Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-05-09
ANOTHER HOIO CAUST
Thirteen Idiots Perish in q
County Poorhouse.
SEVERAL LUNAT1cs ESCAPE
Ons Of the Inmates Fires Her Cloths
and d Burned to Death.

OAosS Assompe ~ &000u0-Vho On10Es
tunates shrieksd. Cursed and Praysd-A
SHERIFF. Posse Hantins for the 11aniaes
Who Are - Large - The Building Ne
stroysd-Namss ofThoss Who Psrished
Noaw1cH, N. Y, May 9.-Eleven lives
we're lost By the midnight fire which
aessroyed the Chenango County Poor
mouse at Preston, six miles from here.
On a smaller scale the horrors attend-
Ing the Montreal asylum fire were re-
enacted. - :.
Ihe keeper was awakened by pauper,
ana attempted to release the idiots. but
was driven back by the FIRE. He ran
through the other buildings in his
night clothes, rousing tho inmates and
eurning them out doors. ~.
AL OF the wards were crowded with
patients and scene Of confusion and
pane n followed. The Keepers and nurses
WORKED with . will, and after much
dlmculty succeeded In removing the
onfortunates with the exception Of tho
eleven who lost their lives.
shrisk~d. Cnrssd and PRAYED.
In the violent ward the craxy inmatea
acted ~ If they would tear each other
to pieces in their efforts to escape.
Iney shrieked cursed and prayed. As
soon as the doors were opened they
scamPered out of the building. Some
were laughing As only maniacs can. and
all attempts to restrain them were in
vain. The majority of tho violent ones
made directly for the waods, and for
hours afterward they could be heard
screaming and yelling in the adjacent
forests. Some Of the patients were
badly burned. Those in the poor wards
were all saved without trouble, a. that
portion of the building was furthest
removed from the wing whore the fre
started. The lunatics in the woods
Kept up screaming, which added to
tho confusion, and several times the
more docile patients, huddled on the
lawn, were on the verge of q panic.
Scenes At tho Fire.
The scene at the burning was indie
scr1bable, and tho horrors of Tongue
Point were re-enacted on smaller scale.
Demented and terror-stricken inmates
wandered around tho burning piles in .
buildings lit up the hills for miles
around. A bucket brigade was formed
OF tho citizens of Preston, and about
lOO labored to save the smaller build.
lngs In tho rear, with success. The
stables and farm buildings were saved.
Tho large milk house was burned.
Origin Of the Fire = Mystery.
The origin of the fire is q mystery.
In the afternoon Deborah Dibble. one of
the women in the idiot ward, who was
allowed to smoke her old clay pipe. put
It In her pocket while lighted and set
dre to her clothes.
The attendants hastened to her aid.
but when they got the fire out she had
died from its effects.
Her terrible death had its effect on
the other idiots, and it is supposed that
one of them got some matches and was
playing with them whom the FIRE at
night was started.
through tho ward on a tour of inspeo-
ton and everything was all right.
The Victims.
Those who are known to be dead ara
ATWOOD, ART1LIA, Norwich.
AUSTIN, ALMENDA, county.
BENEDICT, ADELIA, county.
BAILEY, SARAH, Columbus.
DANIELS, MARY, Preston.
DIBBLE, DEBORAH, Bainbridge.
GALLAGHER, SARAH, Norwich.
GRAY, LAURA, Green.
MILLS, SARAH, Alton.
WARREN, LUCY, county. d.
Three unknown persons.
The two churches and one hotel were
turned into temporary quarters, and
the rescued were transferred to these
quarters as rapidly as possible.
A special messenger arrived for Sher-
if Kenney, who immediately left for
the sosne, after swearing in q large
number of deputies, who secured the
country for the missing persons.
The losses will aggregate $50, 1000 on
which there Is an insurance of 81, 900.