The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-02-02
Merrill and her children before Judge Jilsun
the proceedings of which we give below:

Merrill and her children before Judge Jilsun
the proceedings of which we give below:
In the matter of the inquest upon the body
| of Mrs Kate Merrill and her four children
Henry, Frederick Mary and Kittie, before j
Jisun, Justice of the Peace in and for the
city and county of Kenosha:
| GEORGE w. SMITH, SWORN.
/ Lam thirty two years of age. know Mrs
Kate Merrill; she is married; her husband left
here two weeks ago or so; she was stopping
at the Halliday House, SO called. / saw her
last night between 10 and IL O'Clock; her
room was No. 8 in the northwest c. rner ofthe
house, upon the third floor fl ON the ground
She had family of fo1r children; their names
were Henry, about the age of Is years; Fred
erick. about the age of 9 years Mary, about
the age of S years; Kittie, about the age of
9 wears. Mrs Merrill and family were at the
Halliday House last evening; the Halliday
House was burned this morning about half
past four o'clock there was an alarm given
in the house; was then in my room; | got
up and opened my door it was right near
the flames; OCCUPIED room "A;'' the smoke
rushed into my room; got my wife up and
we came out the door under the flames, and
got down front stairs in our night Clothes
We had to bend down to get under the flames.
After [ got down to the foot Of the stairs
went under Mrs Merrill's window and halo
ed, then went across to Engle's house and
got pair OF pants; then L went back to the
house and was going up the entrance, but the
door was fastened, and | got into the pantry
room. | saw CaprOn go down east side stairs
all on fire; didn't hear Mrs. Merrill at all.
The fire originated in the lamp room or wash
room-f don't know where, the rooms were
adjoining; don't know who had been in the
lamp room. | was the proprietor of the
house called the Halliday House before the
fire: Mrs. Merrill was in our room till half
past ten last evening; the children were abed.
She had two rooms opening into each other.
Simon Fuller had had charge of the lamps;
he is badly burned as l am informed. heard
no explosion of the lamps; Simon trimmed
the lamps kept in the lamp room. We kept
lamp burning right over the office desk all
night, but not in The wash room.
FREDERICK S. LOWELL, SWORN.
/ went to bed about IL O'Clock; heard Mrs
Merrill in her room,-her room adjoining
mine; L heard some person 1 supposed to be
| her / went to sleep, and was awakened ct
what hour I don't know from the alarm of
| fire I supposed the fire off outside of the
house, and proceeded to dress; got my pants
Oh when / heard some person repeat the
alarm, and raped on the door and cried fire.
Immediately after this the door of Mrs. Mer-
rill opened and she or some person rushed in
to the halls heard q child scream, and heard
her voice--I think it was hers; / heard her
oldest boy on his crutches. | then became
satisfied that the fire was in the house and
that the danger was imminent. / gathered
up my coat and hat and rushed into the hall;
it was filled with smoke and a bright light
| from below; it was impossible to see anybody
in the hall: I thought l saw person, sup.
posed it to be her; | got into the passage and
went soath, and took look below thought
could not get down the main stairs. and
concluded could get to the ladies' private
passage. passed three or four people when
| fh0 0f f1,,nr cOr
merly occupied by Reed; grouped along till
l came to the passage down to the dining
room, and started down it, but the heat was
so intense after making step or two I turn.
ed back and went to the east window of the
hall and looked below to see if the snow was
deep enough to risk jump Ii had occasion
was satisfied it was dangerous, and went
back to the main hall, and as [ turned the
corner heard woman's voice / judged the
flames were licking up through the passage
way and stopped an instant: the light shown
up from the office way; in grouping along
was brought up by wood box; went to q
window and pulled open the sash to get out
on the top of the awning after l got out
allied ''come this way-here is way" but
heard no reply; 1t was out towards the privy
walk. [ saw Wilder upon the same way; saw
another person-learned it was Chase-iumr
i from the fourth story and fall on an awning
! aud thence fall OFT the back way | will say
i that in coming back came across one per
son and have reason to think it was Charles
/ Brown. heard person go up stairs to The
fourth story, it WAS probably Wilder; he go
| int room No. s.; said he heard Mrs. Merrill
| | was in the third story room nearly opposit,
Mrs. Merrill's. Have been at the Hallida,
House six months there is always ligh
kept burning at night over the desk. hav
never seen light of any kind burning in tn,
lamp room the fire took place in the LAM
| room.
| EMMIL SIENNA, SWORN.
j / assisted in finding the dead bodies afte
/. the fire; we first found the lame boy callet
Henry; we kept on digging and found chile
smaller than him, then we found another on
right close to the second one. After digging
a little further we found the baby lying will
an arm around it, it was It's mothers arm; w
found her body near, the child was lying OF
her lett arm, the little one and mother wer
together. We took the bodies all out, wha
there was left of them the head, feet anC
hands were all burned off. We laid then
down by the doorway of the iced store, AM
then they were taken and put into. this DO.
/ altogether. aud these are the bodies here tina
House after the fire There We're five of then
1.-THE mother and children.
AsAHEL FARR, SWORN.
am physician, practiced "a years. TIL
larger body before this inquest is unquestion
ably that OF a female the Others are bodies
/ OF children.
f. CHARLES BROWN, SWORN.
/ / heard the alarm of fire and got UP ant
started out of my room to 90 towards the
stairway: went about one half the way of th,
| hall and there was so much smoke and hea
| could not go down; turned to go back anC
met Mrs, Merrill. My room was upon the SC
floor to the north end upon the west side. No
s; Mrs Merrill's room directly south of mine
on same floor; had no conversation with
} Ter. / could not find my room when l came
back; got into the next room south aud got
out of the window there. I only went one.
half the.way of the stairway, got suffocated
and re urned as have stated. first heard