Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-13
FEARFUL DISASTER.
Six Persons Killed By the Falling Of a
New Brick BuildiBg--The InTesti.
gatIon Develops Criminal Care
iessHeSs.

LOUISVILLE, October 11.-A terrible
! accident occurred here this evening, in
/ volVing The asath If sle persons. A
/ new house, being erected at l06 Maikst
! street, between Third and Fourth, four
/ stories high, fell about seven O'Clock,
I crushing in the rear part Of two houses
/ adjoining-ofe ], g. Webb's printing
/ Office, the other Henry NOTES merchant
] tailoring establishment. Nolts's family,
J consisting of himself, wife and five chill
dren, and journeyman named Lewis
/ Johns, were at supper and were buried
/ in the ruins. The accident quickly
/ drew large crowd Ia front Of the place.
I The fire-alarm sounded and the police
and fremen were promptly on the
I ground and soon recovered the bodies of
/ three children, boys, aged about four,
/ eight and twelve years, badly bruised
/ and cut, but apparently no bones broken
and the doctors thought not dangerously
/ hurt. After several hours labor the
bodies of the remainder of the family
were recovered, consisting of NOlts,
wife, baby about eighteen months old,
a little girl about six years old, and the
journeyman, all of whom were dead.
I One of the boys died afterward, evil
Af-lAl1 lIOlfl AlDtindA w NAAtA1I
is known for the accident bat it is re-
ported that the walls were put up too
/ quick and before the mortar was well
set. Much feeling is excited in the city
By the affair and the frequency of SINH
lar accidents, causing much comment
and talk about creating a Building In
spection Committee. Johns leaves a
wife and two children.
Tho ax-afNar,a,r,H oh TI,a fanVfrr4 q
cident from the fall Of building last
night, continues to-day. There is
strong determination on the part of the
public to hold the responsible party to a
strict account for the deaths of five per-
Sons. The reported death of one of the
/ three boys taken out OF the ruins, crush
ed, but alive, is incorrect; ii is thought
that two wiz die, Legal proceed
ings will be promptly instituted in the
/ City Court to-day. A rule has been issued
against the owners of the property in
jured, ordering them to show cause why
the buildings should not be torn down.
Warrants for the murder of Henry
Nolts, who, with his wife and two chill
dren, were killed by the accident, were
issued this afternoon against John An
dTewartha, architect, John He'll, con-
tractor, and Lawrence Stillman, fore
man or builder. The warrants were
placed in the hands of Detectives Cave
and Needy, who arrested Andrewartha
and He'll, who were admitted to bail in
five thousand dollars each. 1t is report
ed that Stillman has fed to the country.
The mortar used in building was Of
wretched quality, being little better than
wet sand. The building was being
erected for r. A. Robinson and Charles
T. Petit, trustees of the estate Of w. F.
Petit, deceased. He'll had a contract
with them, in which he assumed the re-
spOnsibility for accident or damage dur
ing the erection. The rear portion Of
four houses was crushed by the falling
walls, two on each side. In the second
house on the west a family made
very narrow escape from the fate Of
NOlts' The COroner's inquest was adj
iOurned to ten o'clock tomorrow morn
ing, SO as to give time to get reliable
evidence as to the cause of the
accident. The victims will be bur-
led tomorrow afternoon. It is reported
NOlts had an insurance of five thousand
dollars on his life. The damage to
property altogether will amount to
nearly fifty thousand dollars.
The appearance of the mangled re-
mains was sickening. They all had
their heads crushed in and fearfully
gashed, bruised and disfgured. Many
bones were broken. A little girl had an
ugly hole in the breast, made by
Jagged piece of timber. The faces, all
but that of baby, were crushed out Of
all resemblance to human features.
The tragedy has created q deep i'm
preston throughout the community,
and it will probably result in the organ
ization Of a system Of building inspec-
ton.