New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-03-23
.ALAMITY NEAR SPRINGFIELD.
Tive Children Of John Lahey Crema-
ted in a Burning Farm House.
Surrounded at Midnight by flames
they are Sufocated and
then ShriVelled into
Ashes.
If. Lahey Himself is so Badly In
jured that he is not Ex
pected to live.

News reached here Monday morning
:#one of the saddest fire catastrophies
lat have ever occurred in Brown coun-
Z. Five human liYes were destroyed
yuaerebv and sixth now fingers at the
ONT of death. The circumstances and
wful details are as follows:
About nine o'clock, Sunday evening,
,e family of j ohm LaheY, consisting OF
imself and six children, retired for the
ioht in their home in the town Of
=iashaw about six miles from Spring
cid aud near the Little Cottonwood
liver. Mr.. Lahey and two OF his chill
rem slept on the first floor while the
ther four slept upstairs.
At about three oclocl; the next morn
lg, those upstairs were awakened and
e,und the entire building enshrouded in
ames. One of the boys, George, aged
wears, who slept near the window,
lmped to the ground beneath and
slled for the others to follow him. In
1eir bewilderment they failed to do this
:. ut tried to escape by going down stairs.
he boys sleeping below were also
reused, but in their excitement it is
opposed that they forgot to go to the
DOR and rushed instead towards the
airs. There they must have met those
Il Il t<>I doe l,
,gether, for search in the rubbish af-
r the fire revealed the five charred
odies piled together in q heap in the
ellar beneath.
4 The only boy who had escaped, find
#lg the lower part OF the building in
ames,rushed into the house and tried to
raw out his father, but could only do
, by moving bed and all. When he
lad finally succeeced, the fathers hair
sFas burned off and his whole body was
Icorched SO as to be black. The young
IAN in his night clothing ran over a
lille to the house of Mr.. Schumacher
.Eho accompanied him back only to find
Fl terrible scene of ruins and the man
IIahey seated just where his son had
eft him, on an ice pond near the house.
lie was removed to Mr.. Schamaker's
Place and Dr. Rothenburg was called
Ind found him in an almost hopeless
condition. Mrs. Lahey was not at
Tome at the time of the fire, but was at
st. James attending son who is sick
With inflammation of the lungs. The five
hildren who fell victims 20 the fires
,eat were aged 8, 10, -, IS and 20
ears, the oldest being a girl.
- How the fire started is a mystery.
When they retired in the evening the
re was almost out in the stove and
lere is a prevailing suspicion that the
ouse was lighted by secret enemies.
he fact that it was enveloped in flames
lmost instantly also leads to this be-
g eff. The coroner left for the scene of
le disaster Yesterday morning but we
re not able to report the result of
is inquest at this writing.
Deputy Sheriff Schmid, together with
1, Lehrer, of Springfield, rode out to
lie place Monday morning and after
~emoving the charred timb ers, found
le five bodies in one place in the cell
II directly under the place where the
5a1rway is known to have been.
The house was a frame structure,
ned inside with clay, aud some of the
7alls are still standing.