The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-11-25
THE ASYLUM FIRE..


In last weeks ADVANCE we gave
some account Of the burning VI one
wig Of the INSANE Asylum at st. Pc
ter. This wang sttms to have been th+
one in wlsicl, Must Of tht: patients were
kept, and unfortunately the hospital
where the helpless inmates were. WAS il.
this part of the building. a number
OF these helpless and drnented creat.lr'
rs were roasted alive. The xl.astly
list Of dead f"ots up thirtv-tw", al
though the authorities 1T first ,nlrav.
ored to make it appear that o"ly six
were lost. The hope that some the
thirtv-twp missing had escaped aud
would yet bt' fou Il has been given up.
INCIDENTS OF THE ERE.
Fiction would b. searched in vain for
any scenes more appalling aud abound.
ing in exciting Incident than those al,
tending this Smoking Cal unity. The
fact that the hospital with its helpless
inmates WAS il this wing; that many
Of the windows were barred by iron
CRATES thus preventing escape through
the windows. and that even ut the best.
the 600 or 200 hundred dtlnent+d ill.,
mates were liable to become duubly
mad under the excitment and rusl, t"
death us readily lis to safety. I'LL com
bined 10 render the calamity peculiarly
exciting and distressing, We have
space for only Il few of the iEc,le It's.
The Pioneer Press rtp'rter says:
CONTEMPT OF DEATH.
1--WE Will go UP stairs now, it you
please,' SAID Mi. Dryer IL your cores.
pOnutnt. from the upper h'"r you
can get an iura of Tie tXttlIt 1T uui
damage, and the general features oil the
Wing destroyed. We mounted ~
Stalls, llltol!.ii pools OF water and owe.
scattered piles vi debris, ahu l.nk..!
nurthWaru iron, il window on the top
floor. ''Tlert,' said AIR. Dryer, point
my to three windows 1T the end If The
l,aii looking south from the nui iii wing !;
'Tlltrt | wil,essttLtht most l'Iii.,supn.
icai bit Of realism | ever SAW. u III.
tient sat in the window. his Ant->
drawn up to his c!,in aud his face in his
hands, an interested and thoroughly
cool and COLLECTED spectator OF our ef-
forts to quench the flames that Were
surely approaching toward him. lie
was IN the third story, and setmtd to
me to manifest very PRONOUNCED Or
der q. sanity in refusing t" jump to the
ground. lie did more than that; h.
manifested il cynical and fatal contempt
for the flames that licked the wallis a.
round him. When Il Will lwind Of film"
came particularly near him. liz bowed
his head Il title lower. and then i,l,n..-
diattly resumed lis position Of philo-
sorhical contempt. THE flames CANT
nearer and nearer, and finally the brick
work beneath him gave way with
loud crash, and he fell backward into
the cllanS Of fire and death and ruin
with il laugh, which those who II ard i,
say they can never forget"
The Globe reporter relates this Incl
dent Of another
HEROIC DEATH.
One pnnr wretch was literally roasted
alive. lie occupied Il room in the third
story of he corner where the fire start.
ed. During the fir" he stood peering
through the bars Ut his living grave
with he seeming culn,leSS and fnrti
tude of Il martyr. II e flames crep'
sttalti'i'y upwards and he " tcl,t.l
their advance with the keei,eSt interest
and cunlpnSure
lie seemed infatuated ut the pros
poets Of suffering Il fiery and awful
Il .:,tl,. Red, SinunuS shafts VI lire dart
I'll upward and almost lic%ru his face;
still ht WIS uuin.lmSSionth. mercy
.|nd~iug the flames by Sharp turn If
the head. AT last he cage BECAME fill
cd with flames and he <tnid there unlix
Ell. the cent? of Il fiery furnace. Su.:
denly there was Il crash and the poor
wretch went down with the debris with
ont uttering II gr"an.
The work Of searching for the re-
mains IF the burnt INMATES went un fn,
several DAYS The Pioneer Press repor-
ter relat this Of the finding Of DR..
Pruudtn'S remains.
APAN OF ASHES.
They were walking towards the dead
house, carry ing u large tin sh,pan.
followed tn III Il, Il asked McEat,len ii
there were a. y ntw discoveries. 'A+
have Dr.. Pr,ldt!en hrre.' he replied.
luckt'! III the pan and saw 4 bit Of
stomach, and part ct backbone, the
w'"lt weighing probably three pounds.
Il made up my ,niud.' &,id McFa'lt+n,
It" know something definite about DR..
Pruduen this AFTERNOON, and we have
been searching where his room was SIT
III
eighteen inches and came across Il halt
burnt timber. which is still hot. w..
der this timber | found what you SCI.
here"
''"as there no head?' asked.
"Nmne." he replied. "Tlrre was
neither head. arms .r legs. But | am
SatiStirI that this is I'LL that remains "'
DR.. prultl-n. for his room WAS Located!
directly over the place where this stulm
aclI and backbone were found"
THE MOBILES COUNTY PATIENTS.
r. ere were three inmates from No.
bleS county in tile asylum. viz: Ben
1lns>rlton. C|,aS. II. BIZ, Der and Pete,
Peterson. llnsStl."n is only partially
insane and WAS ahll,.lantly able to tax,
care of himself and is safe. Peter P+
terson, it seems. escaped and was found
8 veral days afterwards in Il corn bin
The Pioneer Press reporter says:
Peter Peterson, of obl-s county, WAS
found this forenoon 1T 80, confnrta
bly stoned away III IL Corn bin, Ut the
main building, right over the engine
When found, liz was contente.lly
munchin= corn and us happy rs Il king
II" willingly accomplnirtl his friend
Fred Klein. back t" the 'ormitnry.
c"tnttd A(mnt "A dozen corn cubs where
lie had lain, which showed that he had
not starved. lie had been III the cor,
crib since the night Of the fire.
Chas. r. Barber, brother to DIR. r. D
Barber, is among the lost. lie refused
to be rescued. it seems, and voIuhtariI,
le;sped into the flames and persisted. W.
copy again from the Pioneer Press:
McFadden looked Il little further il
the place where Charles r. Barber