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Title: Letter from W. R. Wetmore to Manuel Fetter, Giving Account of the Burning of the Belfry, August 12, 1856: Electronic Edition.
Author: Wetmore, W. R.
Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text transcribed by Bari Helms
Images scanned by Bari Helms
Text encoded by Amanda Page
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 8K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-06-15, Amanda Page finished TEI/XML encoding.
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Papers (#40005), University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: Letter from W. R. Wetmore to Manuel Fetter, Giving Account of the Burning of the Belfry, August 12, 1856
Author: W. R. Wetmore
Description: 3 pages, 3 page images
Note: Call number 40005 (University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Editorial practices
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Letter from W. R. Wetmore to Manuel Fetter Giving Account of the Burning of the Belfry, August 12, 1856
Wetmore, W. R.



Page 1
Aug 12th 1856
To Prof. Fetter , the Officer of College for the present week the following statement of facts in relation to the burning of the belfry on the night of the 10th of August 1856 is made.
On the above name night I went to bed a little before 10 o clock; had been in bed, perhaps an hour when the students commenced throwing fire balls in the campus, as they had done a few nights before; got up and went to the window; had not been there long before they scattered off towards the buildings on account of a signal's being given, as I thought, of the approach of some of the Faculty. On their reassembling again near the belfry some of them said in a tone of voice not at all calculated to alarm any one

Page 2
that the belfry was on fire. They were on the western side of it. There were perhaps 20 of them. On seeing some sparks fall from the top of the belfry I thought one of their balls had lodged there and was falling of by pieces. They continued to say in the same tone of voice that the belfry was on fire an at the same time to hurrah for Fremont and some of the other candidates. I saw no more signs of fire and upon their becoming more quiet thought that all danger to the belfry, if any there had been, was over, and went to bed again. I heard no more of the belfry and no more noise in the campus until a little before 2 o clock when a Mr. Ashe one of the occupants of the room adjoining mine came to my door and

Page 3
woke me with the intelligence that the belfry was burning. I got up immediately and found that the lot of it was wrapped in flames and that it was passed being saved.


My room is on the 3rd passage of the S.B. and on the front side.

W. R. W.