The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-12-21
"A Heart-Rending Scene,

ONE of the most heart-rending and
slckening affairs that we have ever
been called upon to chronicle occurred
IN this county, near the Benton line.
thirteen miles from this city, on Tues
day night.
Mr.. Is. F. Schrader, an elderly Ger
man farmer, had succeeded, after
years Of toll, in making himself
comfortable home near Holstein's
store, and was surrounded by large
family, having eleven children in ALL
lie had built a two-story frame house
on his farm, and, although not a
wealthy man, was in easy circum-
stances
On Tuesday night, about twelve
O'Clock, the Schrader family were
aroused 10y the smoke and flames, and
terrible panic at once ensued. The
building was completely enveloped in
flames, and was almost ready to fall
in by the time the family were awall-
ened. The old people, with a babe,
slept in the lower story, and managed
to escape with slight scOrches. But a
terrible fate was in waiting for some
of the occupants of the second story.
One OF the boys, named Joe, was first
to take in the situation. He saw that
al escape was cut off by the stair
way, and there was but one
chance to save his life and that
was to jump from the window to the
ground, a distance of about twelve or
fifteen feet. There was no time to
discuss the matter in his own mind,
and, breaking out the window, he
made the leap, sustaining but slight
injury, caused by cuts III breaking the
window panes. Frank, aged nineteen,
was next to make the leap, but he did
not 90 until his back and face were
considerably Singed. lie suffered a
severe Sprain of the right leg i'll max
ing the jump. His beard and hair
were burned into crisp. Caspar,
aged ten, did not conclude to make the
leap until his hands, legs and ears were
almost roasted. He sustained no in
jury by the jump, but his ears were
terribly swollen from the effects of the
fire. Peter, aged nine years, leaped
and landed safely.
Abby Schrader, a young lady of six
teen, WAS the last one to jump, and
she came very near putting it off too
late, as her night clothes had already
caught on fire, and her arms We're
burned almost into a crisp, and the
flesh was ready to drop from the
bones. In making the jump she was
unfortunate, and alighted on stone,
cutting II deep wound in her leg, which
bled profusely.
The older children, in their anxiety
to save their own lives, forgot their
little sister Lizzie, aged six years, and
their helpless little brother, aged three
years, who were sleeping in the same
room with them. After the older ones
had jumped from the doomed building
Lizzie was awakened by the tOrtures
of the flames that We're leaping madly
around her. She made her way to the
window that had furnished a means of
escape for her brothers and sister, but
lcsltattd to make the fearful leap.
Her father saw her looking out of the
window, and, holding his arms out to
catch her, encouraged her to jump.
Already the flames were devouring her,
and it is probable that her reasons for
not jumping were that she was de-
prived of the use of her limbs. She
leaned over the windoW-sill until her
lower eXtremities were burned off, and
she fell Il corpse at the feet Of her dis
tracted parents The three-year-old
boy baby was burned in his bed, and
never even so much as issued single
Scream.-tSetiaiiu (lfO.) Democrat.