The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-02-11
A CAPITAL HORROR.
Secretary Tracy'S House Burned
and Three Lives Lost.

calamity visited the household of Score
tary Tracy yesterday morning whereof
three persons lost their lives an,
three others were badly injured. Th
house is three-story and basement brick
situated In | street between Connection
Avenue and Seventeenth street, and ha
recently undergone extensive improve
ments.
Persons psosing the house at z O'Clock
yesterday morning saw smoke issuins
from the front windows and at once RAISED
an alarm OF fire. The FIRE and police de-
partments responded promptly. This
premises were almost concealed by a
dense smoke, which was thickened by q
heavy fog. which was just lifting. 1t was
soon discovered that be house was all
b.sze inside and the main stairway was
burnt, thus cutting of communication
with the sleeping apartments on the sec.
ond and third floors. Several streams OF
water were soon playing on The flames and
every effort WIS made 10 check the fire
and rescue the inmates.
A scene of the widest confusion ensued
when il was known that all the members
of the family were in the house. The fire.
men behaved like heroes in the emergency
and went through fire and smoke In
searching for them in the different apart
ments. Mrs. Wilmerding, the secretary
daughter, and Miss Wiinerding, forced
their way through the blinding smoke and
jumped from the second story window
front. Ladders were raised to them, but
in their excitement they f.iled to see
them. Mrs. Wimerding broke her left
wrist and was severely bruised. Her
daughter was badly injured about the
lower limbs but broke no bones. They
both suffered severely from the shock.
They were taken to the resid nee Of DIR.
Baxter near by and restoratives applied.
While this sad scene was being enacted
in the front of the house, fremeu were en-
gagged in the task of removing other MEM
bers of the family frem the rear.
Mrs. Tracy endeayored to escape the
raging ements by dropping herself from
her bed room window, and in her effort 10
decrease the distance to the ground she
grssped the 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 she
did not hear or her strength failed her, for
after thus hanging a moment between life
and death, she FIJI forty feet into an area
way before anything could be done towards
rescuing her or relieving her fall.
She was Immediately taken to the house
of neighbor, DR.. Rheem, and placed
upon lounge in the sitting room. She
was perfectly conscious and did not seem
to suffer pain. Occasionally she COM
pIaiued of an oppression in the neighbor-
hood of her heart and found difficulty in
breathing. She talked awhile, coughed
IL. 81 hoo all no nh
sicians looked at each other significantly.
Mrs. Tracy was dead. The Immediate
cause of her death was supposed to be from
injuries to her heart, sustained in her fall
from the window, which flooded her lungs
with blood.
Almost at the same time tie two bodies
were taken from the burning building.
One was the Secretary's daughter, Miss
Mary, a young lady, and the other was
that of the French maid, Josephine. That
OF the former was found by Chief Parrish,
living on the floor on the second floor hall,
at the head of the stairs. The body was
not greatly disfgured by the fie. She had
evidently died from sufocutioD. The
Chief lifted the lifelsss form in his arms,
and although the staircase was ablaze, he
got safely out into the street.
Secretary Tracy himself had most
wonderous escape and is now lying In a
somewhat precarious condition at the resi-
dence Of Hon. j. G. Bancroft Davis on ID
street near Eighteenth street. Like the
others he was overcome in his sleep by the
smoke, which filled the house and rem
dered him completely helpless. He was
discovered in this condition and with con-
siderable difficulty was removed to place
near one of the windows. Cries for
ladder were quickly answered and many
willing hands were raised to assist him TO
the ground. He was at once removed to
neighbours house, and was soon surrounded
by physicians, including Drs. Wales and
Ruth. He was suffering from asphyxia.