St. Landry democrat., 1884-01-19
The LATEST HORROR.

Burning OF the Convent of the Sisters OF
the Immaculate Conception at BeIle-
willie. IIIinois--A Frightful Holocaust
sTwenty-eight Human Lives Sacrificed
The Search for the yictims-FulI List
of the Lost and saved-The Death Roll
Includes Twenty-three Students and
Five sisters, Among Them the Mother
Superior.
ST.. LOUIS, Mo-, Jan. 7.
Among the many calamities which have
1uade memorable the first week of 1884 in
the United States, none comes with such
crushing force or appeals more directly to
cur synpathies than the terrible disaster
which overlook the Convent of the Sisters
of the Immaculate Conception at Belleyille,
JILL, on Saturday night the oh inst, by
(which twenty three of the young lady stu
dents and five of the Sisters, including the
Mother Superior lost their lives. At a
quarter before eleven on Che night in cues
tion, as nearly as can be ascertained, fire
started IN the basement, and before the in
mates, WHO had Cor the most part retired
for the night, were aware Of the danger
which menaced them, the building was en-
veloped in flames and nearly every avenue
of escape cut off. The fire department was
sble and responded with three engines,
but when they arrived were unable to do
anything toward saving the building, and
IA u that could be done was to enQeavor to
rescue the unfortunate inmates. in which
work, horrible 10 relate, buG little success
was met WiCd.
Mr.. James Stout, of che City Foundry,
who early discovered the fire, lost no
time in repairing to the scene,
He says on reaching the building, the
windows of the third story presented a
spectacle calculated to send thrill of hor.
ror through the stoutest heart. In their
night clothes, about the windows. stood a
large number of the inmates of the con-
vent, with faces white as snow, screaming
for help and wringing their hands IN ago.
ni2ing despair. They had already been
aroused from their sIumbers, and IN their
fright & nd desperation ran to the first Point
which offered the least possible means of
escape. But che building lad already be-
come pretty thoroughly wrapped in flames,
and there was nothing left but to jump, and
some Of them accepted tbs dreadful alterna-
tive. Soon afterWard there was heavy
explosion and almost instantly the upper
portion of che building was wrapped in a
dense volume of smoke. The explosion was
supposed to have been caused by coal gas.
Most of the white faces at the window dis
appeared with the explosion and were not
seen again.
A few Of the girls, however, remained at
the windows, apparently determined to try
che ordeal of Ieaping for life. The first to
try the experiment was Miss Mary Camp
bell, of East ST Louis. She threw herself
ont of the window, but caught hold of the
casing as she passed through. In the mean
time the brave firemen had thrown lad
der mp against the building Immediately
amder her, and for an instant it seemed
THAT she would be saved. The lad
der unfortunately proved too short, and
she hung by her hands, her feet almost
reaching its top. Suddenly she released
her grasp of the windcw-sill, and falling
down struck the ladder about four feet from
che top and bounded off to the hard, frozen
pavement below. She was hurriedIy
picked upsand borne of to the Office Of the
Harrison Machine Works, where, after
8ew gasps, she expired. Her back and neck
were both broken in the fall.
Soon aftel this fearful scene Sister Mo-
sfrata was found in the open court on the
in death It is not known how she died,
but il is supposed that she leaped from the
porch of the second story. Some of her
limbs were broken and her body presented
sickening evidences of the fall. This court
was paved with brick, which of course add
ed TO the chances of death in reaching it.
At the same time two of the girls were
saved from the top of the veranda of the
second floor. They had evidently leaped
out of a wind w above and in striking the
roof were stunned. Beil4g in their night
clothes they were 7ery cold, but having
been rescued were borne off to a place of
safety and through restOratives were soon
Eesuscitated. 70 Mr.. John Steinacher and
George w. Merker belongs the credit of
saving them. They saw them in their per-
iIous position ana procuring ladder res
cued them.
at this time the flames were fast envel-
aping the building. All the engines had
been placed in position and were fighting
the fire with an energy and determination
that reflected the highest praise upon tae
firemen. But Notwithstanding their super
human efforts, the inside of the building
began to surrender to the flames, and the
fire, having originated in the basement in
the west end, all the floors in that depart
,Dlent seemed to give way at once and COM
menced to fall. The ffremen saw that all
efforts to stop The flames and save the
,building were futile, and 5hey turned their
attention TO saving the walls, The walls on
the west were the first TO fall, and as they
went down they carried with them the tim
bers and flooring of the different stories
and also the precious lives Of the poor girls
who had sought sal sty in the roon1s of that
part of the building. It is believed, how
ever, that many of the inmates had met
death before the falling of the walls in this
wing of the building. 1t is thought that
they were suffocated in the first explosion
sof coal gas, as the smoke was seen to shoot
vlf1 the stairs leading from below.
When the walls of the wing of the struc-
Eure gave way all hope of rescuing thechiI-
Siren was abandoned. The fire then spread
aoStt through the halls and doors of the east
" Ing and seemed TO embrace its work OF
as il it had 0dty to perform
and desired to show the wonder-stricken
.STlectators how well it could ha f1onass Tho
flames reached out through the windows,
insinuated themselves through the creyices
OF the cSfnices and shot their red tongues
Ma through the shingles OF the roof-soon
n ding the entire structure in dress Of
3urid fire.. Soon the fire burned great