The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-22
VICTIMS OF FIRE AND SMOKE
IAN aged and Helpless Woman Slowly
Burned to Death While Alone.
Mary Lennox Sufrocated by Smoke in Burn
ing House at the Corner of Fayetts and
North Streets Early This Morning

Sarah Jane Reed. seventy six years OF age.
living with her son-in-law. Fred Lichtenour a
zairyman at McC1ainsville, four miles south
Of the city. on the Shebyville road, was burned
10 death yesterday noon. Mrs. Reed was par
llyzed on one side, and for many years has been
confined TO her room, almost q helpless invalid
Yesterday morning Mr. Lichtenour and his wife
esme to the city, and left at home with Mrs.
Reed two daughters. one aged eleven and the
other fourteen. Shortly before III Mrs. Reed
complained that there not enough fire in
her room, and the eldest daughter of Mr.
Lichtenour kindled the fire in the
stove. Fifteen minutes later she returned
to the old lsdys room ses IL the fire was burn
ing. She saw that it was, and then went to the
kitchen in a different part OF the house. where
she and her younger sister were preparing din
ner. When dinner ready, few minutes
before IL O'clock thu oldest daughter again
turned 20 her grandmother's room, and opening
the door Mortified to Mrs Reed lying in
front or the stove with all her clothes burned off
of her and her body charred from the flames.
The DAUGHTERS called on their neighbors for as
they found Mrs. Reed dead. She was so burned
to be hardly recognizable
The stove showed that the old lady had opened
o door for the purpose, apparently. of warming
her feet and. while doing SO her dress had
caught fire. In her helpless condition she
unable to resist the flames, and with i'm
peded speech she could not make known her
peril to the daughters in the other part of the
house.
While Mr. Lchtenour was in the city, and just
before he was apprised of the horrible death OF
his mother, his horse ran away on North Ten
nessee street. He was thrown out of the buggy
and considerably hurt, and the vehicle was COM
pletely demolished, after having collided with
buggy in front of Geisendorff's Touring mill
An Irish Woman smothered GO Death.
Mary Lennox, an old Irish woman, better
known "Crazy Mary" was suffocated at An
- 4 49,
the corner OF North and Fayette streets
The woman well-known character in the
neighborhood, having lived alone in the little
hovel. which would properly De No on Fay
cite street. The house was a part of double
building, the other portion being occupied as a
shop. The Lennox woman was in Leutz's
saloon Indiana az late houe last
night, and at last put out OF the
saloon in intoxicated condition. That
was the last noticed or her. She
made her way home. it is supposed,
and went to bed in q balf-drunken stupor, and
about half past 1 O'CLOCK the shanty was dis
covered to bs on fire, and alarm was turned
sin The Indiana-ayenus engine house is near.
and promptly responded to the
call. Upon arriving at the place
of the fire, the fremen were surprised on
being told that woman was lying in the burn
by an old man who owned the
shop in the adjoining building He
was busy removing his wares,
and IL seemed never to have entered his head
that he should have broken down the door and
taken the woman out The firemen rushed into
the front room-there being but two rooms
TO the shanty--and found the woman lying on
the floor. She was already dead having per-
iehed OF sufocaton. Her body was conveyed by
ambulance to Kregelo's undertaking establish
ment
The house was very little damaged by the fire,
which caught in the back room. The theory of
the officers 10 that the woman left burning
candle in the back room and that IL burned
down and set something fire. She her
self had evidently gone to bed in the front room,
and that she made some efforts to get out of the
house appears from the fact that she lying,
on the floor and looked like she had suffered tor
ribly.
AT the undertaking establishments it was
found that she was terribly burned about the
lower portion of the body although her face had
escaped. The flesh came off of a portion of her
limbs, and her clothing was almost all burned.