The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-02-06
A SICKENING SPECTACLE.
TERRIBLE ATTEMPT ON HUMAN
LIFE AT EAST ST. LOUIS.
Six Men Imprisoned In a Cage of
Fire and Seriously
Burned.

! ia 'H Am piicOucu III NdBe
Fire and Seriously
Burned.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, February 5.-A ter
rible a tempt upon human life am
one In seeping with the reputation q
Est st. Louis was perpeua ed last
evening. Shortly ffer IL O'Clock &
burst OF fisms, envtloping a sbanty
near the railroad track, was discovered
AS the flames we Q discovered those
who ran TO the spot heard the most
heariTending scrt ans and cries, and II
was known that human beings were
imprisoned in cage # fire. There
was no one NEAR the house at the time
but the glare OF light that illumir ed
the darkness attracted the attention
OF all the railroad men that happened
to be out. They ran toward the place,
aud as they did 10 they heard the
most s'ckeniDg and piercing shrieks,
groans and cries, telling Il at huma a
beings were held there in the fiery
cage unable to escape. There was a
rush 10 the doOT and Ii was forced in,
when two men staggered out, their
arms beating about and their clothes
ablfzs. Other men were dragged out
unconscious. The spectacle was one
to be l)ng remembered by all who wit
ness' d it. The victime, rs they came
out were se'zsd. by rough but friendly
lands, and rolled about on the ground
in the sroH. The light from the burn
ing shanty ca lue over the throng
a1d preseI ted picture that reminded
one OF the old prints tf battles. The
fices of the victims were blAckened
and long strips Cf fl sh peeled o 8, pre-
senting a horid sight, such as only
burned flesh can. fbe uIfortunates
were taken to the Re'ay depo', where
they were attended to. There we're
six men in al taken out Of the build
ing, ard WHEN they al got tog ther 10
the Relay depot their means and
groans made music that would make
any one
TREMBLK AND SILVER WITH HORROR.
During the brit intervals tba; they
forgot their burns and pins they too
how the fire originated. They he'd
stroled in one by one to the shanty
in order to warm up, and were sittii
around the stove talking when sue
denly the stove seemed 10 burt op n
and the flames went ell about the
room, enveloping the men before they
could turn toward the door. Tn, v
could only beat about with the,r
hands and struggle with each tthtr
in an endeavor TO get to the exr.
They grappled with each other and
this impeded their escape, and it
seemed an eternity before they heard
the cries OF those who came TO the
rescue. They remembered very dit
tinctly that they smelled coal oil q
the flames burst out around them. |
The fire was either the result Of a
practical joke or OF n deliberate attack |
upon the lives Of the men to settle an |
old grudge. The strange manner in
which the fire started can only be |
accounted for on the ground that
some wretch
POURED OIL DOWN THE CHIMNEY
into the stove. 1t ia said that the
man who did the deed 10 known, rs
he had a grudge against one of the |
men and declared but recently that
he would get even if it took him
years ID do it. Near the back of The
1hanty, on the ground, was found y
tin can that evidently had con-
iained coal oil. Some OF the rail
road men who ran to the rescue OF the
imprisoned victims said that the light
Of the bllzing shsnty disclosed to them
the figure OF "A man beating a hasty re.
treat from the vicinity, but they did
not know ct the time OF the horrible
attending the origin OF
the cor Migration. II the man who
carried out such a fendish pan of
vengeance had been captured he
woald surely have been lynched. The
names Of the unfortunate men are:
Morris McGlynD, Jas Donahue, VIM.
Guilky, Pat. Boyle, Scott Sanderson,
Joseph MCGEE and Fred. Ericsson,
They are slI f9arfully burned, but
whether or not any { them are neces.
sarily fatally injured cannot be known
as yet.
SCOTT sANDERsoN,
one Of the injured men, was seen this
and stated that early in the
evening, when he and his men went
into the shaI ty fIr supper, they ex-
pected trouble, for an opposing and
gang of men he'd been there
hafnra tAam ord had foatanaJ tba ,,,ix,