Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-02-16
THE ASYLUM HORROR.
CHASTITY WORK OF SEARCHING THE
RUINS IN PROGRESS.
Tale of the Holocaust Told by Keeper
Driscoll and Superintendent emerritt
-Thlrty-iour Bodies Already Recovered
Matches in tho Hands of an Inmate
May Have Set the Fire.

made n trip into the insane asylum, he
found fire coming out of the cell occupied
by A. LaFatnitain, woman. Chevey at
once gave the alarm. William Driscoll, the
keeper, with his family lived in the building,
and he at once broke the locks Off the ID
cells and tried to get the inmates out He
then got ont his wife end two children, none
OF whom wore dressed.
The building was 1876 by So feet tw O.
story wooden structure, with big yard on
each side, was built 90 yeers ago aud had
50 cells
Que woman escaped to the yard, but was
burned to death there. The building cost
SD, 600. The main building, in which we're
over 100 OF the county poor caught fire,
but was saved by the vigorous efforts of
the inmates, who carried pals of water and
extinguished the flames, although many
were burned in so doing.
The Dover department was summoned,
but owing to the distance the binding snow
storm and the icy roads, it took 80 minutes
for the fire department to got there, and
too late to be OF assistance. The smoking
ruins show the charrei bodies still lying on
their iron beds. How the building caught
is q mystery.
DOVER n. H., Feb. 10.-With regard
to last nights holocaust Waterman Wilbur
Chesley Of the burned asylum says that
while making his 10 o clock round, he dis
covered fire IN the cell occupied by Mrs. La
fountaine, at the foot of the bed. He pulled
the woman ont of the room closed the door
and called Keeper Driscoll, who helped to
break the locks and gave general alarm
The LGfountane woman and Frank Dan
chean ran out into the yard. The fire rau
rapidly through the building as it was sat
uratei with oil. There was no way of get
ting the insane people out, and Chesley
himself had to run through sheet OF flame
to get to tho outside door. He could do moth
ing to save the asylum.
thuouer DriscolPs story,
He lived in the building, and ran from bis
room in his night clothes, and did all he
possibly could to get out the inmates. His
hands ere badly burned and he had to
break through double window from the
outside to rescue his wife and children, clad
only in their night clothes. Driscol says
there We're 4G inmates IN the cells and only
three escaped.
Carpenters had been doing some work at
the asylum, but it is not known that the
Lafountaine woman got any OF the shaw
! ings. She made her way by some means to
the yard, which was surrounded by high
fence, and must have been roasted alive.
Daucheau managed to climb the fence and
| was saved
AS Told by superintendent Dcmeritt.
Charles Demeritt, superinten dent of the
| farm and alnlshouse, says: | was awakened
| by the Waterman. There were 80 paupers
in the almshouse, 40 of them being women,
in the wing next to the asylum. l got them
all into the other wing, aud such OF the men
as were able did good work with water in
pals and saved the brick building
Coroner Daniels OF Rochester began an
inquest at 10 o'clock to-day. The scene is
five miles from this city, over one Of the
worst roads ever travelled.
Tonight in the chapel at the county
farm building on the settees which have
heretofore held deyout worshippsrs lie what
can be found OF
"a FearfuIi Burned AMI Charred Bodies
The others who were known to have per-
ished in the flames of the insane asylum fire
last night have not yet been found, for the
celer is full OF water and the debris has not
yet been removed. 4
Tho Corrected List of tho Dead,
as taken from Supsrin tendent D,meritt's
books is: Frank Rowe Great Falls, aged
"a; Charles Libby, Great Falls, 81; Frank
Page Rochester, 26 William File, Great
Falls, 81; Frank Scriggans, Dover, 81;
Henry Kim bsll, Dover, 30; Julia Riel Do
YER, Al; Mrs. LIZZIE Larvin, Salmon Falls,
SO; Mrs. Mary McClintock, Dover, 81;
Maggie White, Great Falls, IS; Ann Carr,
Rollipsford, 40; Mary Nutter, Farming
ton, IS; Mrs. Mary Maloney, Dover, SO;
Laura Ellis, Rochester. 70; Mary
Wilson, Lee, 80; Nora Twindall,
Milton Mills, Sc; Caroline Raft, Do
yer, 40; Mrs. Ann Rothwell, Dover, 43
Lizzie Ellis, Great Falls, AZ; Catherine Ha-
ley, Dover, Al: Elizabeth Pickering, Comic,
IS; Mary Cooley, 40; Sarah Sweet, Roch'
ester, 80; Sarah hutchins, Dover, 80; Kate
Duifee, Dover, 80; Ed. Cassidy, Dover, 20
Fannie Slattery, Great Falls, 66; Ann Nc
Dermot, 40; Addio Otis, Great Falls, 40
Dionne Maslier, Salmon Falls, 90; Mrs
Mary LaFountain, Great Falls, Al; Frank
Nutter, Rochester, 80; William Chesley,
Durham, Al; Mrs. Jane Roberts, Grsai
Falls, IS; Ulysse, Jones, Pennington, "a
William Twomblsy, Darlington, Ga; Over
Maley, Great Falls, %; Michael Casey
Dover, AS; Martha Carney, Dover, 80; ant
Julia Sullivan, Dover. 30; Sarah McClin
took, Great Falls
Coroner j. III. Daniels OF Rochester callet
together jury composed of w. Ii. Walker
of Rochester, j. D. Roberts of RolinsforC
and V. Mathes OF Dover, and after being
sworn they viewed the cellar of the destroy
ed building where they could see man,
bodies lying. Undertaken Ward was theI
ordered TO remove thom to the chapel AM
, this urenviable task was performed by A
N. Ward, A. A. Ashley and King Fernald
The bodies taken out were horribly burned
and large proportion OF them entirely un
Recognizable. The search OF the ruins vii
, be continued tomorrow
At O'Clock the coroner's Jury reassem
pled but an adjournment was taken unit
Saturday at 10 a. NJ, when Wilbur Ches
! ley, Waterman, William Driscoll keeper o
| the asylum, Superintendent Demerritt All,
William L. Wentworth will give their testi
n mony.
james Daley, one of the escaped inmates
seems to have become sane since the fire. |
now appears that there were / inmates
= three of whom escaped.
How the Fra Orisi
possible C, ue to tho origin of the fir
may 10 found in the fact that some of tn
e insane paupers were habitual users OF tobaC
y | and ware ailowel three friction matchp