Huntsville gazette., 1884-01-12
NUMBER 8.

|
| it off. This was continued until daylight.
| About eight O'Clock a. m. Sunday several
| volunteer corps of workers were organized
under City Marshal Louis Williams and
| Captain Kaysing, Chief of Police, and an
| effort was made to recover the bodies of the
victims. The work continued up to four
O'Clock, at which time the remains of
| fourteen of the victims had been re-
covered Some of these were hud-
died close together, indicating that
in their despair they had sought consola-
/ tiOn in each others arms. One young lady,
Miss Agnes Schneider, whose remains were
| identified by her name on her undercloth-
1 ing, had met death in bed, having undoubt-
edly been suffocated by the smoke. Bed
and all had gone down from the dormitory
| to the basement, and was so quickly COW
cred over with falling brick that the bed
stead and portion of the clothing of the
| bed remained in a tolerably fair state OF
| preservation.
| All those recovered were found immedi-
| ately beneath where the dormtory was To-
| Gated. One theory is that they sought
shelter in this room when they found es-
cape down the stairs or through the win
dows was cut off; and another is that they
| had never gone out of the room at all, but
| perished from the smoke even before they
| had left their beds. The dormitory was in
/ the third story of that portion of the build
| ing which connected the east and west
wings. While the night was fail of hor-
| rors, there were also some pleasing acts of
heroism Miss Maggie Donohoe, in defiance
| of warnings of the danger of running down
stairs, snatched little Proxie Schlernit-
Zauer, aged five years, from her bed, and,
| wrapping her in sheet, took her IN her
arms and ran down two flights of stairs.
| She did not stop until she reached ST. Ag-
nes' Orphan Asylum, over block away,
| and they both were saved. Her appear
ance on the street, carrying her precious
charge, was greeted with loud cheers.
The scene surrounding the building, both
during the fire and while the bodies were
| being recovered, can better be imagined
than described Heartrending anguish was
vividly pictured on every countenance,
! and the Sorrowful viSages of those who had
relatives and friends in the Inflated con-
vent were enough to bring the tears to ev-
cry eye.
| Coroner Bader, with several assistants,
conveyed the recovered bodies to the resi-
dence of Henry Reiss; and they were care
fully laid on boards for purposes of ldentl-
fication. The remains of fourteen bodies
lay there in all kinds of shapes-not one
presented the semblance of human being,
in whose tenement so recently moved the
spirit of life. In consequence of the possi-
bility of some of the walls falling at any
moment, and the fact that the fire still
burned along the cornices at the top, fur
ther search for bodies was stopped at about
halt-past four O'Clock, but will be resumed
oU-uIuIIUw. OUTUnvI DuuOI WIN a1oV Cum
mence the inquest tomorrow at nine O'CLOCK
a. III.
THE VICTIMS.
According to the most reliable informa-
tion the following comprises the list of
victims:
Mother Superior Mary Jerome, Sisters
Moderate, Stylita, Edwina and Agnelia.
Mary Campbell, teacher, East st. Louis.
Susie Weiner, aged Is, st. Louis.
Mamie Scaling, is, Agnes Scaling, IS, st.
Louis.
Lizzie Isch, II, Centerville, III.
Mamie Pulse, II, st. Louis.
Hilda Hammel, 10, Trenton, III.
Kitty Urbana, II, Vandalia, LII.
Mary Bien, 10, Belleville, Ill.
Delphia Schlernitzaur, IL, Belleville, Ill.
Martha Mannel (or MaunteD, 16, st.
Louis.
Josephine 'Ploudre, 16. Centerville Sta
tion, Ill.
Emma Stark (or Stock), II, Carbondale,
Ill.
Laura Thompson, II, Chester, Ill
Minnie Bailey, II, Belleville, Ill.
Virginia Heintzelman, u, Belleville Ill.
Gertrude Strunck, 16, Du Quoin, Ill.
Mary Manning, Is, st. Louis.
Agnes Snyder, 20, Belleville, Ill.
Minnie Fitzgerald, =, Philadelphia, Pa
Amelia Leonard, 16, Trenton, Ill.
INJURED.
Daisy Ebberman, Kimmswick, Mo-, Sc
we're confusion.
Miss Brink, broken foot.
Miss Lou Mate, spinal injuries and cut
scalp.
Miss Schneider, Mascoutah, bruised.
Sister Mannessa, fracture of right leg.
Sister Repearto, compound fracture OF
right leg; amputation probable.
Sister Paschalls, injured back and broken
wrist.
Miss Mary Campbell and Sisters Stylita
and Moderate were killed by jumping from
windows. The rest of the above list were
burned in the building The bodies of Susie
Weiner, Gertrude Strunck, Mary Manning,
Emma Stark, Virginia Heinzelman, Lizzie
Iscb, Mamie Pulse and Sister Mary Jerome
have been positively identified and the
others are in doubt.
THE SAVED.
Daisy Eberman, Belleville, Ill.
Louie Mate, East st. Louis
Maggie Donahoe, -.
M. ID. Faurnier, -.
Christina Horn, Du Quoin, Ill.
Proxie SchlernitZauer, Belleville. Ill.
Dora Montgomery, -.
Fannie Brinker, Washita, Mo.
Sisters Reparta, Meversa, and Paschalis,
and Misses Bridget, Gretchen, Josephine,
Johanna and Eliza, candidates.
The building, known the Institute OF
the Immaculate Conception, was erected
in the year 1851, and was opened for the
reception of students on the 18th of Octo-
Der, 1859. When first occupied it consisted
of a three-story front, and a wing running
directly west from its center, the whole be-
ing in the shape of T. 1t cost S8,437 90,
$500 of the building fund being contributed
by none Catholics of Belleville. In the year
1863 an addition was built to it on the west
running parallel with the main structure
on Race street. This addition cost about
S44,0 900 All the walls were of brick, hav-
| ing a stone foundation. 1t was four
stories high, including ten-foot
basement. 1t was surmounted by
substantial wooden roof of modern
| design. 1t covered a space of ground
of $50 feet front by 100 deep. The whole
structure was lighted by gas and heat
| ed by three furnaces, located in the
basement. In the front wing was large
exhibition hall. decorated with fine paint
ings and supplied with stylish and sub
| stantial furniture. This room contained
| stage, which was ornamented with finely
painted drop-curtain, shifting scenery, etc.
In the west wing, on the third story, was
the chapel, constructed in the Byzantine
style. The laundry and culinary depart
ments were i'll the basement. 1t was in
| f1x. folI