The evening world., 1889-06-29
LOST HIS LIFE FOR OTHERS.
CHARLES THOMPSON DIES TRYING TO
SAVE LIVES AT A FIRE.

Cropped Through the Burning House 7 OF,
Ills Hands and Knees to Notify the
People Of Their PerIl-Then Fought the
Fire until lie Got shut Up In n Room
and Was RnnOcatcd-A Suspicious Fire.
A plain empowered coffin rested in n
dNrkened room in the rear Of n small candy
store ut $40 Monroe street this morning.
II contained the body Of O man who, in his
efforts to rave human life. had sacrificed his
own.
Death had been painless, perhaps, for the
face that was seen through the small glass
covered aperture in the casket was stamped
with q peaceful calm and a faint smile curved
the thin lips.
The body was that OF Charles Thompson.
proprietor of the candy store in the rear of
which his body rested. The story Of his
death is q pathetic one and, though easily
told, will be hard to forget.
A few minutes after 8 O'Clock last night
Thompson and his wife, Catherine. were
standing outside their little store when sud-
denly their quiet conversation was rudely
disturbed.
A woman came rushing out of the house
She was followed by Mrs. Arnold, the house.
keeper, who breathlessly rushed up to
Thompson and exclaimed:
" lsraels rooms are on fire."
At the same time q puff of smoke came roll
ing through the hall from the rear of the first
floor, where Abraham Israel, his wife an d
four children lived.
The family had gone out q few minutes be-
fore the fire broke ont but Thompson. fear
ing that some of the children might have
been left behind, bounded upstairs to their
rooms.
The door was locked. The housekeeper
forced 1t open and Thompson rushed in.
He CROPPED around on his hands and knees
but found nobody. Thoughts of the danger
to twenty eight other families In the house.
providing the fire gnined Roadway. flashed
through his mind and he cried for water.
The hOusekeeper brought u pail full. and
this he dashed on the flnmes that were fercely
consuming IL bed and table in the rear room.
The water seemed to increase the fire and
Mrs. Arnold handed him another pailtul.
Then she went for another. When she re-
turned the door was closed and she could
not open it.
BY this time police and firemen had arrived.
The woman shrleked for help and Policeman
Curry, of the Madison street station, with
James HOey, of Sc Rutgers street, forced the
door open. Thompson's dead body was
found lying close to the door.
He must have been overcome by the smoke
and heat and. being unable to find the door,
The fire was quickly %extinguished by the
fremen and Thompson's body removed to
mis- rooms.
How the fire originated is a mystery. 1t is
claimed that the family left two lighted
candles on the table in carrying out q custom
of the jewish people on their Sabbath eve.
A pet kitten was in the room and it is said
that the kitten pulled the candles over and
thus set fire to the place.
This seems 10 be rather q lame excuse. The
candles rested in candlesticks. heavy,
massive affairs. 1t would seem impossible
for n kitten or even n full-grown feline to
have d%islodged them. and although the
candlestlcks must have been in the centre Of
the fire, they do not give any evidences of
fire.
There was 1900 worth of insurance on the
furniture. &c. The FIRE annot be accounted
for in any other way, and the Fire Marshal Is
going to make n rigid examination.