St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-24

of Mrs. Champlin and her three-year.
old son, while upon the upper floor the
hfemen found Ida Whiting. the coll
ored servant, unconscious from smoke
but not seriously hurt
The injured We're taken to the homes
OF nelghbors, with the exception of the
servants, who were conveyed to the city
hospital. The dead were carried across
the street to the residence of Dr. X B.
Batcheler, where every effort was made
TO revive them, without avail When it
was found that nothing further could
be done for them, they were covered
with sheets and laid out on the floor
OF the physicians parlor to await the
coming Of the undertaken
The fire was confined TO the Armiger
residence, which was completely CT ted
NO estimate has yet been made of the
loss, but it is thought the contents ara
worth at least 100000 The house is in
sured in the Germania Insurance COM
pany, of New York. for $780, which
Will fully cover the damage. The news
OF the disaster spread with wonderful
rapidity all over the city, and in an
hour tremendous crowds had gathered
In front of the house Prayers for the
dead and for the afflicted were lifted
| up in almost every church in the city.
and expressions of sincere sympathy
and regret We're uttered from every
pulpit, and repeated in the households
of the many friends and acquaintances
of the unfortunate family
NARROWING SCENES.
The scene in the parlors of DR..
Batcheler's residence, where the
charred and bruised bodies were car
ried, was narrowing. Even the un-
dertakers and their assistants, used to
scenes of death, turned away at times
half sickened. Mr. Armiger was
burned to crisp around the upper
part of his body. The white hair.
around his venerable head was mat
ted with blood and cinders. His face
and forehead were badly burned Mr..
Riley died from burns and suffoca-
ton. He was rather stout, and a mus
cular man. The burns were chiefly
about the face, neck and shoulders.
His face was terribly distorted. and
wore an expression of awful agony,
His left leg and side were slightly
burned, and there was a livid fire
mark across his chest.
Dr.. Manuel was terribly burned and
MS horribly Scared face and body was
twisted to one side as though he had
died only after making a supreme ef-
fort for life.
Cleaning in startling contrast with
the burned and blackened fingers of
Mr.. Manuel's left hand glistened a
handsome diamond ring, shaped like a
serpent with the glittering gem in the
center of the head.
Strong men who were standing in
the parlor turned their heads away
when two undertakers brought in the
body OF little James Champlin grand
son Of Mr.. Armiger. A woman stand
ing near the parlor door In the hall.
! tainted. The child was a blackened
cinder. Smoke and fire had done their
ftnn
trils We're burned inside. His little
white night gown was dabbled and
| spattered with cinders and dark stains
from the burned door. The two Riley
children were killed by the suffocating
smoke. They were not as badly burned
as the others. but their faces We're
blackened from the bursting of blood
vessels, and the crimson fluid stained
their blackened night gowns.
Mrs. Letitia Riley who is so cruelty
pefeaVed is lying at the home of DIR.
| Batcheler in semi-stupor, seemingly
unconscious of her irreparable loss.
and suffering great physical agony
Ihe physician says, however, that her
! wounds are more painful than serious
and that the only obstacle to her COM
plete and speedy recovery will be the
awful shock she has sustained and
will again experience when the full
knowledge of the dreaded affair which
mas come TO hef makes itself clear to
| her mind.
Today's tragedy Is the third of a sim
| liar character that has visited this
city during the past year. The first
was that in which Mr.. and Mrs Thom-
| as Wh1teridge were killed by falling
from ladder down which Mr. White
ridge was endeavoring to carry his
wife, after having refused the services
| of the firemen. This fire occurred on
n n l OF DIT
| The other resulted in the death of Mrs.
! Roscoe b. Heath, a daughter of the
late Commodore Kittson, of ST. Paul.
on March a. 1895. Deputy Fire Chief
McAfee, today's hero, was presented
with medal at that time for heroism
in endeavoring to rescue Mrs. Heath.
more recent disaster was at the old
| Front street theater, on Dec. 26, Of
last year, in which five men, three
women and fifteen children lost their
! lives. during senseless panic caused
| by false alarm of fire.