Bainbridge House Destroyed by Fire
Bainbridge Republican, April 20, 1883
A dwelling house owned by Orrin Clark, situated in the lot back of the Academy [Bainbridge, Chenango Co., NY], burned on Saturday last. The building was a small frame structure, and was occupied by a widow lady named Tuttle, with six children. The fire originated from a defective chimney, and the entire building was consumed before hardly anyone knew anything about it. The few who saw the fire when it first started were in no particular hurry to reach the scene of action, and reminded an observer of a funeral procession as they carefully climbed over fences, and walked a quarter of a mile around a 2x3 mud puddle. The personal property of the occupants was all secured intact, excepting a bushel of potatoes and half a barrel of buckwheat stored in the garret. A worse lot of old trumpery it was never our lot to behold, and it seemed incredible that a family of that size could live with the scanty supply of household articles. But very little sympathy was extended to the poor woman and many were the wishes that they would return to their native place--the historical village of Afton. Several of the children are bright, pretty appearing, and would undoubtedly turn out well if given half a chance, and this is a good opportunity for some Christian family to "practice what they preach," and save the little innocents from prostitution and crime.
From the May 3, 1883 edition of The Hancock Herald:
ReplyDelete- The house of Orrin Clark, a resident of Bainbridge who seems to bear a rather unsavory reputation, was destroyed by fire. No efforts were made to extinguish the flames, as the destruction of the property appears to have been viewed more in the light of a blessing than otherwise.
I've been researching why this Orrin D. Clark bears an unsavory reputation during this time period.