The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-05
WRAPPED IN FLAME.

PuRPosELY SET on rIEE-THE pERpErEAToB
OF THE CRIME AT LARGE.
piercing screams Of anguish and young females
form wrapped In bright name were the sounds and
sight that startled late wayfarers and reused the in
habitauts residing No. ITO West Twenty.seventh
stree, on Tuesday night Whom help and tho lre
was cxtnguished II was found that Lucy J.
Freeman, quadrcon girl one OF tho aban.
doned inmates OF the house OF il-fame, al
the number mentioned. had boon fatally burned
her clothes having been set on fro by strange man
or fend 10 human shape who had been passing part oil
the evening in her company. Tho stranger had called
at the house not long before, and when he and Lucy
had been together about hour the other women in
the house heard loud stamping noise up STAIRS I'M
mediaely after Lucy Freeman rushed from her room
completely cnveopcd IN flames During the confusion
her guilty partner made his escape IRON the house.
The flames cxtinguishcd after burning away
nearly all the poor wreichs clothing Although suffer-
ing terrible agony che perfectly conscious Of all
that had happened. She said that the man who had
visited her had lit a match and deliberately FIRE to
her dress. She was taken TO Bellevue Hospital and
placed the little pavilion FOR women where, after
tossing about intense PAIN tho whole night, she
died yes erday morning. The police the look
ont for the perretrator OF the flemish crime
WHAT THE OTHER INMATES say
From the story OF other inmates OF the house II APP
pears that shortly after eleven o'clock on Tuesday
night fuaced man Of medium height, with sandy
side whiskcrs, came to the front door, Mrs. Winters
the keeper OF the place. who admitted him. had only
passing glimpse OF him, but she gives very minute
description his appearance. and says that she would
be able to recognize him again. He had light over
coat dark undcrcoat pair OF rowsors which were
two or three inches short for him. He wore beaver
hat and carried an umbrella Soon after his entrance
Lucy Freeman came into the parlor and he accom-.
panied her TO her room. The other females say that
tho unknown only remained IN the parlor few
minutes but during time they noticed the short
ness trowscrs. They also noticed that he had
strange his speech and therefore judged him
to be foreigner either Frenchman or a German.
About halt hour after Lucy and her companion left
tho paro all the people the house aroused by
loud stamping the door The noise proceeded
from the back room second story, whittier she
had conducted the stranger. Mrs. Winters ran up
stars Just she arrived ut tho top Lucy rushed
from her room. through the adjoining bathroom,
enveopcd a OF flames In distracted way
she usped the end OF the hallway and tried
the 'front.' ROOM nc other woman followed her and
while so doing. While these two women
the man who had been with Lucy Freeman. seizng
the opportunity darted out OF the bath door and
all on fire My God! the house is are!n His APP
parent terror did not, however, prevent him from
taking with him his umbrella.
a rRIGHTruL SCENE.
Just he got OF the front door. Lucy Freeman,
had run back along the hallway, attempted TO
walk down stairs, but slipped and Tell nearly the whole
length Her dresses were still blazing brightly and
the flames high above her head She tell mt tho
Of stairs, but her agony increasing, she
street. In front OF the next house there was standing
the whjtencd stump OF an old tree that had beet cut
down to serve us n hching post. To this she clang
with desperation. The flames, famed by the fresh AR
in the street, burst out moro brightly aud brought
frnpr mfr
sufferer The passers by rushed to her assistance and
she enveiopcd IN overcoats Nathan Brown,
a colorcd living across the street pulled oil his
ulster ana threw II around her Oicer Foley, OF tho
Twenty ninth precinct, also came TO the rescue. BY
these means the tire soon extinguishcd and Lucy
taken into the house suffering untold agony. Then
told her story. She said that when preparing 10
leave her the strange visitor had admired and praised
her beauty. adding '.Wtat pity that you are col
ored woman!" She demanded money from him and
u dispute arose, during which tho man grew very
angry. He took match and, lighting II deliberately.
lire TO her dress behind. that she felt the red
flames licking her back but was not able 10 exnguish
them The door by which they had entered was
locked and she, IN her terror and pain, ala
succeed in getting out that way She
rushed TO the bath door, through inc bath
room and then into out the hallway. She said
that the man had given her his card. which had been
lad on her bureau The other inmates OF tho house
Immediately made search for this card but did not
find II. They thought that the man had taken away
| again after completing tho hcndish deed An ambu-
lance winch had been Tor arrived soon after the
| ycllm had been taken into the house, and she
then removed to bellevue Hospital in charge OF DR..
Disbrow.
| SCENE or THE
After hearing this tale Of horror HERALD reporter
scene occurred He found the second story divided
| into two large rooms, with small bathroom
aeJoinns the rear one; Doors osro mna IRON an1
ana by passage way into tho front room. The Two
latter doors were ockedlwhen tue womans dress was
set on ire aud the keys either taken out she
dazed by the flames TO turn them IN the lock.
Tho place where wretch first set Orc TO
his vic.n's dress Is marked BY round black spot tho
4 uf her
mantepicce. From here thegir had run 10 the door
tho woodwork OF tM door had caught
fire ana partially bur1ha away, and the
carpet was burned. through. Thence sue ran
to the bathroom door, her steps being marked by
little holes burned in the carpet BY pieces OF her
| blazing dress which fell 10 the ground. Holes were
burned In the same manner through the oilcoth OF
bathroom door and The carpets OF tho hallway and
stairs IL strange that the house did not eaten lire
I from her burning dress. The heat which
the poor wretch was subjected may be learned from
the iact that nsr eans, pp'rs Were Oarnsa 70
lavender SILK dress pulled with tariean rus expen-
entirely new, aud worn Tor the hrst time
by tho victim the night that To DO
her last on EARTH while putting II on sue remarked
TO a comrade that she felt that the dress was
bring her either great good luck or some terrible
There we're three cards found in her room-one of .
printing house, another oil Masonic establishment
and a third oil an uptown butcher. These taken
oil by the police possible cews 10 the dis
covery murderer but u certain that either
OF them the tho visitor gave her, they were
not found the bureau whore she had put that
Lucy came originally from Lynchburg, Va. and had
been this CITY leading lite of shame Tor four years.
Her photograph FIRST class imperial taken by one OF the
fashionable photographers Of Broadway represented
girl about nineteen years o ago, pretty ana dark COM
! plcxioned The nose lips perfectly formed,
and she might easily have been taken Tor Spanish
had her short, black coarse hair betrayed
her African descent
! MoEGUE
visit to the Morguc TO view the body OF tho unor
tunaie girl discovered somewhat tho horrors OF tho
death the poor creature suffered There lay the
body old uupanied pine box arnId piles Of
other collins containing also remnants oil decay ing
humanity Her c,ohcs had oeen taken from hcr aud
she was partly wrapped In white Den Her feet wero
burned almost 10 u crisp. From the upper portion OF
her body and neck the skin had been burned or
revealing the aring red mark of the scorching flames.
/ From her chin and the tips OF and tho
skin was also partially peeled OIL, showing how high
the hot blaze must have mounted.
IL was asccr,aned mere that the girl was perfectly