, 1876-06-11
CASUALTIES.


FfVECHILDREN BURNED TO DEATH
Detroit Free Press, June Q.
About mile back from Luke St. Clait, st
Stony Point, SONG Is miles above Windsor,
stood rather large farm house which was the
residence OF Francis Mailloux, his wife and seven
children, the Oldest II years Of age, and the
| youngest 8 months old. The house was built Of
hewed logs With c1apboards On the outside, and
consisted Of main part with TWO stories aud 8
kitchen addition at the rear end. In the front
part OF the lower story was bedroom, in which
Mr.. Mailloux, his wife, the baby, and the oldest
child we're sleeping. The upper story contained
| two large ROOMS which were separated by q small
hail and stafrway. In the front room, upstairs,
| the remaining FIVE children were sleeping. Be-
tween the stairway and the bedroom occupied
| BY the parents was the dinfng-room, and the
lower landing OF the stairway was between the
| diningrooin and the kitchen.
Mail1oux and his wife were awakened by the
struggles Ut the baby, which was In the bed
with them, and Immediately they discovered
that their room was filed with smoke. To
! and to awaken the oldest Guild WIS but the
work Of an instant. Then they opened the door
into the diuing-room with the intention Of
going out at the side-door aud also to awaken
the children upstairs. There they were met by
of the dIning-ro ON and diving them back With
its awful heat, Closing the dovr, Mr.. Alailloux
passed through the bedroom and parlor and
out at the front door, followed by his wife
nith the baby and eldest child. Taking them
turned to give the alarm to the remainder Of
bis funltly, and snw a 6mall, quivertug fame
struggling through the roof, which was COM
pletely uvershad0wed with thick aud dense
q sight calculated to shake the stoutest heart.
The chamber became suddenly lighted, and he
could see that it WAS filed with smoke.
Still none OF the children appeared he
went to the side door and found the stairway
mass Of fire. He returned to the front door and
dashed into the room Wild with fear and for a
minute was lost to sight. When he returned
his hands were badly burned and his hair. whis-
kcrs and eyebrows we're singed. He was met by
his wife and together they looked nt the chamber
window. There they saw indistinctly through
the smoke, the forms Of their children fr4ntlcai
~ waving their hands and feebly struggling
to reach the sash. One by one they disappeared I
until only two remained in sight, and Just then
they few being followed by cloud Of smoke, |
which hid the window for several minutes, dur |
Ing which ti1e Mr. htid Mrs. 11ailloux could only
watch, hoping that from the dark canopy 1boye |
their children would drop into their outstretched
arms. The minutes seemed huurs; the sus-
pensc was awful and only the rush and roar of !
the flames was heard Suddenly, with q sharp
and short crash Of glass, the window above their
heads, where but short time before they mad |
seen their children, sent forth huge, hot bar
OF flame, driving the now thoroughly distracted |
parents away from beneath 1t and telling with |
terrible breyity the sad fate Of their little
ones. AL that could be had been done by
the parents, and returning to the swu surviving
children they gave themselves over completely
to their grief, where they were found shortly
after by their neighbors. The nearest neighbor
lived half mile away aud it is probable t1at no
assistai,ce would have arrived had 1t not been
for Hector Prcdhomme, Of Windsor, who, while
riding about a mile away, suw the flames and
gave the alarm. Soon there were fifteen or
Evenly persons at the scene, and while some of
them attended to the grief-stricken parents the
others turned their ATTENTION to e1tinguishing
Fas out Then began the sad search for the
1odies.
Last seen near the front window, the search
or tho children began at that point, but they
scrG not thete. At last, in corner OF the
DOM, about Is feet away from the win
low, were found clustered together In q
'ickening, horrible heup, the ren1ains Of the i've
blc, there being no clothing, nothing but bones
md portions Of limbs. The details arc too |
horrible to relate, but may he realized when it
stated that when collected they were placed
n an ordinary -four BARREL and occupied about
'alf the space therein.
lated but it is Supposed that 1t began III the |
.ltchen.
Mr. Nai11oux and his wife are both badly
urned about the fate aud arms, and as ret
ave not been in condition to relate their frantic
forts to save the lives Of their children; but ,
hat they did struggle hard is plainly shown
= the severe nature Of their wounds.
DROWNED.
Yo1 yJ-s,r l r