The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-20
Digyinc for the Victfras.


BROOKLYN, Dec. 20.-Firemen were at
work all Thursday night at the ruins of the
asylum, and at o'clock a. m, while digging
under the masonry and debris under The
laundry and infirmary, they discovered a lot
OF chaTred bones and two headless trunks,
also the skull Of an adult, These were put
into blanket and taken into the store-room
Of the unburned part of the building, where
they were sorted and found to represent the
bodies Of eight children and one adult.
There we're $50 boys in the asylum, GSl Of
whom SO far are accounted for. This leaves
149 to be found The police are looking for
the boys, and up TO noon but seventeen had
been found.
Directly over the laundry, there were
sixty boys who were sick and probably thirty
of them were too i'll to leave their beds
Sister Anthony thought of them and carried
out ell she could, but so far as can be
learned she had very little help, and it
seemed only a few moments when 1t
became necessary for all those who were in
that part of the building IT, seek a place Of
safety. Sister Josephine remained so long in
in the dormitOry that all avenues OF escape
were cut Off There were also others about
her at the time, and it is evident that she
hesitated to leave them; some she had
watched and nursed apon their sick beds.
At $50 three more bodies were discovered
neAr where the passage to the main building
was located. Some Of the bodies appeared 10
be those of adults, the police, firemen and
others continued their search, and shortly
after O'Clock they discovered two mere
bodies. They were burned TO a crisp, and
their possible identity was destroyed.
If all those who escaped from the building
were together some detnite idea could be
formed of how many perishsd, but the little
fellows were scattered all over the city. The
police of the Tenth precinc: picked up about
twenty; some were found by the police in
the Fourth precinct wandering on Myrtls
avenue at Q O'Clock at night, and nearly
frozen; sixteen were picked Up by the police
of the Ninth precinct, which is about a mile
from the institution; they were wandering
about the streets, shivering in the cold
Citizens who have sympathized with the
poor unfortunates have taken them in, and
it will probably be day or two before the1
are all gathered again.
Great sympathy is expressed on all sides
for the orphans and the sisters, and the
special appeals which will be made during
the Christmas weekkin their behalf will, NJ
doubt meet with a warm response.
As the bodies were laid out it was discovered
that seven were boys, one that or man ano
one woman, Mrs. Mary Carron The latter
had called to see her son, John and both
evidently persisted together
POor-iBouse Burned One Life Lost.
DETROIT, Dec. 20-The Lapeer county
poor-house was burned Thursday night at 10
O'Clock. Thirty-seyen inmates were turned
out in their night clothes One
insane woman named Bertha Rockwell
dashed back into the building and was
burned to death, and only the bones re-
manned to show where she had persisted. An.
other woman had run two miles through the
deep snow before she could be recaptured
She is badly frozen but may recover. The
thermometer at the time was below zero
The building, furniture, clothes and stock Of
provisions were burned. Loss to the county
over $4,000 The inmates scattered among
the farmers.