The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-08
INDIANA AND ILLINOIS NEWS
Anderson dwelling Wrecked and One
Life Lost by Natural-Gas Explosion.
DR.. COurteney Placed Under Arrest. Charged
With Completely in the Williams Outrage
Mysterious Flight of an Editor.


INDIANA.
Dwelling Wrecked and One Life Lost by an
Explosion of Natural Gas.
Special TO the INDIANAPOLIS Journal
ANDERSON, Feb. IA terrific explosion OF
natural gas occurred here this morning at
o'clock, st the residence of Thomas NJ Norton.
causing the death Of F. c. Rogers injuries to
several of The Norton family, and the partial de-
structlon of the building The facts as learned
by your reporter. are substantially follows:
The residence Of Mr.. Norton was a substantial
brick cottage, one and one-half stories in height
The front room below is off from the other
part of the house by hall. This room
cupied by Mr.. Rogers q sleeping-room the
Norton family using the remainder of the house
The room Immediately the room occupied
by DIR. Rogers was the sleeping apartment of
Miss Bessie Norton, aged about eighteen, and
her younger sister. Ollie. Mrs. Norton arose as
usual this morning and proceeded about her
household duties. A few minutes before
o'clock Mrs. Norton knocked at the door OF
Mr.. Rogerss room and said to him that
she would come in and light the
fire. She went to the kitchen and lighted
piece Of paper and went back and opened the
door An explosion instantly followed, blowing
the walls Of the front part Of the house COM
pletely off the foundations, and causing the
ceiling and floor of the room above to fall Mrs
Norton was blown across the hall, and
verely burned about the face, hands and neck.
The force of the conclusion and the falling
building crushed Mr.. Rogers and caused instant
death. Miss Bessie Norton, who was in the
room overhead. was thrown from her bed and
fell with the falling floor of her room, but
capped with slight bruises. Her sister had just
left the room, and uninjured. Mr.. Norton
was considerably burned, but is able to be mp
to-day, The building is badly wrecked, and the
loss on building and furniture will De about
$4,000. Mr.. Rogers was q widower, without
children.
Various theories are advanced as to the ex-
plosion. Some think it was caused by defective
fittings at the stove. others that the gas escap-
ting from the street mains had been drawn into
/! the cellar and then escaped to the house, while
others claim that the explosion caused by
the escape of artificial gas. A view of the
wrecked building discloses the fact that the
force Of the explosion was lateral and not up
ward. The walls were shattered to fragments.
while the ceiling and floor of the room were not
shattered, but fell in a body. The roof still
overhangs the space formerly occupied by the
rooms
The recent explosions here have demonstrated
the necessity of careful and expert labor in put
ting in the mains and pipes. and every city
where the fuel is used should have q gas inspec-
tor to carefully examine every job. With per
feet mains and proper pipes and fittings natural
gas is the safest fuel known, but when the
work is carelessly unskillfuly done it is
dangerous force to life and properly. 1t is said
Ss
been looked Into then, the accident would not
have happened
An Editors Unexplained Disappearance.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
BRAZIL, Feb. IA delayed issue OF the
Bridgeton News and Carbon Globe, whose edi-
tor and publisher. Calvin Goss, disappeared last
week, is ont It contains full account of the
occurrence written by the associate editor, undor
the title "Gone, Leaving Wife, Friends and
Creditors to- Mourn the Broken Confidence
The following extracts:
Mondays mail brought letters from him con-
tanning the startling intelligence that he had
left for good and to use his own expression, to
escape Indebtedness and domestic trouble. Had
bomb suddenly exploded in midst the
! community could not have been moro thoroughly
shocked. Without hint or the faintes. shadow
Of honorable excuse he left all ard fed.
paroxysms Of grief: and for time was
duct. he won hosts OF warm friends and stanch
supporters in Parke and Clay counties, and by
close attention to business, through the ready
support and encouragement of patrons.
meeting with success. When he needed pecu-
MARY assistance our business men rallied to his
support liberaly and willingly. The plea Of
domestic trouble was as imaginary as that of in
idebtedness. We fail to reasonable or
honorable motive for this rash, abrupt step. He
has been married but three years, and the
genial social Qualities of his wife could not have
failed TO make home happy had be done his part
toward that erd- The last few weeks Of his
stay here he became moody, silent and surly.
We cannot fathom the advance
one definite, reasonable hypothesis for his
course. The confidence Of his friends has been
shaken. and they cannot but look distrustfully
and unapproupgly upon his my sterious and dis
honorable step The plan may have been one of
long Fermentation. but regret on his part is in
pvitable, and he has doubtless ERE this seen his
niRtaka Hs wife will IN fail
where, we trust, she will soon forget ner sorrow
We have no reproach to heap upon
him. now that he is gone; the broken confidence
of his FRIENDS will be rebuke enough"
Mr.. Goss for o short time proprietor of a
paper in q southern Indiana county. He came
here from Trankton about two years ago. He
made NUMEROUS friends, and conducted himself
and his PAPER above reproach, with the single
exception of this last step. the cause for which
may not appear.
Mrs. scott's Suit Against Her Father.
SHELRvILLE, Feo. Mrs Clara I. Scotes
suit against her father. John c. Wagner. of Gin
cinnsti, to recover $4,000 worth of prop
erty which she charges him with obtaining by
fraud. was called up In Greensburg yesterday
ON change of venue from this county. The
property in dispute is brick house valued as
$4,000, of which Mrs. Scott claims five-sixth's
interest, well as the same interest in the rem
tal collected since 1863 amounting to $13 500
The plaintiff claims that in 1868 her grand
mother. Mrs. Murphie Kepple. gave to Wagner
5000 to purchase the lot on which the house now
in dispute stands, under the condition that
he should have it decided to his wife
Their daughterl and the two children
of which ths plaintiff is Soon after the
wife and one child died. leaving the plaintiff
alone. Wagner married, and, his second wife
dying, he married again. The third wife learned
OF the girls interest in the property and they
made life burden for her. She was locked in
the cellar, scantily fed and cruelty worked.
Some or her schoolmates discovered her condi-
tion and brought her food, and finally told their
parents. May 3, 1873 mob formed and il
was with difficulty that Wagner was escorted to
a train for Cincinnati, where he has since lived.
and where his third wife and her daughter both
died in the last two years