The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-03-26
AN ASYLUM BURNED.
SIX OF THE INMATES PERISH IN THE
FLAMES.

fcrsens in tho Bullding When tho
Alarm Was Given.
NASHVILLE, March il.--The beauti-
full Central Insane Asylum, seven miles
from this city is almost mass of ruins,
and beneath it are the chnrrcd bodies of
Il half dozen inmates. In the outhouses
near by are huddled poor creatures who
fOnnd the asylum once u grand old
structure, now laid in ashes.
vt lO:lJ last night a tongue of flame
broke through the roof on Western
main wing. How it caught none could
divine, but it reached from the ground
through the second and third stories and
cut off Il few rooms beyond it. The
alarm was given and the 400 inmates of
the institution were thrown into wild
ronmotion. Twenty eight men were in
the wing when the fire caught, and
twenty-five of them were quickly re-
moved TO the main hall, the other six
beng left to their fateS behind the i'm
pasSable wall Of danes. The loss is
| heavy, but the building is insured.
! The city was tcleph0ned for all, but
| ihrt Nirrri oi the Fire Department
could not be found and his Sub0rdinates
| refused 10 move without instructions.
| Finally, after two hour 5 delay, the Chief
was loLni, and he, with two engines,
| icit Tor the scenes Of the disaster. In the
meantime the West wing had collapsed.
The inmates, made frantic by the danger
were beginning TO break from the guards
and scatter like frightened animals over
the surrounding country. The lire en-
SincS arrived at 2:l5, and in a few mo-
mcntS fine stream of water was play
ing on the building. Previously the i'll
mates, servants and guards had render.
ed fine service with buckets, and sue
ccpdcu in holding the fire in check to
some cNtrnt. Had it NOT been for their
Vl%ll;lnt service the entire structure
would have been in flames before the
arrival OF the fire department.
The names Of the killed were: J. S.
Johns of rutherford County, j. Burt
Dexter OF Wilson, Blue Preston of Can
non, John Kelly Of Wavnc, W, II, Beas-
Try of Hickman, H. T.. Uollowel of
DaVidSon---; all white men.
l;y midnight nothing remained for
the men, who had fought SO nObly, to do
| hut 20 stand aside and await the coming
of the engines from the city. When
| one of the reporters WAS about 4 mile
| this side of the fire on his way out, he
met II couple Of lunaticS in their shirt
sleeves trudging along the highway with
their arms locked about each others
| neck. rs they passed one Of them cried
ont: "Eirc' fire, cold, cold" On his
return the same pair were overtaken
luSl within the corporation line. This
: time they were heard TO says: "We are
free, we are free. but don't you tell
don't You tell" And turning around
he SAW their arms were well locked
about cach others neck. Hiding in the
Shrabbrry Immediately around lhe road
were many who had escaped when the
sudden exodus was made from the West
,NI
dressed, but almost without exception
their faces were covered with smiles. as
II the downfall of their refuge was q
source of pleasure to them and the bit
| ing wind Il thing unfrlt. At 3:lJ the
Inmates who had been huddled for
several hours iii the yard in front Of lie
| main building were returned to Tie East
wing. About twenty-five h%u escaped,
| the majority OF whom were harmless.
At this moment tine West wing had be-
come entirely demolished and about one
| half Of the main building The danger
nlS lunatlci were kept locked all the
time in the East wing. and none of them
| were subjected to exposure or danger
during th" progress of the llames.
| II was reported at 1880 this morning
| That one OF hcWomcn, an inmate of the
asylum, had been drowned in the lake
Oh the lawn, bat her name could not be
| learned. The fire was at the same time
reported fully under control, and the
inmates were comfortably housed and
all was quiet.
The loss to the building is estimated at
about $1O.OOO; fully covered by insur-
ancr. The fire is supposed to haye been
caused by Lee Ford, an inmate, who in
some mysterious manner escaped. It's
reported that he WAS rccaptured to-day
near SrYrrgm". About l25 of the in
mates will be transferred to the West
Tennessee asylum ut Bolivar