Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-04-15
A Family Burned to Death.

LYLE. sa 5gd ID.
A Family Burned to Death. "a
Rumors of most saddening occurrence
were circulating freely about Waterown
on Monday, but our efforts to arrive to
conclusive particulars were met by nu-
merous conflicting stories, and we resolv-
ed to visit the scene of the catastrophe
personally, in order TO state facts correct.
", beyond all question. We therefore
rode fourteen miles, Monday afternoon
to the scene Of the tragedy farm loca- Il
tad about four miles northwest OF Evans
Mills about fourteen miles from water.
town. We. found a number of people
standing in solemn groups about a cellar,
where FIRE had utterly destroyed q dwell
ing house, in which had resided, until
Sunday night last, Mr.. Daniel Comstock
and HE four daughters, Mary, (the eldest.
10 wears Of age0 Maria, Solona, and Cora
(the youngest aged 8 years.1 It seems a
lneighbor observed about 8 o'clock Sun
day night that all was not right over at
farmer Comstock's and Immediately left
for there Crying " fret as he went. As
he neared the house he heard groans is
suing from within, and franticaliy burst
the door open with the intention of en-
tering he was driven back bt a volume
Inf smoke and FIRE that rushed our AT the
door. He then ran to The window of a
bedroom in the southeast corner Of the
house where Censtock was known to
| sleep. and burst in that window in ike
manner. hut was in ike manner driven
back nr the smoke and fire hat rashed
out. Il was evident the house was all on
ire within, but Others having now arrived,
efforts we're Immediately made to rescue
the inmates. The first effort succeeded
in bringing forth the dead aud nearly
consumed body of one of the children,
from the northwest corner of the house /:
rext was brought forth the dis6gured
corpse of another child from the south
end of the house and then the burning
frame fell. After the fire search was
made and the bones Of the last child were
found in another part of the house, and
those of the father in the opposite end
Not a thing was saved from the house
all was utterly consumed that the house
had contained. 1.
The unfortionate wife and mother of
the family was absent at Auburn at the
time of the terrible event under treat.
ment Of the cancer. a letter was receiy-
ed from Eaven's Mills, addressed to her
husband, while we were in town. which
was opened by a relative. 1t commenced
q NY dear ones at home and RAJ .a.I5
a strain Of the most ardent affection,
dwelling on the happy prospect before her
of a speedy return to her little ones, IS
she was nearly cured. The tone of the
letter indicated that it was almost impos.
sible for her to wait a day before she re-
faces of her dear children. Alasl her
children are gone! God save the heart
of that mother from being crushed utterly
by this awful blow.
/ Conjecture is busy in the premises, as
regards these mysterious circumstances
which are unknown. Mr.. Comstock
was a man 40 or so years of age, and is
represented as having been extremely
penurious. 1t has of late been current
ly reported that he had drawn from the
bank at WATERFOWL, recently, several
thousand dollars in gold ; and from this
fact, some are not 10th to SUSPICION
Some 81 in gold has been picked out from
the rubbish Of the ruins BY a ~neighbor,
and no more could be found.
Our own conjecture, from the facts we
have gathered, is this. The fire took
from Goals in a keg of ashes which Com
stock was accustomed to keep in his
wood house. Himself and four children
we're all gathered together in the bed
room in the southeast corner Of the
house. The fire burned a long time be-
fore ~itaroused the ~sleppers, for his bed
room is some distance from the wood
house. When the fearful knowledge
burat upon them, they rushed from the
bedroom blinded by the smoke, and flew
in all directions, the children wildly en-
deavoring to escape, and the father rush.
ing up stairs to where his trunk, contain
ing his papers and valuables stood. The
floor burned from under him. and he fell,
with his treasures, down from the garnet
to the cellar, and there his corpse was
subsequently found, stretched over the
trunk. some of the papers lying undis-
troyed beEeath him.
This we say. is our conjecture of the
affair, bassed.o on what we have learned
from the lips Of the '~neighbors. Certain
ly, no other view of it can be so fairly
p~redicated on the facts actually ascer-
tained.-Uti Il Herald.