The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-01-23 00:00:00

SHOCKING DEATH BY FIRE.

A young married lady, aged about 24 years, the wife
of Mr. Barlee, was burnt to death under most shock-
ing circumstances. on Sunday morning, at 28, Lans-
downe crescent, Notting-hill, (near London.)
It appears that a Mr. Barlee, his wife, and two
servant girls retired to rest at the usual time on Satur-
day evening, without detecting anything out of the
ordinary way. About six o'clock on Sunday morning
is policeman saw that a fire hail broken ont in the
lower part of the house, and roused the inmates.
Very shortly after that Mrs. Barlee was seen to open
one f the third floor windows, am! RC reamed for help.
It was evident that the stairc.tse was on fire, and that
her life was in great peril. A fire-escape was it mar
sent for; but, as the nearest was at least half a mile
distant, the suspense of the spectators, and the sense
of da,er in Mrs. Ilarlee, were terrible in the extreme.
seleam+ continued, amt. although police and c.a.-
,•• • s iv. re hurrying with the escape as fast as
11,,v could, she manic back from the window, ex•
a hy the smoke and the scorching heat which
loci for some time enveloped her, just before
help arriven. Still an attempt was made to reach
her. The escape was planted against the house, and
at a Mend the fly laklder was raised with too much,
but laidonable. baste. The guide ropes were pulled
• Ay IVId the ladder broken, so that all e113,10e of
savil a the life of Mrs. llarlee was p:Lst Mr. Earle.,
16111,4 mama ed to escape from the back part of the
Sun after the first alarm tint:hies belonging to
the Fire Brigade reached the spot, and, use they were
pc, arin,t to at..ark the tire, a gentleman who was
sanding near called attention to another WOMSM who
was standing at one of the higher windows at the back
14 the house and screaming for help. Two of the fire-
men named Grfinshaw and Buckland, finding no mime
ihrect wiiy of reaching the woman, ascended to the roof
cif the inljoiniter house, thinking they could go from
that to )Ir. Kirlee's. They were, boa ever, lids-
, taken. The roof WAS SO steep that it was impose

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sible to keep a footing there, and there was no
gutter or coping to prevent their being precipitated
into the street if they risked step. Per-
' plexed for an instant, the men were soon urged to
exercise their ingenuity by hearing the screams of the
woman. Theycould not see where she was; they could
only guess by hearing her servant,. They called to her
to keep up her courage, promising t i reach her soon.
Then Grimshaw, who had obtained a rope and
fastened one end of it about his body, whilst Buck-
land held the other end tight, crawled down the steeply
slanting roof, and, making a guess at the spot where
the window was at which the woman was screaming.
he threw a line with which he had provided himself
towards, her, having previously shouted to her to try
and catch it. Very fortunately she caught it at
the first throw, and said so very eagerly. She
was toll to put the line many times about her waist
and make it fast. This she did, and on her
crying that she was ready, Gritnshaw, 'shouting
out, " Hold fast, for God's sake !" pulled at the
line, and, amid the breathless anxiety of the
spectators, drew her from the window. Then the
spectiters, with a sickening sensation, saw the woman
holding on to the line, which depended from the 111111114
of a man who, without foothold, was himself held up
to the roof by a rope, moving with bump after bump 1
aaainst the wall and spout from the window of one i
house to that of the other. Soon her rescue was
completed. She was Mrs. Dance's servant named
Sullivan. The only dress she hail on was her night-
gown. Her body, which had been burned in several
places, suffered more from the bruises she sustained as
she was dragged from the window. She was carried to
the hospital, and is progressing favourably there. The
remains of Mrs. Barlee were found in the course of
the morning, burnt so shockingly that identity seemed
impossible.
Captain Shaw, the chief of the Brigade has made
inquiry into the circumstances attending the damage
to the fire-escape, and exonerates the conductors from
all blame. He speaks of the exertions of Grimshaw
and Bucklandin saving the life of the servant Sullivan
MI 'will deserving of high praise.