The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-27
LITTLE Girl SUffoCATED
Eleven ! Year-Old Belinda Lynn, OF the
South Side, Net Sad Death.
SHE MAS ASLEEP IN HER HONE
Her Father Is Now In Prison Accused OF
Setting Fire to tho lousc-Thcro
Was No Ono Home but
Herself at tho Time.

Little Belinda Lynn, II years old,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Lynn
of Irving avenue and Hemlock street,
South Side, was suffOcated yesterday
morning in her home which caught
fire. Her father Is now a prisoner IN
the central police station charged with
setting the building on fire. He was ar
rested by Patrolman Coleman immedi-
ately after the body of the child was
found in half burnt building.
The home of the Lynns Is situated on
the corner of the above named streets
and was two stories high. The side
walls were of stone the front, rear. and
roof of wood. Three families occupied
it, Lynn, Thomas Kelley and Polish
family. Lynn lived in one half of 1t
and had two rooms downstairs and two
up The little girl was sleeping up
stairs in a small single bed.
Oil Found ON the Floor.
For several days Lynn had been
drinking heavily. He arose at O'Clock
in the morning and his wife got up a
few minutes afterward. He went out
looking for liquor and she left the house
with her 1S-months-old child, the only
one left to her now. and went TO
the house of her parents. Mr.. and Mrs.
James McGurren, of Crown avenue.
Belinda was left alone in the house.
There was a fire In the kitchen stove
and at 9.25 neighbors saw smoke issuing
from the upstairs of the building on
the side where the Lynns lived. An
alarm was rung in from box IS and the
fire companies of the South Side re-
sponded promptly.
About the time the flames burst
through the roof. Lynn came along and
was considerably under the influence of
liquor. The firemen fought hard to
control the flames and after that was
accomplished. the house was inspected
by Chief Engineer Ferber An oil can
was found upset on the floor Of one Of
gained ground that q crime had been
committed. Lynn was arrested at the
direction of Chief Ferber and was taken
to the police station.
Soon after the flames broke out Mrs.
Lynn came down from her parents
home two blocks away, shrieking that
her daughter was inside. When the
body was taken out, 1t was brought to
the grandparents home where at 0.30
II was viewed by Coroner J. A. Kelley
and a jury consisting of Charles Mann.
Michael Walsh, John Brazille, James
| Hayes, Mark Timlin and Michael Nc
Guire. One or two witnesses were
sworn and the inquest was adjourned
until this evening at 7.30 at the coroner's
office.
Mrs. Lynn was SO overcome with grief
that it was impossible to get her to
relate what she knew about the tragic
ending of her little daughters life. The
house is so badly damaged that it will
have to be entirely overhauled. that
| Is the frame portion of it. 1t Is owned
by the Glare estate and the damage
will not exceed $40O Lynns furniture
| was all burned and there was not a
| cent Of insurance on 1t. The household
| effects of the other families were also
| ruined.
Coroner Kelley says that death was
caused by suffocation. There We're
| large burns on her body but ne Is of
the opinion that they were not fatal.
What Lynn Says About 1t.
A more wretched or foriOrn- looking
| creature than the father was when
seen by Tribune reporter last evening
| in the police station can hardly be i'm
| agined. He talked freely about the sad
happening and was very dOwncast. In
termittently he would break down and
| sob.
He Is 30 years of age and works in the
steel mill. 1t has been idle for the last
four or five days and he had been
drinking. He said that when he got
up yesterday morning the excesses he
/ had indulged In Christmas day caused
him to go out to get sober OFF," as he
called 1t. He went down to Prospect
avenue to saloon and began drinking
A half hour before the fire he went by
his house up to where his wife was at
her parents home. He left there 10
minutes before the fire and was within
two blocks of his house going down
again to the saloon when the fire
broke out.
He admitted that he made no effort
at all to save his child. although he
was well aware that she was in the
flames. Drink had befoggled his mind
so that he could not tell what was goins
on or realize the danger. With refer
ence to what his opinion was as to how
the fire originated he said 1t might have
been caused by n lighted pipe, which he
left after him when he went out; or that
some children might have come in and
set the house afire by lighting matches.
| AS an argument that he had not set fire
| to the house, he said that the furniture
was not insured. and the building did
not belong to him, therefore he had no
| object in arson.
Mrs. Lynn, the neighbors say, had to
leave home to get away from his abuse.
| The house was not locked by her or him
when they left. One theory OF the
origin Of the fire Is that the kitchen
stove became overheated The fire
burned close to 1t.