The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-01-02
Burning of the Two Soldiers at Hen.
dersOn.

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unfortunate accident, which resulted in the
death of Privates Joseph Bonny and Ed
win A. Fessenden, of 90. D 10th regiment
of Minnesota Volunteers, stationed at Hen
derson, are as follows: On the 22d inst.
they were tried by Major Cook, of the 10th
Regiment, for drunkenness and disorderly
conduct, upon charges preferred by Lieut.
Davis, and were remanded back to the
guard house, to await his decision The
guard house used at Henderson was the
Jail belonging to the county. This build
ing was the only safe place of confinement
in the town, and had been used by these
men during their confinement of eight
days, after being fitted up in a comfortable
manner with stones, ETC. The character
of the building may be judged by brief
description of it given at the coroner's in
quest. It was built with hewed oak logs,
eighteen inches square, the ends being
dovetailed together, and the logs pinned
to each other with three inch pins. The
sides, floor and ceiling were of the same
kind of timber. On either side were two
windows, grated by round iron bars, one
anG half inches thick, with strong double
doors, the one outside four inches thick,
and the inside one constructed of three and
half inch bar iron, with cross bars of the
same kind, bolted together and double
locked.
About half past five O'Clock, on the
night of the 23d inst, it rained so severely
that the guard, who was to see that the
wants Of the prisoners were supplied, Wis
tied chem and gave them their supper, fur
hished them their wood, gave them pail
of water, candles, ETC., and was returning
to the quarters, when he was requested by
two ladies to see them to their homes,
about eighty rods distant The night be-
ing dark, rainy and slippery, and while alb
sent the accident occurred.
A little after six o'clock, corporal of
the same company, living in a house oppo-
site to the Jail, was called to go to the
Jail, there being disturbance there, he
went and found the prisoners apparently
under the influence ofliquor, that they had
set fire to one corner of the jail, which was
of wood, and very dry. He begged them
to put it out, which could easily have
been done. They refused, and said
that they were running that institution,
cursed him terribly and told him to mind
bis own business, the alarm was given and
another member of the same company
came while the fire was yet small and
built of stove wood set against the corner,
he too begged them to put out the fire,
they refused, when the fire dying out lit
tie, one said to the other, the fire is going
out, put on your feather bed, whereupou
the other took up straw and put it upon
the wood, which made a bright blaze, and
upon this fire cast his straw tick filed with
straw. The fire then became exceedingly
hot, and the smoke very dense. The Ian
guage used to them who would gladly been
their deliverers-was madly wicked, in
sulting and defiant. By this time the sol
diers of the company were there, and a
large number Of the citizens They threw
water upon the flames, which only increas-
ed the smoke--battered down the outside
door-tore off the roof over the timber
and commenced battering the inside iron
door This so deranged the lock that the
keys would not work. The efforts were
redoubled to break down the door, and
finally succeeded, but too late. Within
twenty minutes after the alarm was given,
the accident was fatal one; one of the
men had died, and the other lived only
about two hours.
The prisoners had apparently, through
some means, obtained whisky, and were
reckless. The smaller one could crawl
over the top of the inside door,
the opening being large enough to let him
through, and attempted to get out that
way, when the larger one pulled him back,
and said if die they must he should die too,
for he had set the fire.
A coroner's inquest was held over the
dead bodies, composed of the best men in
Henderson, and their finding was, in the
language of the physician, ''suffocated by
inhaling the heated atmosphere and smoke
of the burning building, set on fire by
themselves" They suffocated from the
fire they had recklessly kindled, and died
from their own mad act.
The burns were not probably sufficient
to cause their death. They might have
saved themselves by laying down near
the door, for there would have been
no fire within six feet of them. They
We're told to do so until the door
could be knocked open, but seemed SO
frightened and bewildered by the smoke
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