The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-02-11
From the Montreal Witness. I

Mother and Eight Children Burned to
Death.
From the Montreal Witnessl
1t was q sad sight that yesterday met
the gaze of those who, after plodding
through the snow from Louis Racicot's
residence, stood around the smoking
ruins Of what was, on Sunday night, the
home of Pierre Dulude and his family of
nine. The building, which stood on the
second~concession back of Boucherville,
was about thirty years old, of wood set
on solid stone foundation, and exposed
to the full sweep of the winds from all
points of the compass that district hav-
ing been at one time burned over clear
of timber, and hence named "Pays
Brule.' Nothing remarkable was to be
seen in the pile of stone, mortar and
burned debris of the dwelling; buta little
to the southwest, in the carriage-house,
was one of the most horrid sights that
ever met the human gaze. There, on
two boards about three feet wide and six
feet long, lay fourteen pieces of what
was sim,.ly roast flesh, all that could be
recovered of Mrs. Dulude and her eight
children. Al odor of the kitchen per
vaded the gloomy shed, and despite the
knowledge that those pieces of cinder
were human, it was hard to realize the
fact. Most of the remains were of non
descript shape, curled, twisted and
bound up in black Jumps or balls. The
names of the victims are as follows
Philomene Desmarteau, IS, mother
Maria Dulude, 13; Joseph Dulude, IL;
Ernest Dulude, 9; Florina, Z; Anna, 6;
Alphonse, 5; Telesphore, 4, and Horace,
tho baby, l. Portions of the remains
are still buried in the ruins of the chin
ney, which fell in shortly after the roof
was destroyed. Pierre Dulude, the
father, the last to retire, went to bed on
Sunday night about II o'clock, leaving
good fire burning in the large sitting
room stove. He was awakened shortly
before 2 q. m, by smoke, and hastily
getting up, rushed downstairs to find
the carpet (thickly lined with straw on
fire near the stove door holder" or
cloth to handle the latch of the stove
door, was in blaze, and is believed to
have caught fire from a spark falling
through the damper. Dulude threw the
only pail of water in the house
on the burning carpet, and then
rushed upstairs shouting " fire in the
house, get up!" When he got down
stairs again he was met by the fire, which
had made great Roadway on all sides,
and was fearfully burned on the thighs,
face, head and arms in rushing to the
door whether his wife attempted to fol-
low him or not is disputed. Racicot, who
lives near by, says Dulude, after he came
to his house, said his wife followed him
downstairs with the two youngest chill
dren IN her arms, but turned back on
hearing the others screaming and crying,
saying, "Tn die with my children
and she did. Dulude, after leaving the
burning house, shouted, "Wait little,
I'll get ladder" He ran to the barn,
500 yards away, and through the drifting
snow, with nothing on but his shirt, and
brought back ladder, but alas too
late; as he raised it up to the chamber
windows, and broke the glass over his
head, the flames were roaring inside.
The agonized father and husband then
ran to his nearest neighbor, Louis Raci-
cots, aroused the latter, and as he en-
tered fell on the floor, exclaiming: envy
wife and children burning; save them %
His shirt, which was on fire, was torn
from him, and he, bloody, scorched and
half-frozen, was put in bed, while
Racicot ran to the burning house. He
called loudly, but the roar of the flames
alone answered. He, with some neigh
bors that collected, then waited till a.
M, when the house had burned into the
cellar. The tragedy was over.