Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-04-26
BURNED TO DEATH.
THE TERRIBLE FATE OF MISS MARY RED
NAN, YESTERDAY MORNING,
At 3 Fire at the Residence Of her Brcther-in-Law
George Hibbsrd, on Fourteenth Street
The Building Practically Ruined.

About six o'clok yesterday morning
a fire broke out in the kitchen OF the
residence of George Hibberd. No. 1913
Fourteenth street, and Miss Mary Red
man, sister of Mrs. Hibberd, was burned
to death before she could be rescued
from the building.
Her charrsd and terribly disfgured
body was not recovered until the IRE
had been subdued through the efforts
OF the department.
Mrs. Hibberd was the first member OF
the family 10 arise yesterday morning,
her husband having been i'll for some
DAYS. She went down stairs about six
o'clock, and going into the kitchen turn
ed on the natural gas in the stove and
started the fire. Walking to the kitchen
window, Mrs. Hibberd's attention
was attracted to one of the chickens in
III e yard, the fowl having gotten its head
fast between two palings. She went
into the yard and relieved ths chicken,
and returning to the kitchen door was
astonished to find the whole interior OF
the kitchen a mass Of flames. Mrs.
Hibberd ran around TO the side entrance
and I'D stairs, when she aroused her
husband and Jesse, William and Albert,
her sons, and they awakened Miss Red
man. Mrs. Hibberd and William ran
down stairs, the latter turning In an
alarm from box SO, while Mr.. hiboerd
and the other sons devoted themselves
to Miss Redman. BY this time the whole
OF the rear portion Of the house, down
stairs, was on fire, and the flames and
great mass of smoke and hot air were
making an appearance on the second
floor. Jesse aud William Hio6erd sue
ceeded in rushing down stairs, and Mr..
Hibberd got Miss Redman out OF her
room into the hallway. She refused to
60 further, however, being terrified by
the fire, and probably already affected
by the hot air and smoke, and being a
large woman she could not be
handled by Mr.. Hibberd. He con-
tinued his efforts, however, un-
Til driven away from the unfortunate
woman by the flames, making his way to
a window where he was rescued by
means Of ladder. To have remained
longer in the building would certainly
have cost Mr.. Hibberd his life also.
The son of Mr.. Hibberd broke out the
windows in Miss Redmann's room in the
hope that she might make her way TO
one Of them, but she sank down In the
hall where Mr.. Hibberd left her and it
was there her body was found after the
fire was out. Mr.. Hibberd had very
narrow escape through his attempts TO
save Miss Redmann, and the entire fam
lily were very fortunate in getting out OF
the burning building under the circum-
stances.
The fremen and detachment Of
police arrived very promptly and the
fire was confined to the upper and back
part of the building. The interior OF
the house was thoroughly wrecked, how
ever, aud the walls damaged, except in
front. A portion Of the parlor furniture
was about all that was saved from the
building. The loss will be in the neigh
borhood of FIVE thousand dollars, well
covered by insurance.
The origin OF the fire is somewhat
mysterious, but probably the best ex-
PLANTATION offered is that the natural gas
was not completely shut off in the
kitchen stove the night before, and had
escaped until there was considerable
volume in the kitchen. When Mrs.
Hibberd lit the fire in the stove and
opened the door to go into the yard,
the.draught thus made In the room from
the door to the stove brought this accu-
mutation Of gas into contact with the
stove fire, and the room foil of fire" de-
scrbed by Mrs. Hibberd which she saw
from the yard followed.
Mr.. Hibberd and his family are living
temporarily with his son, on Fifteenth
street, and all were much Frustrated,
yesterday, by the terrible experience
they had gone through and the shock
ing death OF Miss Redman.