The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1890-02-04

the bell and told the butler who an
swered it that the house was on fire."
The butler ran up stairs and immc
diatcly rush he'd back, shouting, my God
the house is on fire" The entire first
floor was in flames. We ran out the
front floor. Mrs. Wilmcrding and her
daughter were at the front second story
window screaming for help. Both ladies
jumped Neither fell on their feet, but
on their sides.
| The house Of Mr.. L. S, Rhccm, No. S21
| 18th street, itself almost reached by the
fre, was thrown open for the reception
OF the dead and diving. Mrs. Tracy,
still alive, was brought in by a couple OF
iircmcn and placed on sofa in the din.
ing room Here she fingered for about
an hour, fully conscious, and apparently
suffering but little. 1t was little after
o'clock when she spat up little blood,
hardly enough to be termed a hemorrhape,
closed her eyes and without a moan
ceased to breathe.
The cook, scorched and blackened until
she had an Ethiopian appearance, but
not seriously injured, was the next
brought in. She was provided with an
upstairs room. Secretary Tracy was
thc third sufferer to he sheltered under
Mr.. Rheems root. He was placed on
mattresses in the kitchen, whittier he
was taken through the allev, for it was
not 'cemcd proper to bring him through
the room in which his wife lay dying.
The President walked out from the
White House as soon as he heard of the
tragedy. He was weeping as he came
out OF the house where the secretary lay
unconscious and where Mrs. Tracy was
dying.
ANOTHER VERSION OF MRS. TRAcEY's
DEATH.
Mrs. Tracey cndcavorcd to escape by
dropping herself from her bedroom win
dow, and in her effort to decrease the
distance to the ground she graspei
narrow stone window sill and lowered
herself as far as she was able. Those
who saw her in her perilous position
shouted to her to hold on, but either sh,
did not hear, or her strength failed hcr.
for after thus hanging q moment bet wcen
life and death, she fell forty feet into an
area way, She was Immediately taken
to the house OF n neighbor, DR.. Rhcem,
and placed upon lounge in the sitting
room. She was perfectly conscious, and
did not seem to suffer pain. Occasionally
she complained of an oppression in tn,
ncighborhood of her heart, and found |
difficulty IN breathing. She talked awhile, |
coughing slightly, and then became silent |
The physicians looked at each other sig
Mrs. Tracey was dead. TIL,
cause of her death was sup
posed to he from injuries to her heart, |
sustained III her fall from the window.
which flooded her lungs with blood. Her
body was soon removed to the residence
of Attorney General Miller, on Massa-
chusctts avenue. Almost at the sam,
time two bodies were taken from the
burning building. One was the srcrcta-
ry's daughter, Miss Mary. a young lady, |
and the otherwas that Of French maid |
Josephine. That OF the former was
found by Chief Parrish, lying on the
floor in the second floor hall at the head |
ot he stairs. The body was not great,
dishgurcd by the fire. She had evidently
lied oi suiiocation. The chief lifted the
lltccss body in his armes, and although
the staircase was ablaze, he brought il
safely out into the street. or the French |
maid little is known, save that her dead |
body was found in her room on the top
moor Oh the mouse, burned beyond rccoS-
milton. Both the bodies of Miss Tracey |
and her maid were taken to an under
takers establishment in the vicinity.
1t is believed that the fire originated in
I he paror near the open fire place. |
it originated from the crate |
or the heating pipes is not known.
ns no one could be found who |
could tell whether there was fire in the
CRATE last night or not. The frame
work adjoining the mantcl is where the
hire started, and it no doubt burned |
some time before it was discovered. |
The furnace is in the basement directly |
below where the fire started, and the hot |
air pipes leading to the upper stories,
and pass directly behind the wood work. |
1 he iircmcn generally think that
he fire was caused by ovcrhcated air
pipes,