The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-10-02
DISTRESSING CALAMITY.
One OF the Insane Asylum Buildings Burn
ed with Three Inmates.
Special TO the Nc,o North Vest.

| o..
49,. Special to the ,Nc,c North Vest.
| WARN SPRINGS, Mont, Sept. 9.-One o.
the buildings Of the Insane Asylum burnet
| this morning at 2 o'clock. Three of the in
| mates-A. B. Maze, Hiram Belcher and
Hector persisted in the fames
Every effort was made to rescue them, bu
without avail, Are not able to say how the
fire originated, there having been no fire in
the building since June. Coroner McFar'
land will hold inquest this afternoon.
MITCHELL & MUssIGBRoD.
From Coroner Mcfarland and members oil
the jury we learn some additional particu
lars of the above distressing affair The
burned building was log cabin, 14x16, built
very strong, and kept for combining the vic.
lent patients at night. 1t stood in the north.
east corner of the yard. There were in il
that night: Hector d. Mclean, Scotchman
by birth, who came to Montana from Onta-
rio; was arrested and convicted in the U. S.
Court at Helena last year for tampering with
the U. s. mails at postofice in Jefferson
county, although it appears his offense was
not intended to be q crime) and sentenced to
the penitentiary for one year. He served
his time, less allowance for good behavior,
and was discharged last February. He went
to Butte, returned to Anaconda, developed
acute insanity, was examined and committed
to the Asylum ONLY two weeks aon He was
Also Hiram Belcher, aged "a years. He
formerly resided here-was the son of Mr..
Belcher, the brickmaker. who built the
Granville Stuart residence, opposite the
Overland Stables. Along about 1886 he de-
veloped acute mania, and was then sent six
months to the Insane Asylum. Recently his
aff1iction reappeared, and on the 18th of last
month he was recommitted to the Asylum.
He has several relatives living in Montana.
Also A b. Maze, who will be recollected
as making his advent in Montana last spring,
representing himself to be very wealthy, a
friend of Governor Carpenter, and coming
here TO make investments. He was an
American, aged about 40, and was commit
ted from Lewis and Clarke county May
10, 1885.
Owing to the violence at times manifested
by these patients, they were put in the strong
rooms at night, although taken out during
the day. On the night of the FIRE they were
visited as late as or 10 o'clock, examined
and believed to be entirely safe. How the
fire originated will ever be a mystery, al
though from all the circumstances we think
Belcher had obtained match, and lighting
it, set his bed and the building on fire. He
was badly burned about the head, while Nc.
Lean was found under the bunk, face down,
suffocated, and Maze had wrapped his
around his head and also suffocated.
When the fire was discovered, DIR. Mussig-
brod, and DIR. Mitchell, who was there that
night, with all the guards and assistants, i'm
mediately used every effort to extinguish 1t.
The building was full of smoke inside. Mr..
Lewis unlocked the door, crawled in on his
hands and knees, but had to be dragged out.
Mr.. Osgood also tried it and failed. Mean
time the other buildings were all opened
aud the inmates liberated, some Is or 20 of
them working yaliantly to subdue the flames.
The ditch was cut, throwing some 100 inches
Of water through the yard Immediately in
front Of the building, a hole cut through the
roof, water passed through it, and the flames
as quickly as possible. There
was no wind, and the dense smoke In the
huge enclosure almost suffocated those work
ing until portion of the fence was broken
Town, admitting AIR. There was no hope,
however, of rescuing the unfortunate men,
as the dense smoke had suffocated them al
most instantly.
Following Is from the
ryIDYScr ApDucyD RrFoRp THE coRoNFR's
JURY.
DIR. Chas. r. Mussigbrod, sworn, saws no
was awake about 1 o'clock Tuesday morning;
TO get in the cabin, but the smoke oyercame
him. There had not been any Are in the
cabin since last spring.
DR.. A. FL. Mitchell, sworn, says when he
was awakened the building was on fire. He
endeavored to get into the burning building,
but the smoke prevented him; the blaze and
smoke only broke through the window and
door. 1t was a log cabin, 14x16, closely
and the inside lined with plank.
the use of the corridor. Was positive they
were dead when he reached the building. 1t
would be impossible for any man to live In
the smoke two minutes. There was a sepa-
rate cell for each man.
Samuel Lewis, sworn, says that about or
o'clock Tuesday morning he was awakened
BY the shouts Of insane men confined In
buildings, other than the one burned. 1.-THE
flames did not appear on the outside until l
opened the door. When opened the door
I called the men now dead, but received no
answer. I am guard on the inside aud was
the first one to the cabin; found everything
on the outside of the house the same as when
closed it in the evening. Twas not up after
9 o'clock in the evening"
Erich s. Mussigbrod, sworn, says: about
o'clock this morning found the building
on fire. i got in the outside door, but had
to run out Think the men were dead when
] got there-suffocated. We had taken the
pipes away from the patients. They were
not allowed to take matches to their cells"
Charles W. Osgood, sworn, said he was
awakened about q. m. by the alarm Of fire;
1t was impossible to get into the burning
it was about O'Clock when the
fire was put out; the men were dead think
when got there.
VERDICT OF JURY.
The following verdict was returned by the
Coroner's jury:
TERRITORY OF MONTANA,
COUNTY OF DEER LODGE,
An inquisition holden at Warm Springs
Insane Asylum, In the County of Deer
Lodge, Territory of Montana, on the 9th
day of September, A. d. 1885, before me, H.
p. Mcfarland, Coroner OF said county, upon
the bodies of the following-named persons
Inmates Of the Warm Springs Insane Asy-
lum), viz: A. b. Mage, Hiram Belcher, and
Hector Mclean, there lying dead, by the
jurors, upon their oaths do say that said per-
sons came to their death by suffocation from
smoke caused by fire in the building in
which they were confined.
In our judgment every effort was made by
the proproietors of said Insane Asylum to
extinguish the fire in the building and save
the inmates lives; also, in the opinion Of the
jury, the fire originated in the interior Of the
Building in which the aforesaid were con-
fned, and by their own hands.
lsigned) A. B. HARRISON,
Foreman,
r. q. HUMBER,
.. an X. GIRARD.
..r .#.s... CHAs. HAWKES..
s+- s----a W. y. STANLEY.
r. B. SULLIVAN.