St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-09
An Even Dozen Idiots Roasted
to Death in Their
Cells.
Horrors Of the Tongue Pointe
Calamity Duplicated on a
Smaller Scale.
Gibbering Imbeciles Rescued
From Deaths Jaws Flee
to the Woods.

UTICA. N. Y, May S.-The larger
portion of the Chenango county build
ings, which for fifty years past have
been located at Preston, about six miles
from Norwich, were destroyed by fire
last night about midnight and ten in
mates, possibly more, were burned. The
buildings destroyed were the asylum,
in which there were about eighty
inmates and the pauper houses and
the idiots ward in which there were
about forty inmates. Both were three
story wooden buildings, in good repair,
having wings of two story in height.
They stood side by side, a driveway
separating them. They were valued
at $4,000 and insured for S19,-
600, and are a total loss.
The horrible part of the dis
aster 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 smoth-
cred them before they felt the
pain of the fire. The origin Of the
fire was probably the smOuldering
sparks of slight FIRE which occurred
Wednesday afternoon. Deborah Dibble,
a feeble-minded old woman, was smok-
ing a pipe, and set her clothing and
bedding on fire, and was burned fatally
before the flames could be extinguished.
Her corpse was buried last night. 1t IS
supposed that the fire started from some
undiscovered smouldering sparks from
{hfc Tho lynnnaR xr1ac lynnnh
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, rousing the inmates
and turning them out of doors. The in
sane patients had. some Of them, to be
forced out, and fought against re-
lease, but all of them were saved.
Most of them were taken under
guard to the Methodist and
Universalist churches till other quar-
ters are provided, and such a gibbering,
motley congregation was never seen in
churches before. Some escaped and
took to the woods where the sheriff and
large number Of deputies are hunting
for them to-day. The names Of the
uIH0 lulOIS WuO W6T6 DuIuou dI6s
Sarah Mills, Alton; Sarah Gallagher,
Arvilla Atwood, Norwich; Sarah Bal
ley, Columbus; Laura Gray, Greene;
Deborah Dibble, Bainbridge; Mary
O'Daniels, Preston; Almeda Austin,
Adelia Benedict, Lucy Warren, county.
Keeper Mainwaring rescued several at
the peril of his life. The scene
at the burning was indescriba-
bic. and the horrors of Tongue
Pointe were re-enacted on a smaller
scale. Demented and terror-stricken
inmates wandered around the burning
piles in hopeless manner. The great
wooden buildings lit up the hills for
miles around. A bucket brigade was
formed of the citizens of Preston, and
about a hundred labored to save the
smaller buildings in the rear with sue
cess. The stables and farm buildings
were saved. The board of supervisors
is in special session tonight at Norwich
to take measures for prompt relief. The
coroner will hold an inquest into the
disaster.