Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-01-03
TERRIBLE OCCURRENCE.
Six Persons SufIOcated by Gas.
From the Chicago Times of Dec. 25th.l

A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
No. 1877 Lake steet was the scene of terrible
calamity on Sunday morning. On the evening OF
Saturday six men retired to rest with no thought OF
danger When the morning dawned, five had made
that unknown journey we all so much dread, while
a sixth lay convulsvely gasping holding 10 the
thread of life with an uncertain, nerveless clutch
The only agencies which produced these direful re-
suits a simple gas-ppe, from which careessly
fitted cap had fallen.
The building is known the Bremen Hotel, and
is a wooden structure, two stories in height. The
ground floor is used for saloon, and the upper story
is occupied sleeping apartments for bOarders,
some fifteen or twenty of whom lodge in the house.
On this floor are four rooms. The front room con-
tans four beds, and is ten by twelve feet in size
Next back Of this are two rooms smaller in which
are three beds hudded closely together that there
is scarcely standing room between them. In the
second of these rooms lay the man Wright on mis-
erable pallet and seemingly struggling with the very
death throes. The horrible atmosphere had poisoned
his blood, and had nearly undermined the founda-
ton of life itself
But the fatal chamber which lay next in the rear
gave more reason for an expression of horror when
the spectator could not well repreSs. On bed the
bodies of two youthful brothers lay extended at full
length on their backs their faces thrown back, their
ewes wide open, and staring almost in your very
gaze, and with an expression of indescnbabe hor-
ror. Their faces white marble, and that pc
cuar waXen cast which belongs to the dead alone.
just below them was another bed, which was empty.
Close to these two beds ran a partition OF rough
boards about six feet in height, and behind this
were two other beds on which lay the forms of the
remaining victims of this appalling occurrence.
On the lower bed were the two bodies OF James
McCauhT and John johnson, the former being that
of a man who in his life must have been full oil
yigOr and strength, while beside him lay more
youthful and slender form, both stark and rigid
The features of McCaulih were stolid and impasSve
and showed that here death must have stolen its vic
tim without resistance.
Next to this was the body of the young man
Johnson lie, too had evidently met an easy
death, and the smile which overcast the handsome
features indicated that it had also been encountered
without pain.
On the bed against this lay the corpse Of Louis
LOut the gasps of whose bcd-ellow, Wright, were
distinctly audible from the adjoining room. Death
had come to him m II most terrible form: his dis
torted and CHASTITY features were full Of agony.
ANOTHER CAsE-FOUR PARTIES RENDERED ISsEN-
sIBLE-TwO or THEM DEAD-AN AFFAIR OF MIs-
Terry, ETC.
From the New York Herald of lst.
very mysterious case, involving the death of
two parties and endangerng the lives of two others
was brought to light yesterday. 1t appears that u
Mrs ROsanna Gahey, aged 20, her son Francis, aged
Do and her daughter Nancy A., aged "a, and her
grandson Francis, aged years all occupied small
room in the tenement house 5y7 Grand street, and
that, about one O'clock yesterday morning, the son
Francis who is baker came home and wept To
bed The other members of the family had already
retired. About half.past two, Mrs. Cosgroye, atady
residing at $50 Grand street. went to the house TO
call on Mrs Gahey and knocked at the door but no
one answering, she tried the latch and found the
door open. She went into the room and saw Mrs.
Gahey, the daughter and grandson, lying in bed,
and the son sitting in chair and all, to every ap'
pearanCe, dead. She ran out and gave the alarm.
officer Brodhead, of the Thirteenth precinct, came
in, and on examination found the old lady and
grandson were dead. The young man and young
woman were still alive. DR.. Blivin, police surgeon,
and Dr. Calvin were called in and succeeded in re-
storing the two parties to partial consciousness.
They were unable, however, to give any explanation
of the circumstances. The only theory that could
be arrived at was. that as the was very small
and very tightly closed up, and small cooking
stove in it contained some fire, sufficient amount
of gas from the stove must have remained in the
room to produce death.