The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-04-11
ON A BURNING BED
A Dying Woman's Terrible
Situation.
CUT OFF FROM ESCAPE BY FIRE.
Hs Husband Mad an Attempt to Rescue
Her. but Failed.

An italian Grocer Accused OF Setting Fire
to His STORE TO Secure the Insurance
She Was shookingIy Burned and was
Saved from Being Cremated by the
Foreman of Hook and Ladder Com
pany and Taken to a Hospital
BROOKLYN, April IA fire, supposed
to have been of incendiary origin, broke
out shortly before 4 O'Clock yesterday
ment, 160 Columbia street, this city
The flames did not burn more than
twenty minutes, but the house was
gutted from cellar to roof
The ground floor was used as a grocery
store by Joseph Barbara. On the first
floor lived William Boyd with his wife
Mary, each aged 4s years, and. their five
children.
Every day during the past three
months Mrs. Boyd's death has been ex-
pected rs for years she had been grad
ually wasting away with consumption.
Rev. Father John J. Barry had been in
constant attendance upon her, and so
confident W IS he that the end was fast
again yesterday to administer the last
sacrament of the Church. Up to the
time the fire broke out he had not
arrived.
The woman lay in bed in the front
room and her husband sat by the window
reading to her. While so engaged he
smelled smoke. Running down the
stairs he found dense volumes issuing
from under and over the side door lead
ing into the grocery store
He raised an outcry so as to alarm the
other tenants. Then, as he heard the
flames roaring and cracking inside, he
tried to kick in the door, but without
success. Within five minutes his five
children ran down the stairs shouting
that their fat was in flames.
Boyd rushed up the stairs and to his
horror saw that the room in which his
helpless wife was lying was completely
cut off. He made one wild rush to save
her, but was driven back by the flames,
which were devouring everything.
Down the stairs he ran again and out
into the street. In the meantime an
alarm had been sent in and a hook and
ladder company aud several fire engines
were coming up the street With as lit
tie delay as possible, Foreman John Leo
placed Il lhuu6I III lllb bGCOuu-bbOIy VIII
dow. up which he ran himself. An in
stant later he returned bearing in his
arms the dying woman.
An ambulance came from st. Peter S
Hospital three blocks away, and into
this the woman was lifted. She had
been burned in a shocking manner, and
the ambulance surgeon shook his head
when he saw the charred body.
During all this time Mrs. Crimmins
and her family were having a lively time
Before they had made up their minds
what to do escape was cut off by way o.
the stairs. All managed, however, tc
get safely to the roof, and then down t
the street from one of the other houses
| Boyd told Police Sergeant Slattery tina
he thought the fire was of incendiar!
origin. Barbara, he said, had only occu
pied the store about four months, ant
| he claimed the whole stock was no
worth more than 5000 and it was insured
in the London and Lancashire Insuranc
Company for 81, 6OO.
Fifteen minutes before | smelled tn
! smoke, " continued Boyd, II heard voice
| in the store. All seemed to be Italians
yet when tried to break in the doc
there was no one there
Barbara has not been seen since, bu
the police are looking for him.