Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-03-12
1ailn gsess a,,il @akotaiaa
MlTCHEl LIS C0NFL,G aT On.
Burning of the MYf hod st
University for South
Dakota.
Scenes and InOidents During and
Aftsr the Fire---The Killed and
the Wounded.

Aftsr the Eire---The Killed and
the Wounded.
Mitchell Republican, 9th: The hand
some stone building OF the Dakota
Methodist university Is q mass OF
magnificent ruins, one OF Its students is
dead, and half u score from it's faculty
and students are stretched on beds OF
anguish with injuries more or less Sc
sious-some Of them, unhappily, likely
to prove fatal. Betweca 2 and S o,ciock
this morning the round house. whistle
sounded the fire alarm, but as the wind
was blowing from the northwest, yery
few on the north side Of the town, were
aroused by il. Those who did hear it,
however. turned out at once and saw
that the university building was alre ady
q mass of flames.
The story OF the fire, as nearly as can
be ascerta1ned from the excitement and
confusion still surrounding the scene,
is that shortly before 8 O'Clock the in
mates Of the building were aroused by
the smell of smoke. Prof. Reno, who
occupied rooms on the second floor, was
one of the first to get opt into the hall,
and he saw the flames blazing up at the
door OF q small closec adjoining the art
room, and at the east end of the build
ing. he aroused his wife and the other
occupants of that floor, most OF whom
escaped at once by way OF the west stair
Way, aud returned to save some of the
contents OF his room. He got ont most
OF the clothing, bat was obliged to flee,
and in jumping to the ground sprained
one OF his feet badly. This did not pre-
vent him, however, from being most in
defatigable in attending to the comfort
of the injured afterwards.
The young lady students roomed OF
the second hoor, and al! but four got
out by the stairs without more serious
injury than slight bruises and disoom-
forts from the cold.
Miss Hattie Taylor, the teacher of elo-
oution, was not 80 fortunate. Being
suddenly aroused by the cry of fire,
she spranR to her window and jumped
ont to the frozen ground below, suffer
ing severe injuries to the spine, the ex-
tent OF which can not yet be ascertained,
besides other bad bruises. Lad she
but waited o moment, she could, have
escaped 81 the stairs, as Prof. Reno was
at her door soon after she took the fear
full leap.
Miss Emma Babcock and Miss Stan
ton also jumped from she second story
window, the former sustaining q fractur-
ed ankle and possibly internal injuries,
and the latter being hurt internally and
out about the head.
Miss Stang was more fortunate than
her sister students, for though taking
the ssme chances she vas only slightly
hnrt N the back and limbs. -
Mics Edgington might have Jared ss
badly had it not been for the bravery
and gallaDtry OF two fellow students,
Msssrs. Bell and Stilwell. These young
men we're aroused by the alarm, and
bethought themselves of q rope they had
brought to the room for the purpose of
peFpetreting the tying In joke on u OF
the professors. They were about to
make use of it themselves, when they
heard Miss Edgipgton's cry for helE,
and tying one end of the rope to the
The rope WAS about five feet short, and
to let her safely TO the ground, they had
to cut 1t loose from the sill, thus taking
away, as they supposed, their only
means OF escape. They were about to
Jump for their lives, when someone from
below called out to them that the stars
we're still safe and they made their way
out through the flames, receiving severe
burns on their hands and feet. Their
conduct ia worthy OF ell praise, and their
intended prank on one OF their teachers
turned out TO bes 9 most providential
circumstance. 81 81
1t was from the third floor that the
tragedies were 30 be enacted. Here
Professors Duncan and Taylor, and
Messrs Pitcher, Parkin. James and Will
and there was but one stairway
leading from this floor, which was in
flames when these gentlemen were arous.
ed. There VAS only one hope Of escape
and that an almost forlorn one--to Jump
from that giddy highth to the hard. cold
earth below. Their situation Was q
frightful one, and can scarcely be imagin-
ed. To stay where they were meant q
horrible death totheEss men; to jump
meant surely fearful INJURIES, If not death
itself. There was no time TO hesitate.
All but Prof. Duncan sprang from the
several windows, and in q fash lay
quivering in agony on the unfeeling
frozen snow.
Prot. Duncan made his way to the
root scarce hoping to save himself. but
ready to take desperate chances. As by
the hend OF providence, he alone Was
Jed TO what proved to be the safest
means OF e~scape--asrope, an old clothes
line, that had been left in the attic
accidentally by some one who had
taken j. there for some special pur-
pose. The feelings OF that man, as he
stood on that roof, nearly 100 feet from
the earth, with a seething mass OF flames
beneath his feet, and . slender rope, per-
haps not half long enough to reach to
the eartbs his only hope of life can better
be Imagined than described. He fastep.
ed one end OF She rope TO the roof as.
best he conld and made the fearful des-
cent in safety, though his hands were
frightfully lacerRted and his face badly
bruised by contact with the walls as he
came down. The rope was not quite
long enough, but there were willing
hands and STRONG arms o~utstretched to
meet him. His feet were also frozen
from standing on the roof.
The injured were taken&to shelter ct
once, and medical aid was first snmmon-
ed by e. H. West, who was early on the
ground. Messrs. Pitcher and James and
Misses Taylor and Stang were taken to
the residence Of Rev. Mr.. Swim, south
Of the university, where DIR. Parmelee
attended them; Messrs. Taylor; Parkin
and Smith, and Misses Habcock and
Stanton were made comfortable at the
home Of Mr.H. B. Rogers. wish. DR..
Crane in attendance: while Prot. duncan
ard MessrH. Bell and Btilweil. who are