The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-08
AWFUL HOLOCAUST AT ROCHESTER.
The InhR Rbi,nntso or IA Business Block Caught
Like Rats In a Trap and Peri h.

u
ROCHESTER, Pa. April 6.-There have
been nine bodies found at the fire which
occurred early this morning on New York
street. Only two have been recognized.
They are Mr.. Keene and his son, who
was a shoemaker One hundred and fifty
dollars in gold were found in the ruins,
supposed to have belonged 10 the Italians.
The Italian girl who is the only one of the
family saved, and who jumped from the
second story window, says that there are
$500 more still 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.
Thomas McAlanus, railroad brakeman,
was the first to discover the fire, which
was well under way at the time. He
sounded the alarm of fire which aroused
the neighbors. He worked at the fire un-
til his train departed. Mr.. II. G. Fry, jr.,
William McCutcheon, G. Fry and William
Reid were the first ones on the scene
after the alarm was given, and did u noble
work
The scene of the Italian father living up-
on his bed surrounded by the flames until
the bed dropped through the floor, was
sickening in the extreme. The frightened
man seemed to cling tightly 10 his bed
and made but slight struggle.
The coroner was summoned at an early
hour, but has not yet arrived.
The fire broke out about midnight in a
large frame building occupied by +. j.
keene as a dwelling and shoe store, Mrs.
\. Hall as a millinery store, and George
Edwards as a tea and coffee store. The
fire started in the kitchen OF Keene's resi-
dence, and he and his son Walter were
overpowed by smoke and were not dis
covered until too late to save them.
The other persons mentioned escaped,
but a number OF Italians occupying the
upper rooms of a portion OF the building
were burned to death, with the exception
OF one of them, Marie Tickio, a girl six
teen years old, who escaped with slight
injuries by leaping from an upstairs win
dow She gave the following as the
names of those who lost their lives:
VITTORIA TICKl0, her uncle.
ANNA TICKIO, her mother.
BAPTISTO TICKIO, her father.
RESA and FANNIE TICKIO, her sis
tiers.
JOHN TICKIO, her brother.
JOSEF RAMPATEIN a bOarder.
Maria Tlckio. who escaped by jumping
from the second story, although not ser
iously injured. is Frustrated She Ia ks in
coherenty and seems to remember but
little of the frightful struggles of her kins-
men. She says that when she awoke the
fire was burning below and their rooms
were filed with smoke. She slept in the
back room, her mother and the children
In the middle room, and her father and
his brother, Victoria Tckio, and Joseph
Raem, both visitors. occupied the front
room. Maria tried to rouse her people,
but they were already asphyxiated. She
stayed until the hre burned her and she
wasc compelled 20 jump for her life from a
window. All the bodies have been re-
covered. They are now lying side by side
in an adjoining building.
Each body is burned beyond recogni-
tion. The sight of tine row of black ened
bodies is horrible. Annie, the baby, had
one foot and an arm burned completely
oil. The others are all frightfully multi
eted. There is no definite evidence as to
how the fire started, but it is the opinion
OF the authorities land it seems TO be the
correct one) that a lamp left burning by
Mr.. Keene in his kitchen exploded and
fired the house. There appears to be no
indication OF incendiarism. The total
loss is $4,000, which is fully covered by
insurance.
A revised list of the dead is as fol-
lows:
c. J. KEENE, aged forty-fve.
WALTER KEENE, his son, aged nine.
BAPTISTE TICKIO, aged forty.
ANNIE TICKIO. aged tbirty-fve; his
wife.
JOSEF TICKIO. aged thirteen.
ROSA TlCKIO, aged eight
ANNIE TICKIO, aged two.
VICTORIA TICKiO, eyed forty-fve. brother
of Baptste.
JOSEPH RAEM. aged thiriy.ive, place of
residence unknown.