Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-11-24

1hdItn brOpny, the JanltOr OF Edge
wood academy in the employ of Con-
tractor Divine who was putting I'D
the new building, was the net witness.
He lives at Edgewood and was present
at the tire. He thought the fire started
little before 8 O'Clock. He first saw
the lire in the upper floor in the hall
way. he was attending to stoves in
the cellar. A sister came running
down stairs yelling: 'iAIr. Brophy,
Mr.. Brophy, there's Il fire." loud as
could be. He thought she meant the
hre was in the barn and he started to
run to the barn. The sister yelled to
him that the fire was in the main
building. He had never been in the
Old building where the sisters live ex-
cept to accommodate them by building
the fires in the cellar once in 4 while
He went with the sister to the ton
floor and found the fire in the closet.
The fire was near the chimney but he
did not know that the chimney was in
use. He thought it most likely that
someone lit 4 match in the closet OF
carried a lighted lamp into it and that
her, This, however, he concluded
from what he heard sisters say during
the day, during an examination by an
Insurance agent. At the request of
the sisters Mr.. Brophy went to the
fatal room but became so choked with
smoke that he could not enter and,
as he said, tumbled down stairs. He
\ wont n To- form
curing it went back to the upper floor,
but his light went out and he again
gave up the attempt to get to the
room. Mr.. Brophy admitted that he
was very much excited, with the sis
ters telling him to do one thing and
another. He ran to the ground floor
again and lit another lamp. This light
went out and he lit another He was
about to ascend the stairs again when
sister called to him to help her carry
out q piano. He said he took {; look
at the upper part of the house and
saw that the flames had made such
progress that the structure was doom,
ed so he turned his attention to the
work of saving goods.
Two of the jurymen having been ex-
| cused for urgent reasons, the meeting
was adjourned from 1920 to 5 o'clock.
The full jury met at 5 o'clock and
rendered q verdict, finding THAT Mag
gle Stack and AIargery Rice came to
their deaths Oh the evening of Novem-
Der 1G, 1893, at the hour of $50 o'clock
p. IN, at Edgewood academy in the
of
by being accidentally suffocated by
SIT oke in SAID building which was con-
summed by fire.
The jurors were T.. c.. Purcell,
Charles O. Coyne,. Henry Showers,
O. f. Whelan, A. :. Gatterdam and
W. w Young
Sister Bertha, who suffered extreme
ly in rtsclling one OF her charges, is
getting along nicely, and is entirely
out of danger. She was so weak
yesterday, however. THAT it was with
difficulty that she reached the coroner's
office.
Sister Mary Edmund, stIperioress,
and suffered severely from shock is
very mudh better.
The report that the sisters of Edge
wood had a deposit of $4,000 in the
Mitchell bank of Milwaukee is without
the least foundation
who met her Death Soon after the
fire, had NO another and her father is
afflicted with paralysis
The Chicago girl, Maggie Stack, had
a father but no mother.
Mr.. Stack, father of the late Maggie,
arrived, last might, and took charge OF
the remains He will start for Chicago
this morning
1t is expected that some. friend of
the hate. Margery Rice will arrive from,
Stevens, Point this merning and take
the remains home fer burial.
Last night the remains of the three
little innocents- Margery Rice, Mag
gle Stack and Frances Hennebery-
Were l;ld side by side in snow-white
burial caskets i'm the st Regina acade-
my, corner of West Washington avenue
and South ftenry street.
Yesterday Mother Superior Emily,
of SfnsinaWa Mounds, the head Of the
Dominican order of Wisconsin, ar
rivetf at the st. Regina academy. The
terrible calamity falls heavily upon
her
The insurance on the Edgewood
buildings was given n round numbers
in the Democrat of yesterday. This
insurance is held in the following COM
panies represented by H. B. Hobbins,
of this city:
Old ding-Westchester $4,000,
Germanta $500.
New Observation-Disclosures National
5000, milwaukee, Mechanics $500,
Delaware $1,000, Rockford $500, Buff
falo German $3.50. Total, $4,000.
The Insurance was taken out by the
sisters and they will obtain it and
also suffer 4 loss. It has been re
ported that the contractors had not
that they held the insurance, but such
is not the fact. The insurance policy
was issued to the Dominican order
Nov. 8, it is said, and they has as
slmed control of the building. The
new academy would have been ready
for occupancy in few days.
The matter of rebuilding is in doubt,
but the sisters will either have to de-
vote the property to educational pur-
poses under the stipulations of the be-
quest from G. G.. Washburn to the
Dominican order, or it wil revert to
tho WaShbllrn heirs IF is more than