beheld the prairie, to the southwest and west, a sea of fire. It was approaching them rapidly, and in order to save themselves they started a new fire in the grass and as soon as it was possible moved into the space burnt; by this method they saved themselves from almost certain destruction. After the fire had passed them and had cleared their way of dry grass, they then passed on and soon found the burnt family and burning wagon. Mr. Swearingen managed to wander to Mr. J. E. Hoover's or was conducted by some one there. who found him and discovered his awful situation. Mr. Hoover's house probably did not exceed a half a mile northeasterly from the sad spot. This sad occurrence took place near the interior center of section four, in Milford Township. Here is a brief picture of the horror. A number of individuals beside myself hurriedly rushed to the scene which may have been two hours after the sad, sad, occurrence ! On our reaching the spot we beheld a sight which, I trust, will never again be seen by me! The wife and the daughter lie near each other burnt almost to a crisp. The arms and limbs of each were burnt off and so disfigured it was hard to tell whether they were man or beast. A child, as it seemed to have been, was lying near the mother; it was so badly crisped it was scarcely recognizable what it was. The boy, (probably the oldest child), was lying, ten feet from the burning wagon and not very far from the dead horse. The boy was not burnt so badly as the other children. His boots were yet on his feet, if I mistake not. The youngest child, or next to the youngest, was burnt entirely up, I believe, as nothing of its body was visible. The off horse was lying dead close to the burning wagon; but the harness was burnt off him. The other horse, by some means, got loose and was found wandering around but seriously burned. The dog was lying dead a few feet from the wagon. The wheels and some other parts of the wagon were burning yet when I first saw it. Mr. Swearingen could talk but little, for he was fatally burnt, but gave the people to understand much of what occurred after the fire reached them. It is thought he might have saved himself had he not made the desperate but noble effort to save his wife and children. After a few days extraordinary suffering he died, and all were buried in the Sheffield cemetery in Howard township. What was left of the remains of the wife and children was buried in one grave; but as Mr. Swearingen lived a few days before dying, he was buried in a separate grave.
COURT HOUSE BURNED, DECEMBER 31, 1863.
On the thirty-first of December, 1863, the Court House was burned, but fortunately the County Records, with a very few exceptions, were saved. The safe did not, however, prove to be a safe safe. All, or nearly all, the loose papers or money not