St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-25
MANY DARK FACTS.
Continued From First Page.


after oil and an opiate. She was suf-
fering very severely at times. But
very little was said by Mrs. Hawkins.
About forty minutes after the opiate
was administered she seemed to feel
easier. Some one asked her-perhaps
it was one Of the ladies in the Axtell
family-how the accident had hap
pened. She seemed confused at the
time and did not answer at once. Then
she said the first intimation she had
of the danger was when she woke up
and found the bed in flames. Later,
she didn't know whether the lamp had
exploded or whether she had got up
and overturned it. believe that's all
that was said
Did you talk with Mrs. Perkins?"
Eyes, sir; she met me before / got to
the house and urged me to hasten. She
seemed excited. After 1 came out she
talked with me as to the gravity of the
burn, and she asked me if it would
probably be fatal. told her there was
no doubt about that" After a few
questions by the jurors on the testi-
mony brought out J. P. Barrett, lieu
tenant of chemical No. 5, at station
No. Ii, was called. Said he:
1T was about 6:15, the morning of
Aug. 8, when we got there. l reported
to Capt. Ringer. He ordered us to the
farther side Of the house. We got
there and found the window broken
out. The fire had burned up on the
outside OF the house. / turned one
hose in the room and for a minute the
fire darkened down. went to the
window and felt over the bed to see
if there was anybody on it. 1 natur-
ally thought that some one might
have been on it. The bed was burned
so badly that it lay down On the tioor
l burned my hands on the excelsior,
which lay on the mattress
''At the window where l went IN:
The room was filled with smoke and
steam and was pretty well burned"
did it appear that the strongest
fire was around the bed"
Yes, and around the window. The
fire had broken out the window.
There was a draft there, which might
have made it burp so much by the
window"
How long do you think the fire had
been burning?"
Il can't say"
Was the glass broken out when you
got there?'
Il don't know; I can't remember: I
went through it in a hurry. think
the upper sash was broken out.
Were you the first man In the
house?'
Il can't say. Capt. Ringer, of Chem
ical No. 6, was there. -,
WAS there any lamp there!
Not that l know of.
Ibid YOU see any one there?"
yes; 1 went around the house to
take the number and l saw a woman
there, who appeared TO nave conHui-
seemed to be feeling bad about her
sisters death. She was a little, blonde
lady"
"How did you know she was mourn
ing her sister,"
aWell, there was some one else
across the fence saying, it was too
ibid you see any clothing there?"
NO sir; 1 don't remember"
Capt. c. w. Ringer, of Chemical No.
z, at Engine House No: IL, was called.
He and his men were there three min
utes after the alarm was turned in.
Now, tell the jury about 1t.
when we first got there, l saw a
man standing outside. l asked If there
was any one in the house. and he said
she had been taken out. then craWied
in on my hands and knees to the bed
room door, with the chemical nose,
and stayed there until it was out. Inc
smoke was coming out of the window.
The room was a sheet Of flame. The
bed was afiame and down on the floor.
don't know whether it had been
burned down or not The mattress
was burning.
DO you remember MIR. Bell coming
in?'
mo, sir; 1 don't remember. There
were a number of men came in, and
am not sure about 1t.
Capt. Ringer was asked NUMBER OF
questions relative to the position OF the
various articles of furniture in the bed
Of ha hI1r hOllSR
busy with his official duties, however,
that he had not noticed these things.
AT this point Coroner Kistler an
nounced that an adjournment OF the
proceedings would be taken I'LL nail
past o'clock.
The attorney for Mrs. Perkins Of
fered the suggestion that the jury be
taken to inspect the burned room,
In tn afternoon Coroner k1stler de-
cided to go on with the inquest at the
morgue, and Adry A. Anderson, who
lived next door to the Perkins mouse.
was first sworn. He looked out OF the
window when the alarm was given,
and saw Mrs. Perkins in the yard
81 picked up a. rug and covered Mrs.
Hawkins with it, he said. AT that
time her clothing was crumbling of. L
went after other rugs with which to
smother the fire. When l got back peo>
pie We're carrying her away: MRS.
Hawkins spoke to me when l put the
rug over her. She recognized me, and
/ thought she said, I am burned to
death Mrs. Perkins did not say any
thing. The boy was around then, 1
think, dressed in his ordinary clothing.
This was about o'clock. 1 had been
in the bedroom frequently before the
fire"
Frank Perkins, the DEFENDANTS little
son, was then placed on the stand.
Attorney Peterson, the tears came ir-
to his eyes. He said: I'VE came here
from Des Moines, To-, about two years
ago. 1 was asleep in the front room
on the sofa he vent on. Il had
stayed down with mamma until mid
night that night. I had not taken my
clothes off. I had never slept on the
sofa before. Mamma was afraid some-
thing would happen. When 1 went to
bed at u o'clock mamma was out III
the kitchen. She was reading in the
kitchen. Before u o'clock she was
with aunty and was in the kitchen.
I was not in my aunt's room that
evening. The first I knew of the fire,
the smoke woke me up. When couiG
see, saw that mother and my aun.
were trying to get the door open. 1
don't remember when the doctor was
there"
A. D. Axtell. neighbor Of Mrs.
Hawkins and Mrs. Perkins, was the
and has lived here twenty-seven years
and next to the sisters for two years.
Our home" he said, sis on the north
side OF the one the ladies lived in. It
was about o'clock when 1 first knew
that there was a fire. My wife and
heard a scream. She saw the fire first.
and we both got up and went over to
the house. The vines and rug that
Mrs. Hawkins was carried with 1
pulled off as soon as my wife get q
/ over to my house. After the fire, while
the doctors were dressing her wounds,
she said the lamp exploded and threw
the oil over me- She said these words
as near as 1 can remember. Mrs. Per-
kins said that she was sitting in a
sheet Several of US then carried her
chair in the back room. She said the
first she knew of the fire she saw her
sister coming out of the bedroom with
her night dress IN flames The first
fire was about o'clock a. m, in the
same room. She was only burned a
little then On her hands. She had to
force the screen open because the
lamps had been thrown against the
door. The boy, Frank, was dressed
When 1 got there Mrs. Perkins was
holding Mrs. Hawkins on the porch.
We were good friends. We exchanged
frequent visits. Did not see the Sec
ond Ia ~. Saw the first one, or, rath-
er, pieces, because it was smashed
against the door leading into the sit