The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-01
FOUR LIVES LOST BY FIRE.
THE BURNING TO DEATH or A FAM
ILT IN HEST DEER FARK.
Tho Chsrred Bodies Of David skidmor Mrs.
Taylor, tho iiousekeeper, Ficet Weeks.
and Wesley Wright Found In tho Rains.

ClaueinR stood In the bnrroom OF hte hotel A. |
Deer Park, l.. l., at o'clock yesterday morn |
ing, Charles 1yrrell. young man In the employ |
OF DAVID skidmore near the village. ran into the
room and said, "Mr. Clausng what do you
think2 The house and the old man burnt
up" MIR. Clausinr, In amazement, refused to
believe the statement, but Tvrreiis manner con-
nrmed the story he told lie said that hc and
Laura ra,lof, an occupant of Skidmore house.
we're W itinc upon sick man In n shiDty near
by, when the light Of the burning house at
tracte1 their attention. 1t was then too l,te TO
attempt to savo either the building or ia In
mates. MIR. Clauslng sent Tyrrell to give this In
formation to Mr John Il. Walker. lawyer In
Deer Park. In a few minutes the nows spr 'ad
through the little settlement, and a party was
formed to visit the scene Of the confederation.
III. house of David Skidmore (or Uncle
lloyle," "a he WIS faminariy called) lay In the
midst ~ wide belt of pine woods mile and
hilf from the village, aud as far from any hab-
uation lsewhere. Here David Skidmore who
was nearly seventy years OF age, had lived
since early youth, following the ocoupt-
uon OF charcoal burner and wood deal
or, and adding to his possessions until, with
large farm In cultivation and several acres of the
wooded land that separated his home from tho
settled districts, he had come to he regarded AS
m Of moro than moderate wealth. Daring
these years he had married three wives. two OF
whom are dead. and all OF whom quarrecd
with and left him. Three sons, the eldest Of
whom Is about forty years of age. and the young
est thirty, were born To him, and lived with him
until wiihin the past two years One bv one
they too quatrelled with him, and two OF them
sought a living elsewhere hy choice, while the
third was turned away. Tho old man. A. tho
world knew nim. was Grabbed and unsocia lie
mad out few friends. and far from seeking to add
TO the number. he seemed careless Of even their
sKIDmoRE's ouARREIs.
Mr.. Skidmore had two ctotchcts, the all ab-
sorbing one being bis love for litigation. He was
upon the same issue, the ownership Of wood
lands or wood. lie claimed all the land IN the
vicinity OF his house, and though he was often
wurlted In the courts. he surprised his neigh
bors by the frequency with which be proved hts
title to tue disputed property. Although ne
was inter rate and could not read. he always
whom he sued were his sons, Dayld HOWE
Skdmote, the eldest, and Carl the next
In age. These two reside In Deer Park village,
and have not been on good terms with their
father for many months. Like their iather,
they made unsatis actory matrimonial adven-
lures. and live apart from their wives David
car, ana returned to Deer Park In OctOoer.
Cstl. who has alwINs lived In the village, Joined
him In the wood business. and succeeded IN
arou-ing their fithers propensity for legal W.T.
fare uy taking their wood from place which,
to him, The suit he brousht against the boys
was sill pending when the disaster OF Yesterday
occurred. lnree or four similar suits against
Others are also awaiting settlement.
The little party that set out for the farm house
from Deer Park village saw the hames and the
smoke OF the still burning dtbris long before
they reached tho clearing IN which the bull ting
had stood. The barn and cattle sheds aud the
well house were standing unin jured, but all that
msined OF tue house were the brick fouDds-
ton walls and tho thick. tall chimney. twenty
feet Of when still stood In position In the cell
isr Of th. house iav black N ass OF charred tim
hers and furniture. smoking all over. aud occa-
sionally bursting into flames. AS tho men look.
AH AtkNxn int hA OFT hAf a Fat
| blackened arm raised above the level Of the
smoking cinders aud burned on at the wrist
| Ing and kissing In tue furnace IN which they
rested. An tner body lay INSIDE the:walls In the
other side VI the ruins. blazing like the Others.
| SONS EoNCHALANCH
| David skidmore, the eldest son. came 20 the
scene and walked nonchalantly around the
RUNS, saying nothing TO those he passed. when
| Coroner Preston. he asked a friend to accom-
pany him, and the two procured a wagon and
| drove away. His brother Carl Joined the rapid
| " ihcre asinR crowd that had gathered from all
| the neighbonng towns. Before noon he seemed
| more IMPRESSED with the horror of tho scene.
aud talked somewhat freely with those he
| knew, asking questions and showing an Interest
| get water and throw II upon the bodies he turn
ed on his heel and walked away.
| Until that moment II had not occurred to any
| one either to alay the nre T remove the bodies,
| although the latter were burning away beyond
recognition rapidly. When the thought did
occur to them, however the men all worked
with energy and kept toe neighoorhood Of the
| bodies soaked with water until Justice Cooper
of Babylon arrived at p. NJ. Justice Cooper
selected a Jury from the assembl ,ss TO be pre-
| pared for tho Coroner. The bodies were re-
moved oy b: nS q, Plsass S ws.' ls.d
::%SoSidsfSs sisd:r and burnt clothiuS
underneath. and one BY ono tho blaokened
corpses we're earned 10 tho barn and laid upon
do'I 40 .hf .Ss he ynns n wso
wtu Charles Tyrrell, had discovered the nre.
helped to identity the remains. One body, on
| which the Iron OF corset was stil cllpHinS
| Laura TAYLOR k.S " 10 be that OF her mother, the
| housekeeper. The body next 70 this LAURA
! thought must be the corpse Of esey Wright,
who lived With her motner. The bodies, oi
, ID vid Skidmore and Fleet Weeks, his old assist
an, Laura distinguished by the teeth 10 Skid
more upper Nv and the absence OF toem In
| Weekss head.
INQUIRIES ABOUT INSURANCE.
Coroner Preston did not arrive, and toward
nlSht ths crowd DISPERSED leaving two men to
he would mold tue inquest this morning. David
skidmore, the Oldest son, who started for the
| Coroner al A. NJ, stopped to treat all nds in
| ns"ylon tavern, and to inquire how much bis
| fatheT's house WAS insured for Of BAOyon in
its conteDts we're lnsuIsd Tor $1,000. At F. NJ.
he sought the Coroner, and Informed him Of tho
n, ed for his presence a; Deer Park.
Late last night reporter foun. Ihhles TYR
rell and Laura Taylor seated together by tho
| stove In the rude snanty from whicn they had
seen their home destroyed. rho girl, who ls
| that had caused her mothers death. The
| shanty was the home Of a woodcutter VINO b had
been employed by Mr.. Skidmore. This laborer
was STICK, and although he mad wife In the hut
with him, she said she had come over
from her homo TO sit up with him.
| Al h3lf past eleven . wagon drove past
| In the road between tho shanty and Skidm ore s
| house. She noticed this because wagons rarely
passed there at night. An hour later she saw
| the blaze OF the burning house. and with Tyrell
| ran over Just In timo 10 see the collapse Of the
| building. A form appeared at the window OF
| her mothers room all instant before the nnAl
| crash, but she could not recognize VINO 10 was.
| There was a sudden swaying OF the walls, a
| burst OF hame all over the building, and IN a
| flash the structure lay upon the ground. No
| ono had been heard to cry while tho house was
| burning, aud no one had been seen In the neigh
| borhood either early or late at night.
When Laura was asked whether she did not
feel Erieved at her mothers death, she replied
Yes; but what can dO2 There's no use doing
| any.hlng." In reply To II request for her impress
sion as to the cause OF the oontagrition, she
said "1he house Ia In the habit Of catching
| nrO. IL has open lreplaces aud when nre
| biaZes, tho woodwork around the mantelpieces
| takes hre." She afterward said that MIR SKID
mOre's sons were at enIniy with both their father
| and MIR. Wright ana intimated that the house
| might have been maliciously nred. Her stories
| OF how the nre attracted her attention, ana OF
| the subsequent incidents, are said 10 have been
| so conflicting as to make her testimony value
| less. Charles Tyrrell was not present. but when
A Nl.. .a..N lag