Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-08-19
Three Women burned to Death.


city to the place Of the disaster furnishes
US with the follwing narrative -
/ regret much that the rumors Of the
loss of life and destruction of the Court
House and Prison at St. Scholasique
are too true. On Tuesday night be-
tween the hours of eleven and twelve
o'clock the fire was first discovered in the
Court House in that portion of the foot
floor occupied as a kitchen by the jailer,
Mr.. Quinn. I h servant sleeping in
the adjoining room was the first to give
the alarm this was about Is minutes to
u o'clock. Mr.. Quinn and family slept
in the second story, from which small
door led down stairs and to the adjoining
building, occupied as the prison, where
t h unfortunate beings who lost their
lives were confined. On awakening, Mr..
Quinn Immediately descended to exam
inc where and to what extent the build
ing was on fire but, instead of instantly
returning, he left the building to alarm
the sheriff who resided about l l-2
acres distant. When he returned it was
too late the fire and smoke had extend
ed from the kitchen to the only way lea
ding to the cells. 1t is but right to say
that Mr.. Quinn told Mrs. Quinn and
the turnkey to r lease the prisoners,
should they think it requisite, before he
returned. Mrs. Quinn deserves credit
for making exertions to do so but unfor-
tunately she was overpowered by e
smoke that filled the stairway, and becom
ing exhausted, had barely time to return
to her own room and rescue her three
little children, the youngest being an in
FAINT, About this time the alarm wa 5
general, the villagers rallying to render
such assistance as they best could. Pic
ture their horror on finding that within
that burning tomb were 6 human beings
on the point perishIng by the fire,
not speedily released from without. The
shrieks of the three men confined in the
inner cells imploring aid could be heard
above all other noise. Men seemed PAR
alyzed. The cells are built to contain
one prisoner in each and each has a
heavy iron grated door at its entrance,
bolted and locked So confined, the in
mates could not leave their cells to APP
pear at the outer grated window. The
fire was now in the story below them,
and spreading with great rapidity. No
ladders to ascend the windows could be
found about the premises but from the
church at a distance of a quarter of a
mile, one was subsequently, ohtained.-
Fortunately the flooring between the fire
and the prisoners was thick and deaden-
ed, keeping it from them at the time
When the ladder arrived a man mounted
it, taking with him a Sledge hammer.
In a moment the sill of the passage win
dow was broken to atoms, and the iron
bars gave way. Two courageous men
now jumped to the bottom of the passage.
10 feet in depth. They had no key to
open the doors of the cells, but the sledge
hammer was handed TO them, and a few
strokes did the work. The prisoners
were now released from the cells, but
death stared them and their rescuers in
the face, for the window was 10 feet from
the floor. But ropes were handed to
them in time and they escaped with life.
Whilst these events e + e taking
place in the second story, three more I'M
fortunate prisoners were known to be
confined in cells and they had full access
to the windows at one of which W 5
one of the unfortunate victims piteously
imploring "Mon Dieu sauvez n o u 5!
sauvez nous w Above her pale face the
dense black smoke curled, as it gloatng
over its intended victim. To relieve her
was now beyond the power Of man.
Men, women and children, who were
spectators of this scene, fell on h G i'r
knees, praying the Almighty to pity her.
At the topmost step of the fragile lad
der, were the feet Of the Rev. Nj. Barn
abe, with his hands casping the iron
bars, imploring the poor creature to pre-
pare to meet her God. Here this good
pious man, at the risk of his life, gave
the diving creature the last consolation OF
his church. Ere it was completed, the
black smoke became red and in it the
poor girl fell back to be neither heard
lnor seen again. Her mother and sister
we're victims with her but neither o {
them was seen or heard from the outside.
Suffocation, no doubt came early over
them. These three women bad been
confirmed for destroying a new born in
FAINT. The eldest daughter b I'D given
birth to it and her mother was accused
of the strangling of it. The poor young
girl whom we saw at the window, was
held as witness against them. To-day
the remains of one of them were found
in the stove. No doubt the poor creature