The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-02-25
DIED IN THE EMBERS.
Seven Persons Burned TO Death In
Their Home, Near Green
bush. Via
plymouth rWis.l special. /


Before the citizens of Greenbush had
awakened to a realization of the calam ty
this morning the remnant of the old Ehle
hostelry lay in a'smoldeing fire. The house
had burned like paper box, and beneath
the thin sheet Of ashes and charred .timbers
in the basement were the remains of seven
people. This fact soon circulated through
the neiehborhood, attracting people To the
scene from miles around. There was no.
body to account for the tragedy or explain
its origin except the hired man. who was
the only member, of the household to es-
cape. He was regarded in the community
as a vicious character, and when he related
that he knew nothing about the holocaust,
more than that he was awakened by the
smoke and contrived to make his way into
the yard from his room in the second story,
crime was suspected, and he was placed
under surveillance as the probable perpe-
traitor.
The smoking ruins were hurriedly
searched by the crowd, and about noon
what were supposed to be the remains OF
all the victims had been recovered. The
dead were: Abraham Ehle. aged so; james
Ehle, aged AZ; Ellen Ehle. aged 40; Mrs.
Kinney, guest; three children of James
and Ellen Ehle.
The remains were almost impossible of
identification, being mere cinders of bodies
and calcined bones. What are supposed TO
be the remains of Mrs. ElAe ard her chill
dren we're found in an intricate mass, as if
they had died huddled together. Those of
Mr.. Elhe, the younger. were discovered in
position indicating that he had fallen in
another room. Fragments of Mrs. Kinney
and the elder Ehle were found as they
would have naturally fallen in their beds.
There Is "A wide diversity of theory and
belief as TO whether the fire concealed n
crime. Many are inclined to regard the
finding of the bodies as related sufficient
evidence that the fire was accidental and SO
swift that the inmates were unable TO escape
from it. 1t is thought that Mrs. Kinney and
old man Ehle were suffocated, but that they
might have been assassinated in bed nobody
attempts to deny. Mr.. Ehle, too. might
have made his way 10 an adjoining room in
the endeavor to escape, leaving his wife and
children to perish, but il is more likely that
they would have chung to him closely in
stead of grouping together inactively in the
smoke. The relative positions of the re-
mains are made to Justify the suspicion of
foul play by those who are demanding an
inquiry. II is possible that the seven peo-
pie were killed, the premises soaked with
Kerosene, and then set fire. That the house
should have burned as quick as it did with
out the application of some inhammable
liquid would be as mysterious as is ut pres
ent the death of its occupants. Two mo-
tives for crime are advanced. Ehle is sup
posed to have kept considerable money in
the house, and the hired man is said to have
for some time entertained deep feeling OF
hatred against him, because of some abuse,
real or fancied.
The Ehles were pioneers of the county and
We're highly respected. Mrs. Ehle was the
daughter of j. w. Taylor, of Sheboygan.
The two eldest children had only returned
home from boarding school Saturday.