The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-06-03
goLYoKE's HOLOCAUST.
TN. Human Burnt Offering In n Pin
Church.

French Catholic church at South Hol'
yoke, during the evening service, and
involving the death OF ~sixty.six men,
women and children,
The church society was established
abont seven years ago, and Father
Dufresne had been the only pastor
The parish included all the French
Catholics Of the city, whose number il
estimated at from 1000 to 2 800 persons
The church wns erected in 1870,
ENTIRELY or PINE;
vas about one hundred feet by sixty
two stories, with galleries on the sides
and north end about twenty-five feet
wide. There were two doors in the
north end and the vestibule, from which
two doors opened into the body Of the
church. The galleries opened into the
vestibule. At the rear end was another
door by which a few persons escaped.
Immediately upon the breaking out
Of the flames all the occupants OF the
galleries rushed TO the east door, II
falling upon one another choked mp the
doorway with their
BODlES FILED IN Am Mhhp
seven or eight deep. Here most OF the
lives were lost. From this mass Chiel
Mullen rescued one young woman after
having taken of two dead bodies from
above her. The chief and others had
their clothes almost burnt from them,
and were badly burnt about the hands.
In the rear Of the church wa the
priests residence, which was also de
stroyed. The walls were pulled down
after the fire was nearly put out. One
woman jumped from tho highest window
down upon the front steps, breaking
her arm. A man with
TWO CHILDREN IN HIS ARMS
Jumped from q window and escaped.
One poor woman cnyelopCd in flames
shrieked out-"For Gods sake, a v
me-" and she was dragged out.
THE HERO OF II DISASTER
was John Lynch, Il brave fireman., who
was the first to respond to the alarm.
He describes the scene when he reached
the burning church as appalling.
Wedged tight ard immovable in the
doorways was q dense macs OF humanity
from six to eight feet in height, none OF
them able to stand upright from the
terrible pressure Of the crowd behind,
while upon and wen them a sheet of
fire rolled like u wave streaming far out
into the open air. Without a moments
pause to consider their danger, Lynch
and chief engineer Mullen rushed into
the flames, spurred on by p%iteous cries
"For Gods sake come and help u.s.,
and began pulling out bodies. A
moment later and n well directed by
drant stream from Mt. Holyoke struck
the brave rescuers and undoubtedly
saved them from being burned alive.
The first persons drawn out were burn
ing, but they passed directly through
the stream Of water and the flames were
extinguished. Some of the poor crea'
lures fell fainting on the long flight OF
wooden stairs leading down to the street
and few were able to walk.
BY this time the entirJ fire depart
ment had arrived, and worked with
such energy and will that when the fire
was extinguished the charred wooden
Wbllb Vi wv NLI uCllllu WIN OlhlItlbE
and were pul ed down by the ho k
and ladder men in order that search
for the bodies might be made. Only
u very few moments comparat, yely
elapsed after the water struck the
building before The fire was out,
but the destruction of life during
that brief period was terrible. Some
sprang from the gallery windows and
were seriously injured, and II person
appeared Mt II window.
COMPLETELY WRAPPED IN FLAMES,
aud after totteriDg there an instant fell
TO the ground dead and unacceptable.
Hundreds of men went to tho wreck as
loon as opportunity offered, to search
for bodies, and II force of police was
organized to keep back the large crowd
which had gathered. The greater mum.
her of bodies wero found in the fatal
entry way burned, some of them to a
crisp. The body of one woman was
found in the pew she had occupied, her
clothing entirely burned off. A ieslly
woman who weighed some 1870 pounds,
was dragged screaming from the mass.
She was carried II short distance from
the church and placed on the grass,
while the
E ACTUALLY PEELED OFF,
of her back. In II moment she fell over
dead. The scenes last night and to-day
in the sc~hool.house basement, where
the bodies Of the dead were carried,
were heart-rending in the extreme. In
somo instances the features were dis.
tolted rs though extreme agony had
been suffered before death, but many
looked calm as though smothered. All
were blackeDed with smoke. Some
were burned btyCnl the possibility of
identiiic ,tion, Nothing remaining but
the trunk.
Louis Dosjernen, 81 years old, whose
wife and daughter were both burned to
death,
BECAME INSANE
to-day from grief, IN cried continually
in agOnizing tones, "Oh my Julie ! my
julio !" Some we're taken out alive who
were under others who were dead, and
owed to this fact their own salvation.
One of tue most protracted cases of
suffering was that OF Mary Desiernen,
who, burned past all recognition and
blind, some how found her way to n
Mill north OF the church and wandered
around there about twenty minutes be-
fore she was found and taken to her
home, where she died about IL o'clock
this morning., having fingered fifteen
hours in fearful agony.
The fate Of lmmenie Menser and her
lover was IA touching event of the fire.
She was organist for the evening, in the
absence of the regular one, and was cut
off from escape. Her lover escaped,
but, finding she was stlll within, turned
back and shared her fate.
A REVISED LIST OF THE VICTIMS.
The --latest revised figures give: Dead.
n; fatally burned, %; other wise burned
and wounded, 81 OF the II dead, 55
f..l. ..l ~ -,n1na