St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-21
BURNED TO DEATH.
A Fire Over Brown Bros. Sa-
loon Results in a Woman's
Death.
$4,000 Damage by a Blaze
That Lasted Forty Min
utes.
Hielpern Is to Be Tried
Again--No Nolle
"Goes."
Rigid Police Discipline Being
Observation-Disclosures Eleva-
tor Middle.

A fire which was discovered at 6:15
o'clock last evening, and which was ex-
tinguished within forty minutes, almost
completely Quilted the building at lis
Washington avenue, occupied by Brown
Brothers, and leased by them through
Ralph Rees, as agent, from its owner,
who resides at Buffalo, N. Y. A few
minutes before the discovery of the fire.
George TOuSley, the bOokkeeper fer the
firm, heard rap at the door opening
from the hail entrance to the saloon,
and, answering it. met young woman,
probably twenty-five years of age. She
asked him if be could show her
20 a waterclOSet. He accordingly as
cended to the second floor and pointed
out the room. Returning to the saloon
below he noticed flame and smoke issu-
ing from the ceiling at the rear of the
room, apparently from the kitchen.
which was located over the back part of
the saloon. He Immediately gave the
alarm, and, then thinking of the woman,
ran up stairs to warn her. The fire
had, however. got good start, and
when he reached the second floor he
found himself cut off from reaching her
by the
Dense Smoke and FLAMES
that were between them He accord
ingly called to her and told her to run
up stairs, and get out of window and
come down the fire escape at the rear OF
the building. She answered him he
thinks, and at least it appears that she
attempted to follow out his instructions,
but probably was overcome by the
smoke and fell to the floor, where her
body, with her clothing badly burned,
was found in one of the rooms Oh the
fourth floor at about the center of the
building afterwards by the firemen. The
fire department responded quickly, and
in Thirty minutes the fire was practically
out. The flames passed through the
second, third and fourth floors, but did
not burn out the supporting timbers nor
the partitions of the rooms, although
the damage is so great that the interior
of the building will have to be practic-
ally rebuilt. On the first floor the
scene was lively one. The employees
Of the place worked fercely to save the
stock of liquors and the fixtures, and
succeeded quite well. The burning
! debris as it fell was extinguiShed by
water, and the building was soon food
ed, and the fire was practically drowned
! out.
The Loss to the Building
couldnot be closely estimated last night,
| but it is placed at about $4,000. Brown
| Brothers estimate their loss at about
| $4,000, which Is covered by insurance
as follows: On stock, Phoenix InSur-
ance company. $1,000; st. Paul Fire and
| Marine Insurance company, $1,000; Or
lent Insurance company, $500; West
ern Insurance company, of Toronto,
| 81, 500. On saloon and fixtures, German
Insurance company, $500. On house
| hold goods, $1,000, insured with DOLL
yer IL Masay.
The fire originated in either the
kitchen, or laundry on the second floor
in which cannot be told, as the two
| rooms adiOined each other, and the
| cause is unknown. The second floor
was divided into four or five rooms in
which refreshments were served. The
| third floor was taken up with furnished
rooms, as WAS the fourth floor, with the
| exception that portion Of it was Occu-
| pied by tailoring establishment. All
| the furniture. carpets, etc, were the
| property of Brown Bros. The walls
and front of the building were unin-
| jured, and it is likely that the total loss
| by the fire will not exceed $4,000. AS
soon Gas possible the firemen CROPPED
their way to the fourth floor. where the
dead body Of the woman was found,
and taken to Connol!y's morgue. Her
clothing was badly charred, and her
body was burned about the arms
and neck, but it is likely that
she died from suffOcation. She was
evidently about five feet tall, of rather
plump figure. and probably weighed
about 125 pounds. Her face is full and
round, and her hair nearly black in
color. Her age was probably about
twenty-five years, while her clothing
would indicate that she was a woman
who worked for her living, as she was
attired in black dress that showed con.
siderable wear. UD to midnight her re-
mains had o been identified. No women
r00med in the house except the woman
| who did the cooking in the kitchen, and
she was absent at the time of the fire.
| The furnished rooms were let entirely
| to men, and owing to the time of the
| day none of them were occupied, and
no one was in the tailor shop on the
| fourth floor.
The woman who persisted in the fire is
said to be Miss Annie Watson, of st.
| Paul.