The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-08


1t moved off. There were thousands OF lnqulr-
les if this person or that was saved The roll OF
the fortunate ones was so small that it was only
too easy to answer the question. kilograms
came to the city from all parts of the State the
institution having been one that had wide
spread celebrity, earned honestly after twenty
five years of hard labor by the sisters. The Sis
ters had very little to do but they remained in
the st. Agnes Orphan Asylum, with nothing but
their clothing they wore when rescued from the
burning building.
Their faces were sorrowful and their eyes wet
with tears They all spoke of the nobeness of
the Mother Superior in her attempt to save the
children, and all agree that from the start the
situation of the inmates of the institution was,
from the moment of the fires discovery, almost
absolutely hopeless They were saved from the
veranda at the south of the building through
the efforts of Fathers Cough and Stephen.
| The sisters who were burned, besides
the Mother Superior, were those who
had direct charge of the pupils in the dormitory.
When the smoke first burst in upon the group
of sleeping girls, these sisters were also
awakened, and the smoke pouring in upon them
was followed up the stairs by the flames. Their
escape was cut off and the entire group died to-
gether and went down in the crash of roof and
floors.
SISTERS STATEMENT
AT the St. Agnes Orphan Asylum number of
the sisters were seen and all gave accounts of the
fire OF the number there was one whose large
brown eyes were dim with weeping and her face
wore an expression of sorrowful solemnity
which appeared striking. She said that the sis
ters were awakened first by the smoke which
poured into their apartments on the third floor.
They arose and donned their habits the Mother
Superior being present and exhorting them all
to keep calm. Some of the sisters stood in the
windows and called fer help Fathers Cough
and Stephen reached the top of the veranda,
/ L INrrr -nf n
ladder Father Stephen went away into the
dormitory, and had all the sisters
safely down the ladder, when it was learned that
Mother Mary Jerome was missing Father
| Stephen went to door and opened it upon the
corridor. The corridor was filed with fire, which
scorched the reverend gentlemans face and
! clothing and as the door was opened the entire
| dormitory was lighted up by she flames and ev-
| cry white bed was found to be unoccupied How
the sisters got out this little sister did not know,
but she was thankful that they were saved and
sorry that so many poor beings should have per
| ished.
| One of the most thrilling and heroic incidents
of the fire was the escape of Miss Maggie Dona
hoe, little brunette of fifteen years, blessed
| with an intelligence far beyond that of people
many years her senior. She was seen by a Re
| publican representative early in the morning, and
| asked concerning her experience. She told her
| story consecutiyely, and concisely as any news
paper could wish, and in her simple Ian
! guage, devoid of ornamentatiOns and eXaggera-
very wildly She said:
1--WE were all up in the dormtory and asleep,
| when were walked up by great noise down
stairs, and by the room being filed with smoke.
All the girls got up and they were rushing
around crying and screaming and we could not
see each other account of the thick smoke.
A number of the girls to the doors to get into
the corridors, and was among them. When
the doors were opened the smoke poured in upon
us and the door had to be closed The Mother
Superior then appeared among us and spoke to
us all. For time the smoke seemed to disap-
pear and then ran to a bed and there saw little
ProXie Schlernitzauer, who is on y six years old.
| picked her up in my arms and ran out of the
door although Mother Mary Jerome
called to me to stay where L was and
we would all be saved. L ran cut int the
| hall and reached the stairs and [ went down
| them do not know how 1t was awful hot, and
| there was fire behind the stairs as | came down.
could see it and feel it,and the smoke was awful
thick | reached the door and ran out and some
one wrapped me up and took me to the orphan
asylum with little ProXie who was very cold 1t
was an awful night Nobody of the girls seemed
to know what to do, and they just ran around the
room as though they were wild did not know
what to do myself, and don't know exactly how
| did get down with little Proxie 1t was a very
narrow escape, know but oh my, the other
poor girls" And here the brave little girls face
| was hidden in her hands, and she was led away
to be consoled by kind sister.
THE SISTER SUPERIOR.
The Sister Superior Mother Mary Jerome
had given all her life to the service of herchurch.
She was known in her young girlhood is Barbara
He'll, and was born forty four years ago in Pitts
burg. Her parents were wealthy people, and
her education progressed under the most favor
able circumstances. She passed through the
academic course of the Sisters of Mercy at Balt-
more Md, and entered the Convent of the Con
! gregation of Notre Dame at Milwaukee, Wis,
! when sixteen years of age, as a novice When
| her novitiate was completed she was sent by the
Superioress to New Orleans. She remained
| there but few years, being next assigned to
Bellevlle, in 1859, as the Superioress of the new
Convent and Academy of the Notre Dame SOcie
! ty. The early history of the convent is full of
| difficulties overcome by the business tact and
intelligent direction of the young Superioress
| From time to time the house was enlarged. cost
ing in all about $50, 900, and was the principal
convent of the society. Nearly all the
debt had been removed from it by the
wise management of Mother Jerome
She was a most unselfsh and amiable woman,
| beloved by every one who knew her. When the
fire was raging she might have saved herself,
being in the dormitOry from which all escaped
save her. When the others descended the lad
der to safety her thought and action to save
| the lives of the children intrusted to her care
and loved by her with the intense love of truly
motherly nature Her selfimposed task was
| Ruthless for all communication between the
dormitory of the sisters and the dormitory
of the children was cut off by the
flames and the suffocating smoke. She perse-
vered and persisted in her heroic effort
In addition to the large convent at Belleville,
Mother Jerome founded several other houses of
the society in southern Illinois, and exercised
through the delegation of the Mother General of
Milwaukee probationary jurisdiction over the
several converts south of Milwaukee. Through
out her jurisdiction, where she was so we'll
known and so well beloved, the sorrow will be
lmit4ess.
More Remains Removed.
BELLEvILLE Jan. THE search in the ruins of
the convent was resumed between 10 and IL o'clock
this morning. and was continued till about 4 this
aftapnOon that hat Xyera s1,nDocad 70 no tha