Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-05-31
HORRIBLE.
A UNIONTOWN FAMILY ROASTED ALIVE IN
THEIR HOME.
A Drunken Carnival Ends in Frigh!iul Disaster
A Man, His Wife, Two Children and
Friend the Victims.

Yesterday morning about one o'clock
the town of Taylorstown, Washington
county, Pa, was the scene of one of the
most horrible calamities happening in this
section of the country for long time past.
The accident was in the nature of a holo-
caust which resulted in the loss of five
lives. the victims being a husband and wife,
two children and hired man temporarily
making his home with the family.
The scene OF the accident was at the
residence of Henry Phillips, who lived
with his wife and eight children in one
story cottage about mile west of Taylors-
town. and near several oil wells Phillips
had completed arrangements, Friday night,
10 remove his family to Little Washington
Yesterday morning, and G.. w. Heitner,
wfdelv-knoWn about Washington as Jack
Fish" was at the house, presumably to
aid in the higera ofthe following day. AS
the occasion seemed to present to
Heitner all the essential character
istics of jubilee, he pro-
cured bottle of liquor, Friday evening,
and when last seen out of doors he was the
possessor of large sized jag, and had the
bottle full of the essence OF destruction be-
sides. Mr.. Fisher, not TO be outdone by
his convivial employe, had ordered keg
of beer. and it was transported TO his home
during the evening. Little seems TO be
known of what transpired within the walls
of the doomed domicil during the early
evening, but it is cOnlectured, IN the llght
of the awful event which followed, That
there was considerable hllarlty IN the
household during the early evening hours,
and that the contents of the beer keg were
considerably lessened
About one O'Clock in the morning pum-
per employed at an oil well located not far
from the Phillips residence, discovered
that it was on fire He at once gave the
alarm, and running to the doomed building,
endeavored TO arouse the family. His eff
forts were in vain, as far as the adults OF
the household were concerned, but
twelve-year- old boy, named Owl Philips,
was aroused, and with rare presence OF
mind in one so young he tossed out OF
window six of his half suffocated brothers
and sisters. finally crawling out from the
blazing wreck o. the home wherein he had
remained at the imminent peril OF his life
only after the rapid spread OF the hre mad
made further attempts at rescue on his
part simply impossible.
There vet remained in the blazing build
ing when this heroic boy left 1t his father
and mother, c. W. Heitner. and one child,
a boy about two years of age. These four
were burned TO death, and their blackened
trunks were discovered in the ruins yes
terday morning alter the fire was out. One
of the children so heroically rescued by
the boy Owl was a brother named John,
fifteen years of age. He was right 10 the
fire when dragged to the window by his
brother Owl, and when picked up by those
who hurried to the scene, he was found 10
be suffering untold tortures from his
wounds One of his arms-the right
was almost burned off at the wrist,
and his face and neck were black
ence by the flames, which had been inhaled
by the little fellow. Medical aid was at
once invoked but little could be done to al
leviate his sufferings and he died yesterday
afternoon, being conscious to the last. The
distress of the rescued children, yesterday,
was described by those who saw them as
being heartrending. Owl, the boy who so
heroically tossed his brothers and sisters
out of the window in their night clothes, at
the imminent. imperil of his own life,
said yesterday, "Oh, l wish that | had
gone, too
The family had been married just eigh-
teen years yesterday. Phillips was a
wagon maker, aged forty-ffve years, and
his wife was about five years his junior.