Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-05-15
ROCKVILLE MARYLAND FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 10, 1895

1T was night like this-oniy
hotter" Hendrikson went on-"llIer,
too; | guess about eleven O'clock.
Some of us were sitting here In front
Of Tony's as you and | are now, All
at once there was clang of bells, and
fire engines began teurins Ia ough the
streets, In minute the air was full
of smoke and the smell of burning
wood.
"You see that new apartment build
ing over there? NO-east of that.
Yes. 1t was where that Is, an old shell
with fifteen families living in it. 1t
burned like excelsior. The people
We're burned to death.
THAT night was hell I'll never
forget it. l try to but can't, wake
up nights and see the walls of flame
under the inky sky; the windows
vomiting smoke and, out of each one,
men, women, and little children lean
ing and calllng-calllng. God
And down below, helpless as ants, we
rawled--hundreds Of us After
while, in the shouting, roaring mob
tiremen began carrying people out
hurrying, pushing each other-for 1t
was going fast. One Of the firemen
brought a woman crying, tearing at
the hands that held her to his breast.
He set her down on the wet pavement.
1t was the widow, Barney's widow.
"She tried to get away from him
and go back into the building. Above
Tho awf,,l roar cha ahriaEa1 at hin-I
can hear 1t It'll my dying day-'My
babyl my babyl told you he was
therel Let me go back for my baby
I'VE looked and way up there In
seventh-story window leaned her little
boy, his yellow curls cleaning in the
| light Of hellish flames. He had on
one Of those little nighties with legs
on 'em and he was holding a teddy
bear and toy engine The widow
she fought like demon. 1t took two
men to hold her. But 1t was too late
for any one to 90 up. 1t was the only
whole wall left standing. The roar
was deafenlng. The heat drove us
back but, honestly, we couldn't take
our eyes of that little fellow between
us and heaven.
"Then-then out Of a candy store
that one right over there where
the man is pulling up the awning
wrapped in dripping red blanket
came Barney Benton. He lifted his
face In the light of the flames.
can see 1t yet as though 1t was yes
terday. He waved his hand to the
little tad and he smiled. told you
he was always smiling.
Men held their breath and then
,cheered And then, when they saw
what he was going to do an awful
hush settled over everything, and the
quiet sobbing of women was the only
human sound through the roar Of
flames, the crashing of falling timbers
and broken glass.
1.-THE widow had tainted.
Barney, without stammer, ordered
the firemen about as though all his
life he had ruled nation. You'll
think it's queer, but I've notion he
was all there that night. | think
something had come back to him at
sight of that flre-some bit of ma
|
place and at Last he was what God
meant him to be.
"They put up ladders for him, up
five stories. He went up ways and
reached down for another. He went
up, up. The wall was so hot that wa
ter sizzled against 1t In steam, and
here and there great tongues Of fame
shot out.
"At the top of the long ladder he
placed the shorter one IT lay almost
fiat against the scorching wood. He
went up-how, God knows-clinging to
loosened siding, empty window cas-
ings-up, up-and reached up his big,
hairy arm and caught the baby. Then
down, down-whlle we held our
breath. When he got to the long lad
der the wall bulged As It fell, the
ladder went back over the street We
watched him swing out in great
circle, the scorched blanket hanging
to him like a banner, and the baby
held high up In s--awful-charred-
hand
mot curl on the baby's head was
slnged. But Barney 1t was
his neck you know.
when we uncovered his face, he
was still smiling and In smoking
pocket was his daily letter-to her.
When she came to, we put them In
her arms-the scorched letter and the
laughing boy"