Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-06-27
ALANDMARK GONE.
The Medicine Lodge Hotel Burned Yesterday
Morning.

AT 4:30 o'clock yesterday morning,
j. u. Fleming, the landlord, discovered
that the west end of the old Medicine
Lodge hotel was ON fire and giving the
alarm, the family, help and guests were
able to get out, though most of the fur
niture aud contents was destroyed
/ When first discovered, the fire had
caught in the ceiling and roof of the
kitchen, frame, and with lightning
rapidity it had epveloped the dining
room, also frame, then two sleeping
rooms on the south and in very short
time the flames had communicated to
the front OF brick part of the building.
Sleeping over the dining room was NJ.
Hubbard, of Elm Mills township, here
on the jury. He was awakened by the
smoke but supposing it was caused by
hanging lamp near the stairway he
arose and extinguished it and then it
was he heard Mrs. Fleming giving the
alarm. Mr.. Hubbard and the other
upstairs sleepers Judge Carr, 1. d.
Maxon and Perry Six grabbed their
clothing and escaped to the street
by the front porch, sliding down the
pillars with great CELEBRITY if not with
much grace. Each of these lost cloth
ing and other property of little value.
Mr. Fleming and family lost much
OF their property and that saved was
considerably damaged. He owned the
furniture in the building though we
understand that a mercantile firm of
this city held aibill of sale to it to Sc
cure an account. 1t was not insured.
The building was owned by the heirs
OF the late Mrs. ID. Updegraff, these be-
imp Mrs. Laura Anderson, Miss Mate
Updegratf, Alpha Updegraff and Mrs.
Maggie Roberts. 1t was not insured.
Their loss is perhaps 81 200. They had
given Mr.. Fleming notice to quit the
house for nOn-payment of rent, the eve
ming before the fire.
1t was one of the first buildings
erected in this city, part of 1t being the
Office of the original town company,
built in the winter of 1874. The
brick part of the building was not erect
ed until 1878 or 1879. For IA years it
had been used as hotel and for ten
years of that time it was the best hotel
IN the town. Judge Updegraff gained
statewide reputation as the genial
landlord of this house. 1t was also run
for quite while by NJ. Strong, now
nf fha Grand nd Iafn
McCanless.
1t was not fine building; its rooms
were hot in summer and cold In winter:
every room was noted for the number
OF inhabitants it supported; the plank
partitions were soaked regularly with
coal oil and gasoline every day for years;
the walls were not considered safe: the
gable erd had an unpleasant way of
blowing in; and in spite of all these
drawbacks and eccentriclties, the old
house was popular. Around it cluster
ed many memories that time will be
slow in defacing, and many an old rang
er, many a citizen, will sigh on reading
that the old houseis no more.
No one appears able to account for
the origin of the fire. Mr.. Fleming says
that there was no lighted lamp there.
1t might have been caused by rocket
from the fireworks of the night before
or 1T might have been-the cat.
Willing citizens protected adjoining
property by a liberal use of buckets of
water. There was no wird blowing to
speak of or the buildings on the west
side of Main street might have burned
down.