The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-04-07
NINE lives LOST.
Death Comes at Midnight in
Fires FrightfuI Form.
A CALAMITY At ROCHESTER.
A Merchant, His Son and Family
Of Seven Italians Meet a Horrible
Fate.-suGocated and Roast
ed.-.The Supposed Cause.

ROCHESTER,, Pa, April 6.-There have
been nine bodies found at the fire
on New York street, but only two have
been recognised. They are Mr.. Keene
and hlsson, who was ashoemaker. There
was also found $3.50 in gold among the
ruins, which belonged to the Italians.
The Italian girl, who was the only one Of
the family saved by jumping from the
second story window, says that there are
$500 more stored in the ashes. The con-
clusion arrived at is that the Italians be-
came confused and could not find the
stairway, which was a narrow one, and
to reach it required the opening Of two
doors in the rear OF the building.
The fire broke out about midnight in
q large frame building occupied by E. j.
Keene as dwelling and shoe store, Mrs.
A. Hall as millinery store, and George
Edwards as tea and coffee store. The
fire started in the kitchen Of Keene's
residence and he and his son Walter
were overpowered by the smoke, and
were not discovered until too late to
save them. A number OF Italians ocGu.
pying the upper rooms Of a portion Of
the building were burned TO death, with
the exception OF one OF them, Marie Tee.
chic, a girl sixteen years old who escaped
by jumping from the second story, and
although not seriously injured, she Is
prostrated. She talks incOherently and
seems to remember but little OF the
trighttul struggles Of her kinsmen. She
says that when she awoke the fire was
burning below and the rooms were
filled with smoke. She slept in the
back room, her mother and the children
in the middle room, aud her father and
his brother Victoria Tecchio, and josef
Raema, both visitors, occupied the front
room. Marie tried to rouse her people,
but they were already asphxiated. She
staid until the fire burned her, and she
was compelled to jump for her life from
a window.
All the bodies have been recovered.
They are now lying side by side In an
building. Each body is
burned beyond recognition. The sil ht
OF tu6 TOW Ol DIdCktueu uUuIee 10 huITl-
BILE. There is no definite evidence as to
how the fire started but it ia the opinion
of the authorities, and 1t seems to be
the correct one, that a lamp left burning
by Mr.. Keene in his kitchen exploded
aud fired the house. There appears to
be no indication Of incendiarlsm. The
total loss is s., 900, which is fully covered
by insurance.
A revised list OF the dead iollows:
OK. Keene, aged 40; Walter Keene,
his son, aged 10; Baptiste Tecchio, aged
40; Annie TeCchio, aged So, his wife;
Yosef Tecchio, aged l3; Rosa Tecchio,
aged 8; Annie Tecchio, aped2; Victorio
TeCchio, aged 81; Joseph Raema, aged 50.
This afternoon Coroner King empan-
nelled jury, and after viewing the re-
mains, adjourned until tomorrow after
noon, owing to the absence Of important
witnesses. The seven Italians will be
buried at the expense OF the county in
the Catholic cemetery tomorrow. The
remains OF Z. J. Keene and son will be
inferred in LaCock cemetery tomorrow
after services in the Presbyterian
church.