Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1886 — The Fire Department Cnailed Oat. [ARTICLE]

The Fire Department Cnailed Oat.

A few minutes after six o’clock, last Thursday niglst, the alarming and oxoiting cry of lire! fire!!fire!!! was heard ringing up and down the‘principal street of Rensselaer. Those who rushed into the street to learn what and where the fire was, saw a tall column of flame shooting up from the roof of Judge Hammond’s handsome and costly residence, at the head of Washing ton street. The Rensselaer fire department, which consists of an indfefiuite number of men and Jboys, some of them shouting “fire!” and some maintaining silence, but none of them provided with any means of extinguishing the fire, not even a wooden bucket* were soon s warming to the scene from nil directions. They soon <£ound that the cause of the alarm was nothing more than the burning out of a very tall chimney, and the excitement subsided as suddenly as it arose, The J udge was out of town, and the remaining members of the family were greatly frightened by’ the occurrence. Other than the fright, no harm resulted from the incident. Rut how easily might it have been . otherwise! Had the fire bean, as it seemed to be, issuing from the goof, instead of the chimney, the people of the town could have done nothing but stand idly by and see v.she building destroyed.

Maxwell's spectacular Uncle Tom’s Company gave a representation of tiled" dramatized form of . the .great anti-slavery novel, at the Opera House, on Wednesday vgveeing, of last week. The prevailing opinion regarding tlie company .and their performance .seems to be that while there is no •question but that the company is -a good one, and included a number ■of good act-ns, (including the dogs) Their form of the play runs quite too,much to low burlesque and and buffoonery. It is a still more serious indictment against the company, in connection with their performance here, was the manner in winch they cut out from, and . shortened the play. Judged from •the synopsis of scenery and incidents, the performers must have omitted a good third of wliat the audience had paid their money to «ee and hear, and what they had a ■clear right to expect. The conduct ot the company in this matter is . ull the more reprehensible in this - -case, from the fact that the people of our town gave them a most lib- • •eral patronage; how liberal may be judged from the sact # that Mr. Hardman, who sold most of the • of the reserved seats, thinks that , it must have been nearly a $l5O . house. The second trial of Chesley Chambers for the celebrated Morion express robbery and attempted murder, came to an end last •■Saturday, -at Bloomington The jury found him guilty but assessed the very inadequate penalty of two! years in the penitentiary. There is no reasonable grounds for doubting his guilt, and the crime being one of the most heinous-ever committed in the state, the extreme penalty pewnitted by the -law for attempted murder, 21 years, would have been none too much. Owing to two df the most marvetetas recoveries on record, both of the Wretch’s victims still live, but owe of them, poor Davis, the qxCress agent, is worse than dead, eing nothing but a mental Wreck, and a burden to himself and friends. Chambers’ real guilt could not have greater, had both of the wounded men died, and we cannot but Ifegard the penalty as little better, than a mere travesty upon the •name of justice.