The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-10-03
THE FIRE.

ences.
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 25.-Most of the st.
Louis boys who were attending the
Missouri Military academy at Mexico,
which burned Thursday morning.
have returned to this city.
Young Clopton, the son of United
States District Attorney Vim. ii. ClOp-
ton, proved himself a hero during the
fire. He sounded the bugle call when
the flames were first discovered, and
afterward helped many of the cadets
to places of safety.
Cadet Clopton modestly insists that
he did only his duty. He says:
MY room was on the second floor,
near the center of the building. About
1880 o'clock l heard Capt. Louen go
down the corridor on his tour of in
spection. Then l dozed off again.
About midnight | heard some one run
down the hall crying lire. L thought
at first hat some of the boys We're
PLAYING a hoax, but when | recognized
the voice as that OF Capt. GlaSscOck l
knew That the matter was serious. l
opened the door and looked out in the
hall. The smoke came pouring III ami
almost chOked me.
My first thought was to escape, but
l remembered the other boys and
got my bugle. l went to the win
dow and blew hat bugle as hard as
L knew how. Very few of the
boys seemed to hear. l waited a few
minutes, and then went into the corri-
dor and sounded the fire call again.
This time the boys responded.
Many of those on the third floor came
rushing down stairs in their night
clothes. There were two stairways,
one at the east end and the other at
tie west end of the corridor. Both
flights leading to the first floor were
in flames.
The boys ran up and down the hail
like mad. There was no use in trying
t preserve military order.
There was a high wind blowing,
and i'll Il very short time the second
flight of stairs lcaling to the third
floor was also in flames.
About ten minutes after the alarm
was sounded a keg of powder stored
under the stairs exploded. This in
creased the excitement, and the boys
made n wild rush for the windows.
The fire was gaining Roadway every
minute, and there was no time tC
think of saving anything.
Il put my bugle and mandolin I'M
der one arm and my valise under the
other, and took them out on Il low,
sloping roof under my window.
Then l went back and got some OF
my bed clothes. l threw the Things
from the roof and jumped after them.
"By that time the boys were jump
ing from their windows Oh all sides of
the building. Gordon Cox, of st.
Louis, was one of the first to jump.
He lcaped from the second story and
had his arm badly shattered
Dan Boone jumped soon after. lie
lit on his feet and broke one ankle
and sprained the other. If Boone had
jumped from his window he would
probably not have been so badly hurt.
lie stepped out on a stone ledge under
the window and made his way along
the wall to the corner Of the building.
= III Nv 81 " NANNA fAPS
there, bat there was not. When lie
found there was no chance of sliding
to the ground he jumped, lighting on
Il hard cinder path.
Zone of the most unfortunate mel.
dents of the fire was the accident
which befell Capt. Garner. He had
let down eight boys from the third
floor on Il rope made of bed clothes
tied together. When all the boys were
safe he started to slide down the rope.
One of the knots gave way and he fell
a feet, striking the ground on his
side. Three of his ribs and an arm
were broken.
Leslie Wheeler, a st. Louis boy.
met with Il similar mishap. lie made
4 rope of sheets and started to the
GROUND from the third story. lie had
not slid 10 feet when his hands struck
one Of the knots. This loosened his
hold and he fell, striking on his back.
= Cadet John McCIclland, of Enid,
Okla, started to slide down a water
pipe at the west end of the building.
The pipe broke at one of the joints
and fell outward, carrying McClellaud
with it. He landed at the foot of the
cellar stairs. Several OF his ribs and
his right arm were broken.
Hamilton Sutherland, one of the St
Louis boys, had a thrilling experience.
lie had aroom mate named Eads. Eads
got out on the window sill of the
third-story room and stood there,
afraid to jump. He would not get of
the sill and let Sutherland jump. The
smoke was pouring into the Don
Sutherland waited until he was al.
most s~uffocated. Then he pushed
Eads out of the window. Eads was
not hurt. Sutherland stepped out ON
the sill. Before he could jump he was
overcome by the smoke and fell head
long to the ground. He turned two
somersaults and struck on his back.
He is seriously hurt.
Most of the boys threw their mat.
tresses out of the windows and jumped
on them. We, who had gotten out,
got them to a place of safety. Most
OF them. after hitting the mattresses,
lay there perfectly helpless.
at was in trying to jump into one
Of the blankets hat Walter Wolf, of
East st. Louis, was so badly hurt. lie
jumped too near the wall, missing the
blanket and falling into the cellar on
his back. He hit the outside cellar
steps and rolled down them.
1.-The boys were in a sorry plight