The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-01

Fl. -wey, Charles Wilson. c. L. Harris
| and w. u. Ferguson. Chief George
Lapp was the first witness. He testi-
fed as follows: AN alarm was re-
ceived at 2:55 this morning from box
%, at the corner of Park street and
Oregon avenue. and the. department
answered at once; found the fire in a
one story and a half frame house Il
No. 20 Oregon avenue. the front par6
OF which was on fire. and I sent John
Porter around to the rear. He broke
In the back door and discovered the
body. We then extinquished the dre
there, but did not disturb the body,
ana the coroner was then notified. The
cause of the fire Is unknown My the
CRY Is that the fire started in the front
part OF the building, and that the wom-
an ran out I'm front and her clothes
caught fire, and that she then ran back
TO the kitchen and fell down. / be-
lieve that the fire spread from her
clothing, and that she was suffocated."
Assistant Chief Flannery corroborat-
ed the chiefs evidence, and agreed
with him in his theory as to how the
woman met her death. The assistant
chief visited the scene of the fire after
daylight this morning. and found a
candlestick just below the bay win
dow where the fire originated. A
hanging lamp in the front room. was
found to be all right.
j. A. Mink testified that he discov-
cred the fire from his room in the Pa
aroused the people in the hotel and the
adjoining house. apd knocked at the
door of the house which was on lire.
but could get no answer. He then
went after a key.to the FIRE alarm box.
but before he could get one Phil Tuck
er arrived and turned in an alarm.
Phil Tucker was aroused by the blow
Ing of a whistle at a mine near the
fire and run out and turned in an
alarm. The fire department arrived
in about minutes and half and the
witness assisted them. The key to the
back door was found near the body
and the indications were that the wom-
an had attempted to open the door
but had been unable to do so and fell
back, when the fire communicated
from her clothing to other stuff in the
room. The witness said that dog and
some kittens which were in the front
part of the kitchen escaped.
II. j. Tonkin, husband of the dead
woman, testified that he was at work
in the West Colusa mine last night and
was informed of the fire about 4
O'Clock this morning. His theory OF
how the casualty occurred was sim
liar to that advocated by the firemen.
He said: I'VE never used anything
but candles in the house except on rare
occasions. The night before last my
wife felt nervous and placed candle
I'm the bay window. / think that she
did the same thing last night and that
a gust of wind blew the lace curtains
over into the blaze and started the
fire. My opinion Is that the fire start
ed in front while she was eating
lunch in the front room, and that she
knew nothing about 1t, and at about
the same time that the fire started~I
think she took a candle and went out
into the kitchen and that she then
either had a fainting spell or a at and
fell down, and that her clothes caught
fire from the candle that she had
carried. My wife had been subject to
monthly fainting spells and ffts for
the past Is years, and she compliance
of feeling unwell on Saturday and epnN
went to work at 6. o'clock last'seveh-
ing. / have no idea that the house
was set on fire or that II was entered
by any one previous to the fire. The
candles which we used were always
set in a pan of water so that IL they
fell over while my wife was-in- faint
or fit they would not set fire to any,
thing"
Fireman John Porter testified that
he broke open the back door and dis
covered the body lying about feet
assistant chief and the fire in the
kitchen was extinguished. .stf..,s
A verdict of accidental death was re-
turned in accordance with. the facts.
Mrs. Tonkin was 80 years old and was
born in St. Austell, England. She had
been in this country 10 years. She will
be buried at 2 o'clock Thursday after
noon from the residence of her broth
er, John Tippett, in Burlington. a.