Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 October 1874 — A Curious Story from Maine About the Fall River Fire. [ARTICLE]

A Curious Story from Maine About the Fall River Fire.

The editor of the Brunswick (Me.)TeZ'lgraph, himself a trustworthy man, in a recent issue of his paper tells the following: On Monday last we called on Mr. John Fitzgerald, the well-known temperance lecturer (living on Bank street), who is confined to his bed, quite feeble, but still able to converse briefly with friendS who call. At this interview he related to us a remarkable experience, for so we call it, through which he passed on Saturday morning, «19th ultimo, the day upon which the fire occurred in Fall River, Mass. -Airs. Fitzgerald had arranged her husband for his morning nap, and left to enter the stable, in the rear of the house and attached thereto; almost as soon as she had passed into the building she heard the cry of “ fire,” Tn tones so startling that she* rushed back to the house in the greatest alarm, to hear her husband repeat the cry in tones as loud as the fire call—all the md’re startling to her, as for several days he had not spoken above a whisper; he was evidently greatly excited, catching at the bed-clothes and at tempting to get out of bed, saying he must have his clothing. Mrs. Fitzgerald asked her husband: “What does this mean?” “ Write,” says Mr. Fitzgerald, “ there is a fire in a factory in Fall River, Mass., in the upper story, the mule-room; I see the sparks flying from the machinery as sparks fly from a grindstone when men are grinding their tools, and the factory is full of women and children. I see it all.” ' Mr. Fitzgerald renflarked that his wife must tell us the rest, which she did substantially as follows—put in as brief a form as possible, as our only object is to make a plain recital of what we heard in the course of conversation. Mrs. Fitzgerald then went on to, remark that her husband all the time was endeavoring to get up from his bed to escape the fire, saying that it was near to him, and he must assist the poor people—close “that door into the entry or the women and children will be burned to death—an old sailor, he could rig a better ladder than that—splice this.'splice that —don’t jump from the windows (this expression oftrepeated), for it is only a choice of-death between fire and being crushed upon the pavement —to the firemen, why do you do this and why do you do that"—see poor women and little children filling the room, and yet the laws"of Massachusetts forbid the employment in factories of children under a certain age. Mrs/ Fitzgerald was alone with her husband, and exerted her utmost strength to keep him in bed. It seemed to her almost an age, but she took no note of the time. All at once Mr. Fitzgerald fell back i the pillow and said: “It is all over, the i roof has fallen in, and those poor people ; are burned.” After that he was complete-1 ly prostrated: and Mrs. Fitzgerald for ! some time feared that he would not re- \ cover from the shock. Mr. Fitzgerald said he never thought i of looking at his watch, but that he saw ; the fire in the morning somewhere from . seven to nine o'clock. it was not until ! Monday that Mrs. Fitzgerald .heard of ' the fire, and not until Tuesday, 22d, that I she got a paper with an accqunt of it.; This She read to her husband; heseveral i times stopped her and told her What was i to come in the newspaper account, as “he had seen it all.” Subsequently Mr. Fitzgerald repeated somewhat, and said: “I saw the fire, but somehow could not tell the building, and it. must be a factory put up since I was acquainted with Fall River.” lie hasoften lectured there.

Above are the statements as given to ua, and all we vouch for is a correct rendering of them. We oiler no explanation, but it is due to gerald to say thit_ he disavows all belief in spiritualistic manifestations, and finds it marvelously strange that, such an experience should befall him. Mrs. Fitzgerald is equally decided in her belief, and remarked to us that the scene in that bedroom had reality enough for her without a thought of seeking an explanation of its strange features. Mrs. Fitzgerald, like her husband, -lectures upon temperance, and both told us the story free from excitement, with an evident determination to avoid every expression that could itnjfart to it a*super-" natural air. It was a plain recital of Ihe events of the morning. To those who do not know the parties we have only to add that they are entitled to belief as speaking at least what they hold to be the truth.