Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-17
The Oakland Horror Further Details OF
the SickeniBg Affair.

The Oakland Horror Further Details OF
the sickeniDg Affair.
OAKLAND August 16th.-Three bodies,
charred and burned so that resemblance to
human form is almost lost-bodies of young
and innocent children-lie at the morgue ana
tell with more force than could words the
story Of an awful holocaust. Yesterday a
family consisting of husband and wife and
four children, with q visitor, were spending
the Sunday at the house on Second street,
between Madison and Jackson. The father,
James Kalaher, is an itiuerant vegetable
peddler. His wife, ON free market days, sold
potatoes from wagon. The house was a
little one.story shanty, with a sloping roof,
and contained three rooms-a living room or
parlor, a kitchen and a bed-room-the family
living in squalid way. The locality is near
the arm of the bay known as Oakland creek,
and marsh lots form the foreground of the
view from the rear of the hovel.
CHARACTER OF THE FAMILY.
The neighbors say that Mr. and Mrs. Kali
aherwere accustomed to celebrate the Sabbath
by drinking quantities of beer, and yesterday
was no exception to the rule. They were
known in the neighborhood as a turbulent
and noisy family. Mrs. J. B. Fenton. who
resides at the corner of Derby and Fulton
idence about noon yesterday, to spend the af
ternoon and night there. Large quantities oi
beer must have been taken by the occupants,
as shown by the best OF circumstantial evi-
dence.
A ROW IN THE AFTERNOON.
In the afternoon the family was visited by
a MIR. and Mrs. Green. who live Immediately
next to the Kalahers, in a house of similar
construction and equal squalor. During Mr..
Green's stay he called Mrs. Kalaher an of
fensive name. and both he and his wife were
expelled by Kalaher.
DISCOVERY OF THE PIRE.
The next scene in the tragedy occurred al
quarter past 10 in the evening Mrs. An.
tonic. who lives not far from the house, saw
flames emerging from the Kalaher house,
and Immediately ran towards it. Near the
door she met Lizzie Kalaher running from
the house and screaming. Mrs. Antonio i'm.
mediately ran and gave the alarm. The
vicinity was quickly occupied by motley
crowd and the screams of the little girl tell.
ing the horrible tale that there were living
people in the house a number of men rushed
in to save whom they could.
RESCUE OF MRS. KALAHER AND CHILD.
The house was enveloped in flames, but
four men succeeded in bringing Mrs Kalahel
out of the house and took her to the house
across the street. Jimmy Kalaher, six yearc
of age, was rescued alive, but he was horribly
burned and lived in terrible agony until {
o'clock this morning, when the spark of life
fed.
LITTLE CHILDREN BURNED TO DEATH IN BED
Eugene Kalaher, 5 years of age, wa,
burned to death in bed. The youngest of tbs
family, Annie, years old, also was burned
to death in bed, and the bodies were not re
moved until the fire was extinguished.
MRS. FENToN's ESCAPE.
Mrs. Fenton was awakened by the heat
and seeing the flames, jumped from the bach
window. Her feet and face are badly burned
Her arm had been broken some time ago, ano
in jumping she must have fallen on it and re.
broke it. She was carried into barn near
at hand. She and Mrs. Kalaher were taken
his morning to q room in the brick store on
the corner of Second and Broadway.
KALAHER's WHEREABOUTS WHEN THE FIRE
OCCURRED.
At the time the FIRE broke out Kalaher was
at the corner of Fourth and Broadway. He
had met Green, and they were renewing the
quarrel of the afternoon. The police were
compelled to interfere to prevent disturb.
ance Kalaher was under the influence of
liquor at the time. He and Green were sepa-
rated and put in different houses. kalaher
broke away and again began row, when he
was taken to the city prison for safe keeping.
PROGRESS OF THE FIRE.
In the meantime the fire was cracking and
blazing. The Department were promptly at
the spot, but the house and those in it were
devoured, and it burned like tinder- box to
the ground. The house of Green is only
about foot distant, and only by complete
saturation from the Fire Department hose
was it saved.
THE STORY OF THE SURVIVING CHILD.
Lizzie, years old, the only survivor of
the four children, bright-faced little girl,
tells the only story that is known of the ori-
gin and circumstances of the fire. She says
that she was lying awake ON her bed in the
sleeping apartment in which all We're lying at
the time. She was the only one awake.
They had all been drinking, and she was
afraid and anxious. The first thing she saw
was, using her own expression, a lamp Jump
up to the ceiliug and everything catch fire.
She jumped up and threw a pail of water on
the blaze but it only burned worse. She
then ran out and screamed.
WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE.
This would indicate that a lamp which had
been left burning exploded but neither she
nor Mrs. Antonio heard a report. When she
threw water on the burning coal oil the oil
naturally foated ON top of the water, burn
ing with al. much ferocity as before.
fSECoND DISPATCH.I
OAKLAND, August 15th.-Mrs Fenton is
dying. The physicians have given her up.
Mrs. kalaher was removed to the City Hall
this afternoon.
THIRD DISPATCH.l
OAKLAND, August 16th.-Mrs. Kalaher,
mother of the three children burned to death
last night, died from her injuries at 2:10 this
afternoon.
Another Resignation M. ID. Boruck
Sewers His Connection with the Repub.
Ican .fate Central Committee.
SAN FRASoIsco, August 16th.-It being
rumored this morning in political circles that
Marcus d. Boruck had resigned from the
Republican State Central Committee, of
whose executive branch he was an active
member, your reporter called upon the gen.
tleman to ,scerta n the truth or falsity of the
report. The ex-Secretary was found, and
the following conversation took place
"It is understood, Mr. Boruck, that you
have resigned from the State Central Com.
mittee!"
''That is correct. I have"
"What were your reasons for resigning 81
81 resigned" said the editor, because I
wanted to get out.
"Well, what did you want to get out for 81
was the next question asked.
81 decline to give my reasons. My posi-
tion will be fully defined in the next issue of
my paper, and until then you newspaper men
and the public in general will have to content
themselves in state of blissful ignorance !;
but you may be assured of one thing, my rea-
sons are good"
The sprague Case-Pefifion for Executive
Interference.
SAN BUENAvENTURA, August 16th.-The
petition in circulation here praying for Exec
utiye interference in the case of Sprague, un-
der sentence of death for the murder of L.
Wallace More. is receiving great many sig
natures throughout the county. The state
ment made by Sprague on Saturday to a press
reporter, that jesse Jones, the principal wit
ness whose testimony secured q conviction,
afterwards recanted, and his statement in re-
gard to some other testimony, was strongly
corroborated yesterday by gentleman of
high standing in the community, and yet
who thoroughly believes that Sprague is
guilty. Others who were familiar with the
case also corroborate it, even while they do
not rympathize with the man nor believe
aim the innocent person he claims to be
The petition does not specify what action