Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-05-20

Large Fire isa Chicago.
T EN- SONS BURN e u
Coroner's Inquest, Incidents, etc.

Coroner's Inquest, Incidents, etc.
We clip the following from the Chicago
Journal Of Tuesday evening:
This morning. about fifteen minutes be
fore three n fire broke out in two story
teneme II on South Wells street, between
Van Buren and Quincy streets. The alarm
was instantly sounded and the engines were
promptly on the spot, but in spite of thei
efforts the building was entirely consumed.
II was occupied below by Daniel Bates.
ai;as "English DAN who kept the Flag o
Our Union saloon There were also two
large vacant rooms on the lower floor. The
upper story was occupied by four or five
families. The building was owned sAbra-
ham Smith aud the loss is probably about
$4,000.
The next building consumed, was two
story frame, occupied below as n saloon and
above as "a dwelling house. The building
was owned by John Kane and he kept the
saloon know a. the Fourth Ward This
building was entirely consumed. Loss pro
pahly .looo.
The neat tenement south was Wilson's
Bakery, which was partially consumed -
The loss we cannot learn. The Troy FIX
change was also badly damaged by water
and fire. but to what extent we have not
learned.
We are panied that we cannot close this
record of ravage with the trivial loss ofpro-
pertv. A second time we are compelled to
chronicle dreadful loss of life. Ten per
sons, occupants OF the first house consumed
were burned and their charred bodies were
L no min
yeved 10 the Armory to await the action OF
the coroner 1t is almost impossible at pres
ent TO obtain the names of the unfortnnate
victims. They are 50 terribly dlshgured
and blackened that those intimately ac-
quanted with the occupants Of the hout,
cannot tell them apart. The inmates ofthe
house, as far We can learn, were Mr.. and
Mrs, Bates Thomas Johnson and his wife,
Margaret Malone and child, Mrs. Riley,
widow woman and her son John Riley IA
carpenter. name unknown and two child
ren, Frenchman, named unknown; a wo
man and her husband, who peddled dry
goods, and their child
A. fast as TIE bodies were recovered they
were taken TO the armory and numbered -
There We're the corpses of three women,
three boys one girl and two men, numbered
as follows.
No. |. Mrs. Riley
No. 2. A boy, the son Of Mrs. Margaret
Malone
No 3. Woman unknown.
No 4. VIM Riley.
No D. Frenchman unknown.
No 6. Margaret Malone.
No 7. Il 10y five years old.
No s. a girl about the same age
| No. .. a girl about three years old.
No. 10. A mere heap of bones.
! 1t is reported that there are others miss
! ing, but up to noon their bodies had not
| been found.
As soon As the bodies were brought over,
| Coroner Hansen summoned the following
jury of inquest James T. Brown, Fore
man. T. H. Smith, j. c. Rcinhart, Charles
Partridge, ~ S. Nichols. c. ". Dawson, :.
i W. Wallace, G. = Burdsali VIM. Rennie,
Remig Gootz, H. = iIuou, end ID. Bloom.
The following witnesses were then ex-
amined:
He7rU E,riag sworn: ara policeman No.
Is. Was on beat No. 9 this morning. The
first alarm was cry Of watch was on
the corner Of Clark and Madison; ran to
| Wells street and saw the tire. When
got there q back kitchen was all in flames.
DO not recoieet OF meeting any one on the
way; tried to get some water. went round
to the front: lit n candle and went up stairs;
opened door when the smoke and rush OF
air blew the candle out; could hardly
breathe and was obliged to get out. This
was the building north Of the one first on
fire; one of the bodies is that OF Riley; he
kept IL wood office for Mr.. Smith. No. 3
ia Il woman who peddled old clothes, and
think No = is her son. There was a dance
in the Illinois House near by but it wa:
closed before the fire broke out.
Austin Brace, policeman No. 73, was neX
sworn His testimony is the same as Ew
ing's.
DaaiI Bates, sworn lived at 2f6 sontl
Wells street; KEEP, saloon; went to bed d
little after ten; slept up stairs; wife went t.
bed at the same time; | rented the upper
rooms to n man named Harrison, carpen
ter, his wife and three or four children, ;
Frenchman, q widow woman named Riley
and her son, and .peddler his wife an,
child. The peddlcr is away. The first
knew of the fire, my wife woke up, anc
said. "My god Dan the house is afire. -
jumped up, opened the door and the smok'
rushed in and sent Inc back | then open
| ei we Wih'loW iU'i luiuteu nHu toid nti -
follow and | wou.d catch her. She jumped
and INJURED herself Mrs Riley screame,
from the front window that the house wa
atire; told her to Jump but she went back
and that was the last | ever saw OF her
Next person ! saw was johnson, who 90
out. there was no fire in any place but
back shed in the rear of the vacant rooms
between ME and and the bakery was all il
flames; the building was owned by Smith
the landlord and had some words few
days since and he has sued me for rent
NY property was not insured.
Mrs Bates was very Sc us'y injured il
jumping from the window mentioned be
fore, and her life is in danger.
Thomas johnson had his foot badly burn
ed but is otherwise uninjured.
drunken man was foand after the fir
buried in the rub ish, completely covere'
with mud ana drenched to his skin
Strange to say, he was uninjured.
The investigation will probably be con
tinued this afternoon. The fire was un
doubtedy the work of an incendiary, enc
it is to be hoped that the villain who fire.
the building and caused such destruction o
life, will be detected and brought to tn
punishment hs6e richly merits
rK-Couldns clip laughing the other day