THE WIDE-AWAKES AT HARTFORD-The Second Day’s Proceedings; The Late Fires in Texas; The St. Louis Riots (7/30/1860)

From Our Own Correspondent. HARTFORD, Saturday, July 28, 1860. Hartford was in a blaze of excitement all day long on Friday. The doings of the Wide-Awakes and their visitors, on Thursday, have already been chronicled in the TIMES, and now as briefly as the magnitude of the affair, and the unparalleled splendor of the demonstration will permit, I propose to give an account of the proceedings of the Wide-Awakes on the second day of their jubilee. Early in the morning, members of the Hartford City Wide-Awakes were deputed to take the various visiting companies through and about the city, to show them the various points and objects of curiosity and of interest, and in every possible way to make their time pass pleasantly. The new park, which was inaugurated by Dr. BUSHNEL, and which has already required an outlay of $200,000, is an honor to the city, and will compare favorably with any public grounds in the country. It is beautifully laid out with avenues, drives, and pleasant walks, and is an exceedingly attractive spot. Colonel COLT's spacious factories, his great Holland dyke, the village of tenements occupied by his operatives, and his own palatial residence', surrounded as it is with elegant grounds, tastefully laid out and profusely decorated with statuary, form another object of great interest; and so of very many spots, the enumeration of which would fill your columns and be unsatisfactorily complete at that. The unanimous verdict of us all is, that Hartford is truly a beautiful and delightful city, well laid out, clean, and orderly, having a greater proportion of elegant and costly residences than any other city of the Union.

Here is some more information to supplement the New York Times article above about Texas Fires on Page 3:

Nashville union and American, Nashville, TN, July 31, 1860. Column 5. I add a couple of paragraph breaks for readability. Italics as in the newspaper.

The Late Conflagrations in Texas – Terrible Developments – A Servile Insurrection Plotted.
From the Austin (Texas) State Gazette, July 30.
Dallas, Texas, July 16, 1860.
Major John Marshall, Dear Sir: I will give you some of the facts connected with the burning of Dallas, and the deep laid scheme of villainy to devastate the whole of Northern Texas. The town of Dallas was fired on Sunday the 8th inst., between one and two o'clock, P. M. The day was very hot, the thermometer standing at 106 F., in the shade, and a high South-west wind blowing. The fire was first discovered in front of Peak's new drug store, on the-west side of the square, and continued to spread rapidly until the whole north side were consumed, and one half of the east side; together with all the buildings on Main street east of the square, and west of the Crutchfield House. Several other buildings were consumed, with the loss of dry goods, groceries &c., in all of them.
On Monday, the next day, the house of John J. Eakens, one mile from town was fired. On Wednesday, the handsome establishment of E. P. Nicholson, was fired, but discovered in time to arrest the flames. On Thursday, the stables, out-houses, grain and oats belonging to Crill Miller, Esq., 8 miles from Dallas. were destroyed by fire. All of these were so plainly the work of an incendiary; that suspicions were excited, and several white men and negroes were arrested and underwent an examination. This led to the detection of the most diabolical plot to destroy the country. The scheme was laid by a master mind, and conceived with infernal ingenuity. It was determined by certain abolition preachers who were expelled from the country last year, to devastate with fire and assasination the whole of Northern Texas, and when the country was reduced to a helpless condition, a general revolt of the slaves aided by white men from the North, and many in our midst, was to come off on the day of election in August.
The object of firing the town of Dallas, was to destroy the arms of the Artillery Company, ammunition and provision known to be collected here; to destroy the stores throughout the country containing powder and lead -- burn the grain and thus reduce this portion of the country to a state of utter helplessness.
When this was accomplished assistance was expected from Indians and Abolitionists. Many other places have already been fired, Denton, Pilot Point, Belknap, Gainesville, Black jack Grove; some stores m Kaufman and Navarro. Waxahachie and other places, that I do not now remember. Each county has a special superintendent, a white man, and each county is laid off into districts under the supervision of a white man, who controls the action of the negroes in that district. The negroes are not permitted to know what is doing outside of their immediate sphere of action. Many of our most prominent citizens were to be assassinated when they made their escape from the burning houses. Arms have been discovered in possession of the negroes, and the whole plot revealed for a general insurrection and civil war at the August election.
I write in haste; we sleep upon our arms, and the whole country is most deeply excited. Many whites are implicated, whose names are not yet made public. Blunt and McKinnev, the abolition preachers, were expected here at the head of a large force at that time. You had better issue extras containing these facts, and warn the country of the dangers that threaten it. We are expecting the worst, and do not know what an hour may bring forth. Do the best you can for us. We have no printing press and can do nothing in that line. We may have to call on the lower counties for assistance -- no one can tell.
All is confusion, excitement and distrust. I will write again. There never were such times before. Yours in haste, Chas. R. Pryor.
Fire in Denton. -- From the Houston Telegraph, of the 31st inst., we copy the following particulars of a very destructive fire in Denton:
"About half past 3 o'clock p. m., on the 8th inst, a fire was discovered in the counting-room of the store of James M. Smoot, situated on the corner of Elm and Hickory streets, at the Southwest corner of the public square in the town of Denton. An alarm was immediately given, and every effort made by the few who first arrived at the spot to save the books and goods, but to very little purpose; in a few moments the whole building was a mass of flames. A stiff breeze at the same time sprang up from the southwest, and in a few seconds the stores of Messrs. S. & H. Jacobs, and of Messrs. Baines & Mounts, were wrapped in flames. There were twenty-five kegs of powder in a hogshead in the latter store, which in a few moments exploded with tremendous force, scattering fragments of the building and goods in every direction; pieces of burning timber, fragments of chains and castings were scattered for hundreds of yards, penetrating the buildings of them on fire, and it was only by the utmost exertions of the few people that happened to be in town that the remaining business portion of our thriving village was saved from the devouring element which, owing to the scarcity and distance of water, at one time was thought inevitable. But the ladies (God bless them!) came to the rescue, and notwithstanding the almost intolerable heat of the sun, soon brought sufficient water to save several buildings which we had almost given up to destruction. As it is, the whole west side of the public square, with the solitary exception of Messrs. Blount & Scrugg’s store, on the extreme northwest corner, is in ashes”
The loss at Denton was over $80,000.
Fire at Pilot Point. " At the same hour that the fire was in progress in Denton, Mr. Turner, of the firm of Smoot & Turner, at Pilot Point, brings the sad news, that on the same day, and at the same hour, their store at that place was consumed by fire everything a total loss. This swells Mr. Smoot's losses on yesterday to $60,000. Surely he can exclaim, misfortunes come not single-handed, but in battalions. How the two fires originated at the same time, in the two towns, is wrapped in mystery, though we have but little doubt that they both must be the work of an incendiary."
Town of Milford Burned. The Austin State Gazette says that at the same time the town of Milford, in Ellis county, is reported to have been burned.
Fire at Black Jack Grove. A fire about the same time is said to have occurred at Black Jack Grove, by which the large store of Mr. Cote was destroyed. Loss $30,000.
By the McKinney Messenger we obtain the following particulars of other fires, occurring nearly at the same period. It says :
"On the evening of the same day, and about the same hour, the store house of Mr. Dupre. at Ladonia, was destroyed by fire, together with materials for a new building, &c. The loss is estimated at $25,000.
”Also the large steam flouring mill at Milwood, in Collin county, was destroyed by fire. The loss is estimated at $10,000.
”The dwellings of J. J. Eakins and Silas Leonard, about one and a half miles from Dallas, were consumed by fire, with everything in them. “At about the same time that the town of Dallas was fired, a fire broke out in Waxahachie, which was fortunately discovered and extinguished before much damage was done.”
The State Gazette adds :
And here we may also remark, that the same day, and about the same hour, a fire was discovered back of the rooms of the Intelligencer, in the rear of the Swenson building, which was fortunately put oat before it had succeeded beyond charring the doors and sills of the building. We thought but little of the fire at the time, but since learning of the others, it really looks as if there might have been something further meant by it than was first supposed.
In view of these fires, and in consideration of the facts presented, who can doubt the fact that there is a regular organized band of hell hounds, who have secretly plotted the destruction of property and of life? Who can they be, and what motive can they have? These questions occur at once to the mind. We have not room to pursue the subject further, but we will not close without calling the attention of the citizens of Austin, and of our patrons everywhere to the necessity of guarding well their property, and of scrutinizing closely every stranger and every loafer who may be found among them."
The New Orleans Picayune says : There are letters in this city giving accounts of serious fires at Sulphur Springs and Brenham, but our mail to-day does not bring us any details of the disasters at these places.
The impression prevails that these extensive conflagrations in Texas are the work of Northern Abolitionists, several of whom have been ordered out of Texas.
The Austin (Texas,) Intelligencer, of the 18th, contains the following particulars:
Since we issued our extra, containing intelligence of a terrible fire at Dallas, news has been received in confirmation of it, and giving the particulars of many other fires in Northern Texas, which have destroyed vast amounts of property and beggared many families. By letters, and by an extra from the McKinney Messenger, we have information which leaves no doubt of there being an organized band of villains in the country, who have regularly laid their plans of arson and robbery, and by a pre concerted and simultaneous effort, attempted to put their diabolical plans into execution.
On Sunday, the 8th inst., about 2 o'clock P. M., the fire commenced in Dallas, and in less than two hours every building on the Western and Northern sides of the square, and about one-half of those on the Eastern side, were entirely consumed. Every store in the town, both hotels, the' printing office, and many very valuable buildings were burnt to the ground. The loss is estimated at $400,000, on which there was only about $100,000 insurance.
On the evening of the same day, and about the same hour, the- store house of Mr. Dupre, at Ladonia, was destroyed by fire, together with material for a new building, etc. The loss is estimated at $25,000.
On the same day and hour the stores of J. M. Smoot, at Pilot Point, Denton county, was burnt up, together with some $2,000 in money, making a loss of $10,000.
At the same time the stores of J. M. Smoot, of Jacobs, and of Benge & Turner, with their heavy stocks of merchandise, were consumed. The loss exceeds $10,000.
The dwellings of J. J. Eakins and Silas Leonard, about one and a half miles from Dallas were consumed by fire with everything in them.
At about the same time that the town of Dallas was fired, a fire broke out in Waxahachie, which was fortunately discovered and extinguished before much damage was done.

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