The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-11-15

FATAL FLAMES.
A New York Tenement House
Horror.
An Entire Family OF Five Persons
Meet a Fearful Death by Fire.
Supposed lncsndlarIss Under Ar.
rest,
Who Are Thought to Have Burned
the House For the Insurance.
Meet a Fearful Death by Fire.

NNS HUuob TUT IHd llbuTulCb,
NEw YoRx, November il.-Early thii
morning IRE took place on the sCcont
floor Of 4 tenement house, No. 50 Cannon
street. Mary BabiSka, who occupied tht
apartments on tho third floor, leapOd Il
, the street, and was probably fatally In,
jured. Joseph Baltzkic, WHO lived on the
/ fourth floor, unable 10 escape by the rool
or stairs, threw himself from a window
and WAS killed, His entire family, con
sisting oi hiswiie, two children and moth
er'in.lAw, were suilOcated. The damage
done by the Gre will not exceed five hun.
dred dollars. Cohen and his family were
regarded with suspicion by their neigh.
beiGhboB. Yesterday Mrs. Cohen was
observed carrying from the house, several
large bundles. At few minutes before
seven O'Clock, Cohen and his wife and
children dressed in better clothes than
they ordinarily wore left the house, the
adults carrying large bundles.
4 HEROIC FIREMAN.
Patrick Lynch, the injured fireman,
three times reached the fourth floor and
tried to bear out the unconscious women
and children. Each time he was driven
back and finally made his own escape by
tottering tire escape. In his descent he
inhaled flames and was borne away to the
hospital, where he lay dying at noon.
Fire Marshal Sheldon came early and
made M investigation, which Is now 20
ing on. lie points out the fact OF their
being no semitic in the root. Cohen was
arrested at the insurance office, where he
had SIO1 on his property. His wife was
found also and locked up.
rus surrosGp :SnuMAX rScESDtAHEs.
While the pOlico were Ondsavoring 10
discover the whereabouts Of Cohen and
his wife, the latter appeared, and ut the
sight OF the scOrched house yelled to her
neighbors, MY God, what Is the matter
with our hOuse?"
You may well ask" said neighbor;
flour persons have been carried out Of
here dead. What did you do to your rooms
last uight?"
II aminsuredi Ourp ropcrtyis all right"
was the answer.
Mr.. Sheldon, the insurance man on post
at tho door, interiered and spoke to the
woman who defantly replied that she did
not suppose she had any business to give
him Information. He turned her away,
anu she was not seen again until Il o'clock,
when a detective brought her to the po.
lice station prisoner. At o'clock Co.
hen had come there. HO, too, bent on
money, bringing with him lawyer, he
had reused him from his bed at O'Clock,
stating that tho house was burned and he
must come with him W the office to show
Lim policy. No one bad seen him near the
burned house before. Cohen could hardly
tafrry I'LL the lawyer put on his clothes
anu rushed him ut once to the station
where without word or thought for the
dead he exhibited paper, proving he
was insured for $500 III the Pacific Com.
nany: When Sergeant Griffith informed
MN tIlat he was prisoner, sense OF his
position appeared TO slowly creep over his
mimi and he made haste TO inform the
sergeant he knew nothing about the fire,
anu had been TO work all night at his
trade at No. eos Delaney street, Ills vile
and children had spent the night at his
brother shouse..No. lO4 Hester street. Ills
brothers vile had met with an accident
and they had gone 10 spend the night
with her aud take care OF her.
THE nEARrRESDlSG PARTICULARS.
When the cries Of neghbors brought
the police and fremcn to the house Daltz.
kie was seen rushing wildly to tho win.
dow ol his old room and returning as II
endeavoring to Ding something with
him. The smoke drove him back, but
he returned again. This time sheet Of
flames shot into his face, and with de.
spairing cry he seized the window frame
aud sprang out. The distance was not SO
great, but in his descent the mans feet
were caughtb the Intel Of a window bc.
low The head was turned downward,
and thus he struck the pavement with a |
sickeninS thud, and was dead before he
could DO raised. Flames and smoke now
poured through the upper story win.
uoWsr IRON which not a grOan |
was heard and no sign Of life |
was seen after tho the fall Of
Baltzkie, but fremcn were at work and |
soon the flames were under control. When
at length tho floor was gained four human
bodies, closely huddled together, met the
eyes OF the tremen. A woman, who was
halt conscious, probably, struggling to
rouse herself, with the cries OF her hus.
band ringing out from the window, where
he made two inellectualelTorts 10 come to
her assistance, rolled upon the floor and
reached her Childrens room, her first
thought had been for them. There the
smoke had overcome her, aud, with her
last strength feeling about for her boys,
she had fallen on them and died. Their
drawn up limbs showed the agony Of their
death struggle together. Their cheeks
were scorched, otherwise the fire had not
touched them. The smoke had done the
work efeclually.
NO oEvIDEScE TO HOLD THIN.
Fire Marshal sheldon's investigation re-
suited in the discharge Of the Cohen
family for lack Of evidence upon which
to hold them.