This had been attempted whilst the
helpless children--some of them scarce more than babies--were still in
their rooms; but this devilish consummation was prevented by the heroism
of one man. He, the Chief of the Fire Department, strove by voice and
arm to stay the endeavor; and when, overcome by superior numbers, the
brands had been lit and piled, with naked hands, and in the face of
threatened death, he tore asunder the glowing embers, and trod them
under foot. Again the effort was made, and again failed through the
determined and heroic opposition of this solitary soul. Then, on the
front steps, in the midst of these drunken and infuriate thousands, he
stood up and besought them, if they cared nothing for themselves nor for
these hapless orphans, that they would not bring lasting disgrace upon
the city by destroying one of its noblest charities, which had for its
object nothing but good.
He was answered on all sides by yells and execrations, and frenzied
shrieks of "Down with the nagurs!" coupled with every oath and every
curse that malignant hate of the blacks could devise, and drunken, Irish
tongues could speak. It had been decreed that this building was to be
razed to the ground. The house was fired in a thousand places, and in
less than two hours the walls crashed in,--a mass of smoking, blackened
ruins; whilst the children wandered through the streets, a prey to
beings who were wild beasts in everything save the superior ingenuity of
man to agonize and torture his victims.
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