Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-26

only two rooms on floor but for years it
has been the home of a hard-working and
respected fa mily of colored people.
The head of the family now is Mrs. Car
rie f. Dodson, an intelligent young colorei
woman, who Is employed as a house SER
want by Professor Robinson. who holds the
chair of law at the Catholic University,
and whose house is situated just inside the
university grounds. Her mother, Mary
Lewis, formerly lived at the house with her
daughter. but recently has been out at ser
vice. in the city. The only other occupants
of the house We're Samuel G. Greely,
young colored man, the brother of Mrs.
Dodson. and Charles Timbrooke, who
boarded with them.
Mrs. Dodson had but the three children
She was a widow, her husband having been
killed by an electric car about a year ago
She has worked hard to support them and
has earned and kept the good will of all her
neighbors. Her brother is employed in 4
terra Gotta factory not far from the house,
and he, too, bears an excellent reputation
in the neighborhood.
At an early hour this morning Mrs. Dod-
son and her brother started cut for their
respective places of employment. The
mother left her three children sound asleep
in one of the bed rooms on the second floor.
On the floor below Timhrooke was asleep
and they did not waken him when they
went out. There were no sounds of life
about the little house down in the hollow
and the neighbors supposed that all was as
it should be about the place. On the east
and distant about 100 yards is the home of
l.. d. Means, who owns the property on
which the Dodson house stood. A little
farther away on the other side of the rail-
road tracks is the house of Mr.. and Mrs
Deale whose son, Charles is an athletic
young man, bricklayer by trade.
House on Fire.
Charles Deale was the first to notice that
the Dodson house was on fire. He came
out on the porch after breakfast, and
CHANGING to look that way, saw smoke
coming from the roof of the little house
He hurried over as fast as he could, bu:
when he reached the spot the house was
in flames, and he saw at once tha: there
was no hope Of saving it. The front door
was wide open and he rushed in. He found
Timbrooke asleep on the floor. The colored
| man was SO sound asleep that 1t was not
until he had kicked him couple of times
in the ribs that Deale could arouse him.
There were no sounds from the upper por-
ton of the house. and Deale was not sure
whether or not there was anybody there,
and the colored man was too thoroughly
frightened to be OF any assistance, so to
| make sure Deale attempted to make his
way up the narrow staircase leading to the
second story. AT the top he was met by a
binding cloud of smoke and flame, and 1t
| was with difficulty that he succeeded in
making good his own escape. At that time
the fire was confined entirely to the upper
| floor, but owing to the lack of water Or
| flames.
Fighting the Flames.
| Among the first to reach the spot was
Policeman Stroman of the eighth precinct
He at once started to work in an effort to
| fight the fire, and, with the assistance OF
some of the neighbors and workmen EN-.
| ployed in the neighborhood, he organized
| q bucket brigade, which passed water from
| hand to hand from the little spring. This
l Nfy xyni h0xr
ments the building fell inward. leaving
| only the foundation walls and the big brick
| chimney standing.
A message had been telephoned to the
| city for assistance, and chemical engine
| was dispatched to the scene without DELAY
| When 1T reached the spot, however the
building was In ruins, and all that could be
done was to pour water on the smokns
| embers. so as to make possible a search fol
| the bodies. When the building fell in Po
| hceman Stroman saw what he though
were the bodies of three children coins
! down with the wreck. This was at tn,
| southwest corner of the building, ant
| streams of water were poured especially il
that part. A. L. Thompson, who was on,
of the first to reach the fire. worked like 6
hero. and was the first to go in among tn,
still burning rafters. 1t was about half
| past or a little later when he found tn,
first body. 1t was nothing but a charret
trunk and bore little resemblance to tn,
human form. The other bodies were fount
close by. They were sent shortly after
ward to the morgue on New Jersey avenue
In the opinion of those who first reached
the scene of the fire the children must have
been asleep in bed and were smothered by
the smoke. Mr.. Deale said to a Star re
porter that when he was making his way
up the steps he thought he heard a child
cry out. as If in agony, but If so it wa.
the last scream, and no sound was heart
after that. He said that he believed tha
ii he had gotten there a few minutes soon
er he might possibly have rescued them
, k>,,k 60 \ n1t,f fh4
part Of the house was one mass of flame
and no human being could have stood it VI