The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-28
CRAZY WOMEN PERISH
The Chenango Co. IN. W Poor
! house Destroyed by Fire.
A Number of Inmates Burned to
Death in Their Cells.

The larger portion of the Chenango County
On. " buildings, which for fifty years past
have been located at Preston. about SIX
milesf from Norwich, N. Y, were destroyed by
fire at about midnight, andten of the inmates,
possibly more, were burned. The buildings
DESTROYED were the asylum, IN which
there were about eighty inmates, and the
pauper house and idiot ward, in which there
were about forty inmates. They were three
story wooden buildings in good repair, having
wings of two-story in height: They stood side
by side driveway separating them. They
were valued at SIS, 900 and insured for S19, 900,
and are a total loss. The horrible part of the
disaster was the burning of ten idiots, who
were penned in their cells and were roasted
alive. The fire started in this portion Of the
main building, and as the inmates were asleep
and no sounds were heard, it is probable that
the smoke and gases smothered them before
they felt the pain Of the fire.
The origin of the fire was probably the
smouldering sparks of slight fire which oc-
CURED ON the afternoon before. Deborah
Dibble, a feeble-minded old woman, was
smoking pipe, and set her clothing and
bedding on fire, and was burned fatally be-
fore the flames could be extlngulshed. her
corpse was burned in the second tire. 1t Is
supposed that the fire started from some
6mOulQerlQg SPARKS lTOul CulS SNSu1-
The keeper was awakened by pauper,
and attempted to release the idiots, but was
driven back by the fire. He then ran through
the other buildings in his night clothes, rous.
ing the inmates and turning them out OF
doors. The insane patients had, some OF
them, to be forced out, and fought against
release, but all were saved. Most OF them
were taken under guard to the Methodist
and Universalst churches until other quar-
JaJ nd c,,cb crIhhnriDp moi
ley congregation was never seen In churches
before. Some escaped and took to the
woods. where the Sheriff and large number
Of deputies found them next day.
The names of the nine idiots who were
burned are: Sarah Mills, of Alton: Sarah
Gallagher and Arvilla Atwood, of Norwich:
Sarah Bailey, of Columbus; Laura Gray, OF
Sreene: Deborah Dibble, of Bainbridge;
Mary o. Daniels, of Preston; Almeda Austin,
Adelia Benedict, and Lucy Warren, of War
rem County. Keeper Mainwaring rescued
several at the peril of his life.
The scene at the burning was lndescriba-
ble, and the horrors of the recent fire at
Tongue Pointe, Canada, we re-enacted on
smaller scale. Demented and terror-stricS-
IN inmates wandered around ID tne ourE:ng sSg
piles in a hopeless manner. The great WOOD
sn buildings lit up the hills for miles around.
A bucket brigade was formed of the citizens
Of Preston, and about hundred labored to
save the smaller buildings in the rear, with
huccess. The stables and farm buildings
were saved. The large milk house was
burned.
Edward Francis, a paupsr, tells this story:
sMy room was in the rear OF the pauper de-
oartment. lust across the alley from the
idiots, and Immediately on hearing the cries
I arose and called Keeper Mainwaring, who
came down stairs from his room IN hurry.
By that time the building was doomed,
and the folks inside were screaming
and calling for help, but no one could
live minute in there, 50 we went Tor tne
others and got them out safe and sound.
You know that Mrs. Dlbo!e was smoh- OK
Ing pipe in there in the afternoon ana SET
herself on fire, and was burned so badly that
she died about s o'clock in the night. Her
bad was all on fire, too but we threw water
on it and put it out, afterward washing the
floor: and thought at the time that every
thing was all right, but some sparks must
have been left to smolder, and they finally
broke into blaze Everybody who could
possibly be saved was taken out, and none
perished who could be awakened"
E. F. Mainwaring, the keeper, said: u re-
tired at my usual hour and must have been
in sound sleep when I awoke with start,
and a cold sweat stood out all over me-
cannot say that heard any noise or distln-
euished any smell of smoke, but an inborn
Without waiting to dress myself bounded
down stairs in my bare feet, and on
entering the paupers' dining-room strong
smell of smoke struck my nostrils: l
followed the scent, which led me to the idiot
department. On opening the door lead
ing from the hall to that building was
thunderstruck to see that the interior was
all ablaze; in fact, it was one mass OF flame,
and the smoke was overpowerlng. at-
tempted to open the door and rescue the poor
inmates who were all securely shut In their
cells as usual, but was driven back by the
heat and smoke. saw that the Idiots were
doomed and that nothing could save them
I then ran out and gave the alarm, went 10
my room and pulled on my trousers
and then ran through the corridors ana
aroused thepauperss,. telling them as plainly
as could what had happened. In some IN
stances the poor people were dazed, and II
was necessary to carry them bodily from tne
house and turn them loose in the yard and
the fields. There were twelve inmates In the
idiot asylum, and they must have been over
come by the heat before ! awakened them,
for heard nothing from them, and they
roasted like pigs in hole"
The remains Of ten or more human beings
were blazing in the ruins OF the idiot de-
partment when Coroner Fernald arrived.
he ordered their removal, and many willing
hands were soon engaged in bringing DUCK
cts Of water and quenching the flames
sufficiently to remove the charred trunks.
In many instances the remains were re-
moved with shovels, nothing being recog-
nizable save pieces of skull and bones. a
sickening odor permeated the atmosphere.