The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-10-03
BURNED TO DEATH.
of shelbyvilIe Bagnio, Burned t6
Death.

of sheIbyvine Bagnio, Burned to
Death.
Special to the Sentinel
sHELBYvmLE, Ind, Sept. SO.-About O'Clock
this morning en- alarm of fire given, which was
soon located in house OF ill-fame known as Mrs
Henrys." but who resigned her position as Madam
some two weeks ago to Ida Moore. alias Kitty
Wells, whose home is in Greenfield. Ind.,
but who came here. some eight months ago
from indianapolis. Tho" house is a two-story
frame, with two rooms downstairs and two rooms
above each pair en- suite In the rear are two one
story additions, one on each side. one used as
kitchen and one as . wood-house. The front room
upstairs had been'reserved by Mrs. Henry for her
self, and the door leading into it from the room
Immediately back was locked with hasp and pad
lock, she being away. The stairway led from the
kitchen into the rear room upstairs, which had no
windsk. This room was the one occupied
by the two girls who were burned. The
front roomdown stairs was occupied by Kitty
Wells, the proprietress, and Nelson Purdham, a
young bartender. OF this city. The room back of
this between the front room ana the Kitchen was
occupied by Fred Tormelee, young laboring man
who lives here, and who occupied it alone. Kitty
Wells testified to the above state of affairs before
Justice George NJ. Wright acting as Coroner
in this case and said that all retired
about 1880 O'clock and that there had been no
fire in the house since O'Clock Saturday after
noon. She stated that she was awakened about
O'Clock by the screams for help proceeding from
the two girls upstairs, and going back to the
kitchen door she discovered that the whole rear
portion of the house was a mass of flames, She
then out the front door accompanied
by her two male companions In the
meantime the poor girls upstairs were still con-
tnuing their agonizing screams for help. for they
were canght where escape by their own unaided
efforts was impossible. The stairway had burned,
and escape in that direction was cut of. There
were no windows in the room, and this avenue
was also closed, and lastly, the door open
ing into the front room where they might have
escaped from window was locked with q hasp
and paddock, as before stated. Before assistance
could be rendered them their voices were hush ed
i'll death, and il was only when nothing was left
OF the house but heap OF blackened and burning
they presented a horrible sight, only that portion
OF their bodies from the neck down to the
knees remaining, and the portion left being as
they were not more than q foot long.
Near where the bodies lay an
ugly looking dirk knife was found,
breast of one of the bodies which was said by two
physician who examined it TO have been inflicted
| by some sharp instrument gives rise TO the sus-
picon that the fire intended to cover all traces
| OF darker crime. That the house was set on fire
| is unquestionable, and it is expected that some
sensational disclosures will be made at the inquest
Flora Garrett, of the victims, lives in St. Paul.
| eight miles cast of here She was about twenty
| years OF age, and entered the house where she
| met her death week before last. Maggie Wells,
the other victim was about eighteen years OF age
and came here from Columbus last Wednesday.
A Sentinel reporter met a resident of Shelbyvile
at the depot last night who said that Nelson Pur-
| dun and the other man, whose name is Tormeee,
were arrested and placed in Jail Pur-
| who escaped stood by the fire In
sisting that 1.-TWO girls still in there" but
attention was paid to her, and not until the fire
had died completely out were her words verified.
| There is good deal OF excitement in the town
the affair, and il is the general opinion that
a murder had been committed, and that the fire
was an after thought to hide the crime. The Wells
woman formerly lived on West Washington street.