The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-11-21
HORRIBLE.
A Family of Five Perish in a Ten
ement Fire,
Having Been Overlooked by the Fire
men and Others.
Discovered In the Blnckened Ruins Twelve
Hours Later Through the Anxiety of
aFrlend-A Horrible Sight in
the Chamber of Death.


Frlend-A Horrible Sight in
the Chamber of Death.
COLUMBUS, o., Nov. 14.-The remark
able condition of the Columbus Fire
department was illustrated in tragic
way Friday afternoon, when it was dis
covered that the ruins of burned ten
ement house, which had been left early
in the morning by the fremen, con-
tanned the blackened and charred
corpses of a family of five persons,
father, mother and three little ones.
At o'clock Friday morning fire was
discovered in the Hunt building, on
High street, few doors north of Flow
ers engine-house, and square and a
half north of the Union depot The
building was two-story frame, the
first story occupied by four stores, and
the upper story by several families.
The building and most of the goods
and merchandise were destroyed en-
failing loss of about SIS, ZOO. Many
of the occupants escaped in their night
clothes and lost all their personal prop
erty.
The firemen turned their attention to
a room occupied with a store of cloth
ing, but the building was made Of the
most infammable material, land the
water made very little impression on
the flames, which had soon licked up
the wooden structure and done much
damage to adjoining buildings.
In the rooms over the south half OF
j. I. Wallock's china store lived the
! family of Charles Betheard. A report
was in circulation Friday morning that
some of the children had been scorched,
but none of them were found, and the
fireman seem TO have made no search
for them. The family removed
to Columbus from Georgeville,
this county, only short
time since, and was not well
ment as teamster for John Minton, a
South Side coal dealer. 1t was noticed
yesterday that he was not at work,
but the fire explained that, and had il
not been for the solicitude of Mrs. Gar.
rison, friend, the corpses of the un.
fortunate man and his family would
probably have remained undiscovered
until the stencil from their decomposine
bodies should attract attention to the
awful tragedy.
Mrs. Garrison went to the scene oi
the fire in the morning and insisted thai
an entrance should be effected to the
room where the family lived, but wal
told that the place had been searched
and that no one was there. Learning
at Minton's place of business tina
Betheapd had not reported fo
work, she returned at o'clocl
Yesterday afternoon to the fir
and induced small boy by the .nam'
of Fiddler TO break into the half
destroyed apartment The boy pushet
his way over charred ruins into th
room, peeped under a section of fallel
roof and there witnessed sight tina
sent him white and staggering to tn
Flowers engine-house to whisper t.
the firemen of the tragedy of which h
had obtained but a glimpse. The fir
laddies rushed with axes to the ruin
tore their way into the room, and them
selves looked upon the last scene of tn,
agonizing affair.
Five burned and charred bodies al
that was left of the family of Charlie
Betheard, lay or knelt about the room
in positions that but too plainly por
trayed the dreadful agony of that las
short struggle for life. The father,
powerful man in life, lay stretche
upon the floor. His body covered tha
of his oldest child, as If in an al
tempt to shield her from the pasSio
of the fire demon. The mother wa
kneeling at the bedside, as if sh
had been overcome just as she spran
from sleep. Her body was wholly nude
the flames having devoured her nigh
clothes and scorched and cooked he
flesh into a horrible condition. Th
two younger children had met death i
the bed. The little things, for they wer
but babies, had not the strength to al
tempt an escape, but had, with tn
natural instinct of representation
buried their faces in the bed clothe:
and tried in that way to get away frol
the suffocating smoke and blisterin
heat.