Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-05-25
A CHICAGO HOLOCAUST
Five Children Rescued From A Burn.
ing Livery Barn on Monroe
Street.
SiNtJ tJ-SeNen porses Imprisoned in the
Basement Perish in Awful
Agony

The big brick barn located near the
corner of Jefferson aud Monroe streets.
and occupied by A. Nj. Forbes as livery
and boarding stable, partially burned
Monday morning at $50 o'clock. Sixty.
seven horses persisted IN the flames, and
dozen people-families living over the
stabies-were rescued and escspsd with
Difficult y, and one little child was almost
sSphyNlated, while halt-6ozsn people
were suffering from iuhaliug smoke.
The flames had good headway when dis
covered, the hay in the basement stables
causing rapid and fierce fire. Among
the people living upstairs were the fam
llleS OF ), Stafford and John Fearon, com.
prlsing number of little children. This
women, who were first awakened by the
smoke, criss, and fierce heat, ran scream
ing into the street, attired only in then
night dresses. Their anguish for the
safety of the little ones was intense. and
their piteous appeals for help TO save
them would have moved a heart of stone
Mr.. Stafford rescued his own little oauSh-
ter at the imminent risk of his life, throw.
ing blanket around her head aud rush
ing, half blinded, down the stairs and into
the street. He inhaled smoke himself
u.
Another maA, named Mitchell, in attempt
ing TO save some of the little ones, inhal-
ed some smoke. He is very i'll to day.
The fire department came promptly
and all the attention of the men was di-
rec;ed toward rescuing the little children
yet in the burning building. Fire
Marshal Murphy, Lieut.. Cook and Capt.
Humphrey went into the building when
tka 10 - Il
leaped through the crevices IN the boards.
Murphy FIRST re'urutd "a the outside with
two OF the children, and Cuok and Pun.
phrey brought ont others immediately
afterward. One little one a hoy, the last
one saved, could not be found at first, aud
it was only after some search through the
binding smoke that he was discovered
nearly dead with fright and half sutru
Gated, with his head under big ice box,
trying TO get Il breath of air. He Is one
of the Fearou children, and is quite badly
Off yet from the effects of his asphyxia.
The little sufferer is now at the home Of
an aunt, where he was taken after the fire.
There were seventy horses i'll the
stables underneath the barn at the time
of the fire. OHly three were saved, and
two Of them are SO badly ujured by
be worthless if they do not die. The re
naming sixty seven, all fine animals,
were imprisoned SO they could not escape,
and persisted miserably by Stunning or
suffocation, They were being taken out
and a large force of men with horses and
tackle were engaged in the disagreeable
task. The stencil WAS something terrible,
but Notwithstanding il, II crowd of men.
women, and children stood around all
morning gazing upon the horrible sights
as the work of the lnbUrcrs progressed.
The bodies of the burned horses, swollen
ed up aud burned to q crisp, eyes pro
trudIug, roasted, and cracked open. hleod
'eXudiug from their mouths, and the
bodies totally destitute of hair, were sick
eRlng to look upon Body after body
was taken from the ruins, Charred and
blaokeued, ana at noon the half had not
been done. Euo live horses, burned
SCARED aud swollen, theIr eyes watering
and noses running, stood shlveriug from
fright and nervousness on the carriage
floor, which was yet lntac'. The loss on
the horses amounts 10 Sl4 400 at least,
and the damage to the buildings, harness,
etc, will make the total loss very close to
So, coo. Only about oue-third q. tn e loss
is covered ny insurance. The people
around the barn ascribe the FIRE to in
cendiary causes and claim that it. il the
only possible manner of its origin,