Connecticut western news., 1884-05-07

Fourteen of the forty-fve inmates of the Van Buren County Almshouse and Insane Asylum ill Michigan, were burned to death on Wednesday morning. The buildings were completely destroyed and nothing was saved.
 The asylum consists of large two- story frame house, two-story frame addition on the south, the latter recent ly erected, and large building situated some little distance away, used as resi- dence for Superintendent Cash and his family, the keepers and the hired help. The oldest building was denominated the jail, and in it were confined the violently insane. The middle or newest building was comparatively empty. The addition to the main building contained better class of patients and it was here that the loss of life occurred. The fire was discovered about two o'clock and the alarm was given by man named Halsey, who was sleeping in the main building, and who was aroused by the cries of the inmates in the addition. Hearing the roar of the flames he rushed to the door leading into the hallway and threw 1t open, when the smoke and flames burst into his face and nearly stifed him. He shut the door, and, running to the front part of the build ing, aroused the inmates, who only had sufficient time to escape in their night dress.
 When those who had escaped had col lected their scattered senses, it was found that the addition, in which were confined the paupers and more rational patients, was totally enveloped by the flames, and all thought of rendering assistance to the fourteen unfortunates confined therein was out of the question. The spectators were compelled to stand idly by aud gaze at the onward course of the flames, above the loud, seething roar of which could be plainly heard the agonizing, blood-freezing shrieks of the poor idiots, who were being slowly burned to death. Every now and then figure could be seen at one of the upper windows, the night-dress already burned and the eyes of the unfortunate almost starting from their sockets and showing in strong re- lief to the face, already blackened and scorched by the flames. Of the two or three persons who were thus seen all appeared to be totally bereft by fright of whatever little sense they possessed, for after an agonizing glance out upon the crowd they turned and with a maddened yell fell backward into the angry fur mace.
 Soon the cries grew less frequent and after time ceased altogether, and the spectators knew that the inmates were past all agony. The flames swept on, however, until the woodwork was de- stroyed and then began to abate. Final ly, with the aid of the onlookers, but not until it had consumed everything within it's hot grasp the fire was extinguished and the work of looking for the bodies began. With but one exception there was no recognition possible, all that re- mained of the bodies being a mass of charred and withered bones, which when put together, only partially filled small box. It is now thought that there was less suffering among the inmates than at first supposed, as those who were seen at the windows are supposed to have been the only ones who were not smothered in their beds by the smoke before the flames had reached them.
 The patients in the so-called jail build ing managed to get out alive. The build ings being of wood and very dry the flames seemed to envelop them in an in stant and burn them out of existence al most as quickly. The superintendent's family had barely time to escape. His daughter was i'll with typhoid fever, and great difficulty was experienced in re moving her. A boy named Parker jumped out of a second-story window and re ceived some slight injuries. The origin of the fire is unknown, but is believed tc have been the work of crazy pauper.