OLD SETTLERS TELL” OF BIG FIREIN 1860 TODAY 15 FIFTY-THIRD ANNIVER- SARY OF INCENDIARY BURN- ING OF DALLAS. VIGILANTES WERE BUSY Sammary Joviice Administered—Hot ‘Weasther.and Stirring Times Deseribed, ‘The summer of 1860 in Texas was “red-hot,” im the language of fhe street, Say some of the old-timers who were here then. Thus July 8 which was Sunday in 1866, ig the fifty-third anniversary of the burmng of Dallas. “Iuly and August, especially July, in 1860, were not only unprecedentedly. but phenomenallr. hot,” said Charles L. Mar~ tin. “I returned home from the Ken~ tucky Shitery Institute, where 1 had Just gTaduated, in the early part of July. A ceaseless wave of hot winds Uke a siroeco swept over the whole State, blast. -ing vegetation and withering all 8) | things. virtuality completely, Fhe Natou al Democratic convention, held at Charles~ pominated “Jon. Breckenridge: Abra~ hem iincaly had been-nomingted In Chi- cago bythe and the spit ofthe Democrauc barty, with two candi~ dates in the field, "niade his eleetion 2 certainty. Hotter Wave Then Wiads. “These events caused a hotter ware than that of the Texas hot winds to* sweep over the entire South. Such excite- ent, such intense feeling was never Lnownbefore. reparation, ivconsider- ate sn character, Was instantly begun and everywhere the sound of the fife and the drum cauld be heard the forma~ Gon of- military: companies: went oD 10 almost every townin Texas. 1 was busy duilling.a.company of my. former home. school fellows in Marshall and other Young men, and the whole State was having a strennous time. “The hot wmd continued to blow and fires not only in the towns, but in the country districts, became distressingly frequent. The caurt house at Henderson | burned and there were other severe fires in towns, all surrounded with suspicious circumstances that led to the belief that | @ organized band of incendiaries was at Work. The strong feeling of bitter- )Ress toward the ‘abolitionists In the | Northern States made people believe that thet societies had sent emissaries Into the South to stir the negroes to enmity and Incite them to outrages, “Of this fire in Dallas I know nothing” ‘personally, hut the accounts ef it pes ceived at Marshall. I remember, increased fhe excitement even. unto great appre- hension.” Tacidents of Dallas Fire. Capt. June Peak and G. A. Knight, who Jived in Dallas at the tame, hoth remem- ber the fire and that today is the fifty- third anniversary of the same Capt ‘Peak sald: “I was a bey ‘of 14 at the time and can not remember the names and all the in- cidents very distinetly. The fire origi- nated in the drug store of Peak Bros, Wallace and Jetferson Peah, 'my broth- ers Their store was brand-new, sttuat-d on the west side of the preseit public square. Ther had just recelved several wegon Joads of goods, most merchandise then belng hauled te Dallas In wagons from Houston. They were busy arrang- ing their goods, but had closed the store ard gone to dinner, therefore-I anow it was between 12 1 o'clock the fire “A negro named Pat Jennings, betug the slave of. a man named Jen- nings, worked as a porter about the store and had a key to the back door. Aas the fire started on the ijuside In the back room, suspicion naturally fet upon te “The whole of the west and south sides of the square were swept clean and only one house was jetf on the cust side. Ths was Col. John G McCoys law office. and with a nee ebina tree grove in front of it, it was spared. These buildings were all frame and burned rapidiy, ‘Three Negroes Hasxed_ y were hanged and "Pacific Railroad bndge Ev were taken out one by one'and closely ‘Their tales fastened he Euiit upon the three negroew named an ixe Ininerant preachere. The guilt of there two men was so satisfactorily es- tablishad that they died rather Unex- pectedi? to th ves Capt. G ihe Public square, was di flames. and at midday the cpeoptc. looking on helpless to prevent it. There bad been unrest and apprehension for some time past. were under suspicion” and intimations hed rom some Negroes that ther were. Begroes in their eabins at night preaching freedom or to church « few miles in the coun— yo ana® had ‘Just started hi r strong that the-negroes-were arrested and locked up. One by one they were given a grueling crogs-examination 4c many told the same tale that four ne- grees, were known beyond 2 reasonable loubt’to have been the guilt paes—Fat Jennings, Cato, a free negro. Kinard. ani ‘antther whose name I can not pecail ‘These four were hanged about where the Standara flour mill now stands, a short qigtance below the Texas and Paciiic “A viellance committee was formed and’ three members of this committee were sent to interview two men who ostensibly were preachers, but there was jence posh against them from the negroes to warrant their arrest. rhe members of this committee of three we: Judge Hor, O. W. Knight my father} and Mr. Gracey. They found the two men in a house at Honey Spring, Just the other side of where Oak Cliff now is. As they approached the house one of the men opened 2 door and opened fire on them with a pistol. They being un- armed, returned to town and made thelr A posse was at once raised and ‘went on the trail of the two men, over- taking them, and hanging them to the nearest tree.”