Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-04-10

PILED UPIN RUINS!
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION TAKES
PLACE IN NEW ORLEANS.
Fine italian Hand of the Malta May be Dis
covered--SuspiciOn Points to q Plot to
Get Rid of q Man Offensive to the italian
Element.

Get Rid Of q Man Offensive to the Italian
Element.
o'clock this morning an explosion from
some unknown cause occurred at the
corner of Decatur and Ursline streets
in two-stroy brick building containing
two store rooms on the ground oor.
One of these was occupied by Emile
Boulet as a saloon and the other by
Charles Salathe, who keeps a grocery
and ship chandlery.' The building
was near the lower end of the French
market and was separated from it by
narrow street.
The explosion startled the neighbor-
hood and when the dust had cleared
away the fishermen and women who had
put in their appearance at the markets,
saw before them heap of debris where
there had formerly stood a barroom and
grocery.
Then little tongues of flames began to
shoot up from the debris and by this
time the onlookers had recovered from
the shock and set about to thing of
some means of rescue for the unfortu-
mates in that smoking mass of brick
and timber.
OUT OF THEIR WITS.
An alarm Of fire was sounded and
soon the department was on the scene
The f1remen did quick and effective
work in saving the adjoining buildings.
An alarm was turned in and very soon
the engines arrived and water was trun-
ed on, good deal Of it being put on the
ruins to cool them and prevent their
catching fire in many places where they
were not then blazing. The f1remen
struggled to supply water to the debris
to save the dead from cremation.
The frantic cries of excited women
and children and the breathless agony
or the men who surrounded the fright
full scene. beggars description. People
ran TO and fro, so much out of their
wits that they could not give intelli-
gent answers to queries.
Slater's place was known as the Fish
erman's Exchange" and rich in the
memories of the Cheniere Ceminada
storm. 1t was there that many of the
rescued made their headquarters when
they were brought to the city and it was
a very popular resort of the fishing peo
pie
AT o'clock this morning two bodies
were recovered. They were identified
as those of Charles Sa1athe and his
wife. At daylight this morning the
work of removing the ruins began At
o'clock the workmen came across the
mangled body of Felix Rigot, the bar
| keeper.
TAKEN OUT DEAD
He was dead when taken out. Ten
minutes later another body was found
rear where Rigot was lying. The body
| was identified as that of James Ed
wards. an employe of a fish stand in
| the market.
While the police are inclined to be-
iieve that the explosion was the result
| of an accident, number of people liv-
! ing in the vicinity of the wrecked build
| ings are of an entirely different opinion
| They state openly that the explosion
was an attempt to kill a man named
| Boulet. who had a miraculous escape.
| EOulet is Frenchman, who two years
| ago shot and killed one of the wealth.
| lest Italians doing bushes in the vicini-
| ty of the French market This man.
! Arestide Balestraci, ran q bar in the
| reighborhood, as we'll as a fish and
game stand in the market. Boulet and
| Ralestrici were at one time good friend
They were in the saloon business to-
| gether BouletS wife came between
them and not only broke up busines ar
| rangements, but caused deadly enmity
| between the two men.
TAINTED HIS VICTIM.
The woman contracted friendship
with Balestraci which, upon reaching
| the ears of Boulet, caused him to leave
consequently
| taunt Boulet with his dishonor, but al
| ways surrounded by friends when do
! ing so. One night two years ago the
| two men met in the French market
! and after having words Balestraci who
| was carrying a cane, drew from it's
| sheath a large sword with which he
| attacked Boulet The latter drew his
| revolevr and fired, killing the Italian.
| The trial resulted in Boulet's acquit-
| tai.
Ever since then Boulet has been look
| ed upon as a marked man. His friends
| tried to pursuade him to leave the city,
or at least stay away from the market
| but he refused. Last night he occu-
| pied a room in the bar room on the sec
ond floor and 1t is believed that the ex-
| plosion was done for the simple pur-
| pose of killing him. That he escaped is
| looked upon as a miracle. Balestraci
was a leader in the Italian colony. He
was man of great influence and was
| just the sort of an individual to be at
the head of a malta organization.
NO ONE RAN AWAY.
| A private watchman standing on the
corner opposite the market when seen
! by an Associated Press reported this
morning said that the first intimation
! he had of the explosion was when he
| heard rumbling noise, followed by a
| sheet of flame and then an explosion.
He said that he failed to see anyone
| lIOIl TIE SURE ana De1eVeQ
! that the explosion was accidental
! The dead so far recovered are:
CHARLES SALATHE, grocer, and
| his wife.
Fourteen months old infant of Mr.
| and Mrs. Salathe.
FELIX RIGOT, barkeeper for Abe
| DecuerSt.
JAMES EDWARDS, employed by
| Barthole.
The injured are:
Lille J. Salathe, aged years, badly
| bruised
Edward Salathe, years old, bruised
| Charles Reiss, driver, jaw fractured.
Ivallendi, skull fractured.
Tom Anderson, colored, slightly in
| jured.