Los Angeles herald., 1890-05-09
ROASTED LIKE PIGS.
Still Another Insane Asylum
Holocaust.
Helpless Idiots Cremated in
Their Cells.
The Tongue POinte Horror Re-En-
acted on Small Scale.
The Chenango County, N. Y, Poor House
and Insane Asylum Burned-At
Least Ten Victims.
Associated Press Dispatches. |

UTICA, N. Y, May S.-The larger por-
tion of the Chenango county buildings, To-
Gated at Preston, near Norwich, was
destroyed by fire at midnight last night,
and ten inmates, possibly more, were
burned. The buildings destroyed were
the asylum, in which were about thirty
inmates, and the pauper house and
idiot wards, in which were forty in
mates. Both were three-story wooden
buildings, in good repair, having wings
two-stories in height. They were valued
at $25, 900, insured for $40, 900, and are a
total loss. Probably the worst part of
the disaster was the burning OF ten
idiots who, penned in their cells, were
roasted alive.
The origin OF the fire was probably
smouldering sparks of slight fire which
had occurred Wednesday afternoon.
Deborah Dibble, feeble-minded old
woman, was smoking pipe and set her
clothing and bedding on fire, and was
burned fatally before the flames could
be extinguished. 1t is supposed the fire
started from some undiscovered smoul-
dering sparks from this event. The
keeper was awakened by q 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, rescuing the inmates.
The patients, who had, some of them,
to be forced out, fought against their re-
lease, but all were saved. Most of them
were taken to the Methodist and Uni
versalist churches till other quarters
were procured. Some escaped and took
to the woods, where the sheriff and dep
uties were hunting for them today.
The names of ten idiots who were
burned are: Sarah Mills, Sarah Gala
CHER, Arvilla Atwood, Sarah Bailey,
Laura Gray, Deborah Dibble, Mary
O'Daniels, Almeda Austin, Lucy Warren
AMI Adelia Benedict.
Keeper Mainwaring rescued several
at the peril of his own life. The scene
at the burning was indescribable, and
the horrors of Tongue Pointe were re-
enacted on small scale. The demented
and terror-stricken inmates wandered
around the burning piles in a hopeless
manner. The great wooden buildings
lit up the hills for miles around. A
bucket brigade was formed and about
100 labored to save the small buildings
in the rear, with success.
Norwich, N. Y, May S.-The excite
ment over the destruction of the poor
house and county insane asylum this
morning is intense. All who had friends
among the unfortunates eagerly sought
information as to their fate. Preston is
six miles from any railroad, and pro-
cession of all sorts of vehicles has been
going there all day. The smoke and
stencil from the holocaust are percept-
ible here. At the scene of the disaster
the stencil is sickening. The idiots
were locked in and roasted like beasts.
Keeper Mainwaring said: con open
ing the door leading from the hall to the
idiot department, was thunderstruck
to see the interior mass of flames. /
attempted to rescue the poor inmates,
who were all securely shut in
their cells as usual, but was
driven back by the heat and smoke.
l saw that the idiots were doomed,
and nothing could save them. / then
aroused 4e paupers. In some instances
the poor people were dazed, and it was
necessary to carry them bodily from the
house and turn them loose in the yard
and fields. There were twelve inmates
of the idiot asylum, and they must have
been overcome by the heat, for l heard
nothing from them, and they were
roasted like pigs"
Coroner Fernald, of this place, went
to Preston and ordered the removal of
the charred and blackened remains in
the ruins. Buckets of water were dashed
upon them. AT length the roasted trunks
were pulled out and laid upon the grass
All were burned beyond recognition. In
some instances the remains were re-
moved with shovels, nothing but the
skull or a few bones giving any indica-
tions that they were once human beings.