Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-01-17
A HOLOCAUST.
Burning of a Convent at Belle
vile, Illinois.

ACSOISS. LIE Institute OF the I'M
maculate Conception Sisters of Notre
Dame, at Belleville, H., fifteen miles
from this city, was destroyed by fire
about midnight. About sixty pupils
were IN the school, ranging from 10
years to full-grown, all girls, and
several teachers and other inmates of
the building. OF these. twenty-0ne
persisted miserably in the flames or
were killed Ia jumping from the win
dows. Five of the teachers and the
sister superior also persisted.
The tire was discovered when II
BURST OUT THRoJ OH THE ROOF
Soon the forms of women and chill,
dren, clad in their night dresses, beR
gan to appear at thn windows, their
shrleks and piteouS pIeadmgs for help
being heard above the roaring of the
flames and the falling of timbers.
One by one and IN groups they disap-
peared, and again came back to the
windows and began throwing them
selves from third story windows. Sey-
eral were assisted down a short ladder
from a second story window by bv-
ISLANDERS. Sister Gilacia, who taught
the boys day school, with great pres
ence of mind, led several girls down
from the second story to the basement
and escaped by the rear of the build
ing. A par y of men picked up the
dead and wounded sisters and carried
them to the morgue and the orphan
asylum. At the latter place Dr. Kohl
and other physicians were IN attend
ance, and as soon as the injured sis
ters were brought in, dressed their
wounds and placed them in bed in one
of the dOrmitorieS.
WHERE THE RUINS bad COOLED
sufficiently to permit of it, force of
men went in behind the lettering
walls, and at no inconsiderable risk
began tearing aside the Accommodations
of rubbish, in search of the remains of
the lost. Soon three bodies were re-
covered, and then backbone was
thrown out; next the horribly dis
torted body of a young person. The
body of Sister Mary Jerome was found
near the bodies of the unfortunate
girls she vainly essayed to save. An
ugly blow in the back of the head had
barred the skNll, but when the body
was brought out into the light the as
sociates of the deceased promptly
identified it. partially by the gold fill
ing of the teeth and also the wooden
garments which chung around her
form.
The bodies, or portions of different
bodies, were loaded on shutters and
carried through the streets exposed to
public gaze. As the la5ors of the
searchers met with success, an express
wagon was procured and dccency was
respected by covering the repulsive
figures with tarpaulins. A one-stOry
brick cottage on Race street was
CONVERTED INTO A MORGUE,
with the rudest class of accOmmoda,
tons. AS the mournful cortege halt
ed in front of the house every half
hour the remains would be carried in
piecemeal and arranged In satisfactory
order on the imprOvised tables. Rela-
tives and parents looked for rings as
the best means of Identification, and
where these ornaments were not found
the task Of identifying the remains
was absolutely sickening.
The Institute of the Immaculate
Conception was a three story brick
building with mansard roof, and had
q frontage of $50 feet and depth of
100 feet. in the basement of the east
wing was placed the gas generator,
and 10 the west wing the furnace was
situated On the first floor were To-
Gated the reception rooms, parlOrs.
school rooms, dining room, ETC., and
in the rear was the kitchen. The
second floor was also used partly
for school purposes, and as a dor,
mitory for candidates and lay sis
ters The story above this was
used for general purposes. 4
veranda occupied the space below
the two wings in the rear, this
veranda being at the first floor the
rcof extending to a level with the
third floor Leading upstairs from
the main entrance was broad stair
case. On top of the main building
was situated q cupola containing the
convent bell.
The buildings ard contents were
valued at SIS, 900, insured as follows:
German of Freeport ......................S2, 500
Milwaukee Mechanics Mutual ........... 2, GOO
Buffalo German ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2, 500
Phoenix Assurance. London. ...-........... q 500
London Assurance. .......-.......... D 0O0
North America Observation-Disclosures. $500. 5, 600
Home, New York ....... NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $40
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 1.-THE reportesr
who returned from Belleville tonight
state that search was resumed IN
the runs of the convent between 10
and II o'clock this morning and CON
! tinued till about 4 o'clock this after
noon, and that what was supposed to
bethe remains of six additional bodies
have been recovered, but the rem
nants are so indefinite in character as
to be difficult, if not impossible, to
determine whether they represented
six or some other number of persons.
One of these is believed to be Sister
Agnelia another Emma Stolk,
of Carbonate, III. There is still an
other, Minnie Bailey or Mary Bartels
Two more of those found yesterday
were identified as Laura Thompson
and Amelia Leonard. 1t is not defn-
itely known how many more are
missing. but search Will be continued
tomorrow and kept up till the ruins
have been dug over. The inquest viii