Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-01-07
DEATH BY FIRE.
Any LIVES Lu,r ~ A uoSvnar.
TerribIo Uunnsgratiou in Illinois
Iwenty.seyen sisters R'n Iuius
unpDIs TO Escape frum the
tast Spreading PLANES.


unpDis to Escape from the
tsst spreading PLANES.
At IL o'clock Saturday night fro was
discovered in the convent Of the lmmaCu
late Conception, at Belluvile, IN, the
capital of ct. Clair county, fourteen miles
from st. Louis, Mo. The alarm was first
given by the watchmen at HarriSou's ma
chine works, and Mr.. James Stout OF the
city foundry, was the first man attracted
to lhe scene When ho reached the con
vent, the windows of the third floor pre-
seutcd blood chilling spectacle. There
in their night clothes, suddenly aroused
from their sumbcr, stood IN despair q
large number of the terrified nuns. Ihurr
was no chance of rescue, the only aItcTua
tive being the dreadful leap or dcaIh N
the flames soon afterwards volumes ol
smoke were seen to spread throughout tue
building, followed 10y loud explosions, AM
then a few of the weeping women took
their lives in their hands aud huJlvd
themselves through the windows. Mary
| Campbell was the trss to try the leap, aud
| when the body was lifted from tho icy
pavement she was ia q dying condition.
having sustained horrible injuries
Already the alarm had spread thou chou.
| St. Louis, aud hundreds of men gathcIed
and consulted AS to the best CuurSo OF
action. The fire engines had not ye, aTrly-
ed on the scene, and as the flames spread
rapidly at mauy of the windows were -
| be seen figures of women clad in their
night garments, some of them leaning OUT
aud screaming for assistance, Others trying
frantically to open the immOyable sashes.
Hundreds Of men were ready - rufh TO
the rescue but the doors were all licked
and so sOlldly constructed that al ordinary
attempts to break them in were futile.
EatterIug Down the Door.
At last James Story procured a pom Ter
Gus iron bar, and dozen men using 1t rs
battering ram finally forced an entrance.
\ rush was made up stairs, and many OF
the sisters were led through the binding
smoke TO the ground in safety. At the
same moment, and TO the intense horror
of the rescuers, it WAS discovered that, in
accordance with rule of the convent, the
bedrooms had all been locked aud q mum
Der of them still remained So. The
battering ram was brought 70 bear upon
these doors, also, bat they, too, proved OF
stout, unyieLdng material, and the
gallant band were obliged TO abandon
a large number of the inmates % their
fate. Among those who found themselves
locked in was young giCl nlm0i Daisy
through the window of the third Il Dor and
tiud a perilOus position in the COcuico
over the main door. Tuere she remained
for quite a long tim5, shrieking for suc1Jr
tortured alike by the heat within and the
| cold without. At last the c,niUei flames
aud smoke burst from the windows around
her aud she was hurled - the ground
| below. Her fall was broken by two men
| who stood with OutsrrstChtd arms. aud
she was not seriously hurt, her escape
! being almost miraculous. BY this time
the fire department had reached the scene
but il was Immediately discovered that
while their engines were able TO send
water 10 the top of q building, 4 fOur
story OrICk structure, consisting Of A main
building and two long wings, aud they had
no ladder which would reach TO the top
story, where a number Of women were
still to be seen rushing - aud fvD aud
Eesticulating wildly.
The Awful Peril OF the Puplis
Stretching out their bare arm, ia ap
peals Tor help, breaking the windows with
their bleeding hands and screaming iu
agOnIZed terror were dozen white female
figures. The convent was very fashion
abs educational institution, young ladies
from various parts in Southern Illinois,
st. Louis and even foreign countries belug
among the students. Almost all the un-
fOrtuuates at the windows were these
young ladies', though here and there
among them might be seen the sisters
heruically striving 10 keep their panic
stricken charges from dashlng themselves
upon the frozen ground many feet below.
Tue Lady Superior was seen to move
alternately between the seven young
4 80. 4tF,g, . a
fire was rapidly approaching them, but
she could be seen passing from group 10
group and exhOrgiuy them - remain
where they were.
Suddenly flame shot into one of tue
rooms, and two young ladies occupying il
were seen to fall back from the window
At the same moment Sister Jerome darted
| from the next window followed by the uc
| cupants OF the room, three in number 4
crash was heard, and the room became
Tiled with flames, and collapsed almost
Immediately. Shortly afterward Il. J.
| Kohl and two others appeared upon the
scene with q long ladder, which, after
some hard work, was placed against the
front of the building. II reached 70 the
second floor, and two men assembled it with
another smaller ladder by which they
reached the third floor and provided au
escape for q number Of the sisters and
bOarders.
| A Sisters Lonely Death Leap
About this time Sister Margaret Das
found lying upon the ground ou the south
side of tho building, quite dead. Il /,
thought that she fell iusensib!e from q
window on that side of the building, OF
leaped in despair and uuobssrved. About
this time, on the south side of tho mair
building, two ladies' not known to tho
rescuers were saved from the top Of a
veraudah even with the second floor. The,
had leaped from the story above aud il
their fall on the roof were stunned. ant
when discovered were nearly frozen, 4
short ladder was found, but 1t could no
reach them. Two men seized il, and
resting It on the projection of the porch
managed to reach the unconscious SUI
ferers.
Already the flames had spread througl
the entire building, aud ia spite of tL
efforts OF tue iiremen to stag their progres
the inside Of the entire convent had to b.
surrendered to the mastery of tho fre
All 1t was possible to do was TO conGns tb
tilmes and save the walls. The Soul
; wall, however, already tottered, aud soOr
iell, carrying down with it crash q
blazing timbeTs and burying in it's debri
} the bodies of a number of young girls
whose screams were distinctly heard ahoy
| the crashing of masonry and tiD,har,