The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-05-03

'N'V"'h'hS NV Nv VIC 'oP VI Hia 'oiSo'
MINISTER'S SUICIDE.
A few weeks ago your correspondent
telegraphed the Times an account of the
marriage of Munster, member of the
British house OF commons, to the daugh-
ter of DR.. Henry G. Lynch, of this city.
Mr.. and Mrs. Munster travelled until
within the past two weeks, when they
returned to the city, and have been stop,
ping at the Southern, occupying rooms
there when the alarm of fire was given.
Both escaped from the building, but in
the confusion became separated. Mrs.
Munster was taken to her fathers home,
and her husband went to the room of a
friend, and slept there. At late hour
this morning he suddenly sprang out of
bed, eXclaimng that his wife was at the
hotel. Before he could be stopped he
had snatched up a pistolan fired, shoot
ing himselfthrourh the right temple and
falling dead. His funeral will take place
on Friday. The coroner's jury tonight
decided that the unfortunate man was
crazed.
MISS KATE CLAXToN's MIRACULOUS Es.
CAPE.
Kate ClaxtOn, the actress, whose mi
raculous escape from the theaters in
Brooklyn and Washington will be re-
membered, gave the Times correspondent
the following account of her experience
in the burning hotel. Miss Claxton
says: :" lett the Olympic theater i'm.
mediately after the performance, and re-
turned with my brother to the hotel
We went into the dining room to take
late supper and there we found Miss
Osborn and Miss Mcclellan. Miss Nc.
Clellan was so bright and cheerful, and
was 20 charmed with her sweet face and
manners, little imagining what was 80
soon to follow. After bidding them
good night went up to my room on the
fourth floor, and my brother retired to
his room on the same floor. sat down
and read little before going to bed and
everything at the time was quiet. Tho
next thing that remember was loud
knocking at the door. | was undressed,
and had been sleeping some time. In n
half stupid condition | turned and list
ened. listened again, and the knock
ing was repeated. With the knocking,
the sounds of which were far and near,
came the dreadful shouts of Fire! Fire.
| sprang from the bed, and a terrible
feeling of oppression came over me.
cannot describe it. Hooked | up at the
gas in my room, which was burning dim
ly, and there saw smoke curling around
the chandelier. Then it appeared all at
once to fill the room, and dense clouds
came through the apertureofthe fire crate.
! thought instantly of my brother and
rushed out, undressed az | was, to dis
cover his room. Meanwhile he had been
disturbed by the noise, and was approch.
ing my room. said: Let us find the
stairs, or we shall be lost. My brother
was then half dressed, and reached
across the bed to pick up something to
throw over me. We could not find the
staircase, and the confusion and the smoke
and roar of the fire were mingled with
the most piercing and heartrending
screams. | shall never forget it. We
were not acquainted with the hotel ar
rangemGnts, for the common practice is
to use the elevator in ascent and descent,
and therefore could not find n staircase
or any means OF escape, There were
Others on the same floor in the same
terrible dilemma, but could not see each
other for the smoke. We groped along
and presently found step downward,
and commenced to descend What hap
pened | cannot say, for do not distincly
remember. have been in greater dan
ger, az you know, and always endeavor
to maintain my comPosure, but the
smoke last night stihed the senses We
reached by some means or other the first
landing of the ladies' staircase on the
Fifth street side, opposite the Olympic
theater. There was great crowd q
ladies in their nightdresses in tho vesti
bule, and some of the physicians were
persuading them that all would be safe
We did not heed this advise, and passec
out on the street. A way was mad,
through the crowd for us to reach tn,
hotel opposite, and. Il remained there some
little time to recover myself There
saw poor Miss Mcclellan brought in.
can never forget it. My brother pro
cured carriage shortly afterward, and
we came down to the Lindell. / feel
very much worse to-day than did when
| arrived here after the escape. / have
lost every thing, literally everything, for
| am under obligations to lady sypathiz-
ers and friends for the clothes which you
see me wearing new. have nothing of
my own whatever, except the night-robe
in which | escaped. "
MR.. AND MRS. GERLICH.
Herman Gerlich, the new German
consul here, and his wife, jumped out OF
third story window on to the east
porch, and both sustained serious inju
ries, Mr.. Gerlich breaking his left leg
and Mrs. Gerlich injuring her spine.
Mr.. Gerlich succeeded Robert Rart TO the
consulship here, and received his appoint.
ment from Bismarck some two weeks
ago.
Mr.. AUsTIN's ESCAPE.
Mr.. Austin, one of the hotel clerks
also had very narrow escape. He was
sound asleep in the sixth story of the
building when the alarm was turned on,
and when awakened by the shrieks OF
the women in the Railways and adjoin'
ing rooms nearly every avenue of escape
was cut off. Fortunately for Mr.. Aus
tin, he knew the Railways and stairways
of the hotel almost as vel in the Il rk
and smoke as under the nj Jst favorable
circumstances, and it was this that en-
abled him to crawl along the floor and
slide down the banisters to the second
story. Before leaving his room he had
the precaution to tie wet towel about
his mouth and nose, but on the second
floor this did not seem to keep him from
breathing enough smoke to suffocate an
ordinary man IN the open space sur
rounding the rotunda opening he made
very little progress, and finally lost his
bearings altogether. He could see moth
ing, and could scarcely breathe, but il
would never do to give up unless forced
Il