had
been crushed in. The fire alarm was turned on and the fire laddies
were soon on the spot. No one supposed the doctor was alive, but after
the firemen had been at work a short time they could hear the voice
of the doctor from underneath the rubbish. In very vigorous English,
which the doctor knew so well how to use, he roundly upbraided the
fire department for not being more expeditious in extricating him from
his perilous position. After the doctor had been taken out of the
ruins It was found that he had not been seriously injured, and in the
course of a few weeks was able to resume practice.

* * * * *

During the winter of 1868 the Emmert house, situated on Bench street
near Wabasha, was destroyed by fire. The Emmert house was built in
territorial times by Fred Emmert, who for some time kept a hotel and
boarding house at that place. It had not been used for hotel purposes
for some time, but was occupied by a colored family and used as a
boarding-house for colored people. While the flames were rapidly
consuming the old building the discovery was made that a man and
his wife were sick in one of the rooms with smallpox. The crowd of
onlookers fled in terror, and they would have been burned alive had
not two courageous firemen carried them out of the building. It was
an unusually cold night and the colored people were dumped into the
middle of the street and there allowed to remain. They were provided
with clothing and some of the more venturesome even built a fire for
them, but no one would volunteer to take them to a place of shelter.
About 10 o'clock on the following day the late W.L. Wilson learned
of the unfortunate situation of the two colored people, and he
immediately procured a vehicle and took them to a place of safety, and
also saw that they were thereafter properly cared for.

* * * * *

On the site of the old postoffice on the corner of Wabasha and Fifth
streets stood the Mansion house, a three-story frame building erected
by Nicholas Pottgieser in early days at an expense of $12,000. It was
a very popular resort and for many years the weary traveler there
received a hearty welcome.

A very exciting event occurred at this house during the summer of
1866. A man by the name of Hawkes, a guest at the hotel, accidentally
shot and instantly killed his young and beautiful wife. He was
arrested and tried for murder, but after a long and sensatio