Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-10
A TENEMENT HOUSE FIRE.
Four Children Lose Their Lires 5y the De
Hster.


nster.
New York Special, Feb. s.
Last night sad occurrence took place in
q tenement house in Sixth street. About
ten clock there was cry of Fire =. the
house was filled with smoke. and when
Thomas Cassidy, junk dealer. ran ND to his
apartments on the third floor, accompanied
BY his servant girl, Mary Kinstry, he found
the smoke issuing from the chinks in his
door. Bursting it open, volume of smoke
rolled out. -Four children were alseep in the
apartment, and he rushed to the bedside and
brought out the children-four bows. ranging
image from five years to fourteen months
Two OF them were dead from suffocation: the
other two, the eldest, were dying.
A reporter this morning called at the house
On sixth street. An old four-story building,
with half dozen placards s'to LETT on the
walls, was the place. Several men stood at
the door, smiling and talking. Upon the
writer s inquiry of them, one said he was Tim
Cassidy. he at first declined to allow the
reporter up stairs, modifying his refusal
oy saying that he was "down on the papers. -
but atterward consented. and led him mn
three nights OF narrow and slippery stairs.
SO near the ceilings at the turnines that both
men had to stoop. Removing the paddock
from the door, he beckoned the reporter to
enter.
The room was darkened. the carpet cover
ing the floor was charred, and in some places
1t, as well as the floor beneath it, was burnt,
leaving large holes. The bureau was scorched
as well as other pieces of furniture: and in
corner lay the burnt remains of bed-ouilt.
On q table reclined the corpses of the two
little boys who died last night. The two
little bodies, i'll the gloom and desolation,
were indeed CHASTITY sight. Cassidy re-
moved the pipe from his mouth and drove
away the neighbors-who as soon as the door
was opened focked together like bees to see
the room-wlth the remark that ..this was NO
picture gallery and proceeded to relate
how the sad occurrence had taken place.
1t was evident he tried to make the ser
want girl appear as the direct cause of it. He
was junkman. His wife was out last night
and did not return until the fire was out
About seven O'Clock he told Mary, the girl
/ TO put the children to bed. She came down
about eight o'clock and to his inquiry
whether she had put out the candle Che never
allowed any one but himself to. light the
lamp), she replied yes. He smelt smoke
down stairs, but did not mind il. About
half past nine he went upstairs to retire,
Mary also went upstairs. When he reached
his room he saw the smoke, broke into his
room and brought out the children. The
youngest were dead, The others were un
conscious, but he thought they would recover
The manner in which the accident occurred
was this, according to Cassidy: Mary forgot
to extinguish the candle, and it burned down
and finally fell on the floor where Mary's
bed, consisting of straw and some sheets. was
prepared, and set fire to it. There was nc
bright fame, the fire simply smolderine
/ away.
The servant girl, Mary Kinstery, had been
taken to the seventeenth district police sta
ton. Here the reporter found her. She is a
weak and sickly looking young person, and
evidently took the fate of the children greatly
to heart. She told substantially the same
story as Cassidy, but was positive she had
put out the light. She even spat upon the
wick to make sure it was out. The Oldest
boy was not quite asleep when she left the
room, and began to cry at the prospect of
being left alone in the dark. She thinks he
must have arisen from the bed, taken some
matches from the match box under the man
tle-piece and endeavored to relight the can
die; that he threw away the burning match,
which set fire to the straw, which did not
blaze up, but smoldered slowly away. and
that ne fell asleep before the smoke arose in
sufficient quantity to alarm him. .