshadowed
and dominated the dismantled town.
IF the avenue would only take its
bunch and go, the agony would be
over"
But Brouillard was dubious The
avenue, more particularly the lower
avenue, constituted the dregs. Bongras,
whom Brouillard had promised to in
demnify, stayed; some of the shop
keepers stayed for the chance OF
squeezing the final trading dollar out
Of the government employees; the ga.
loonkeepers stayed to a man, and the
dives were still running full blast
chiefly now On the wages of the gov
ernmant fnroa
(TO BE CONTlNUED1