Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-02-28

fsu minutes the g.
Of the doomed house
out. on the stairway lead
III q second to the third door
- found &he body Of Mr.. Armiger.
that Or Ma little grandson, Richard +
81. claspdd tightly In his arms
wing that the old man had made /
nit att8mpt to rescue the boy at
host of his own life
" . the fEar room On the third floor,
3yink On Tie bed, the llreman found the
body Of Mr., Hile1 BY his side lay |
1iis wife, breath faintly. She was
hurried into a tpen air in time to
Save her HE &nd though she Is badly
l5iffn1d< about he face and arms and |
III cfazed hr5<fe terrible loss, she will
5fscover In. 4nother room were the bod
ies 81 M Chaplin and her s-year-old
son, wI11 Upon the upper floor the fire
mem ad Ida whiting, the colored
~ Unconscious from smoke, but
= eriously hurt.
ae injured were taken to the homes
feighbors, with the exception of the
servants, who were conveyed to the
city hospital The dead were carried
across the street to the residence of DIR.
X. b. Bachelor, where every effort was
made to resuscitate them, but to no
avail. They were covered with sheets
and laid out on the floor of the phys
icians parlor to await The coming of
the undertaken.
The fire. although a fierce one, was
confined to the Armiger residence,
which was completely Quilted. No esti-
mate has been made of the loss, but 1t
| Is thought the contents were worth at
| least $4,000. The house Is insured for
$500.
News of the disaster spread with
| wonderful rapidity over the city and in
an hour a tremendous crowd had gath
| cred in front of the house. Prayers for
the dead and afflicted were lifted up In
| almost every church in the city, ana
| expressions of sincere sympathy and
regret were uttered from every pulpit
and repeated in the households of many
friends and acquaintance of the I'M
fortunate family.
The scene in the parlor of DR.. Bach
elor's residence where the bodies ware
carried, were narrowing. Even the I'M
dertakers and their assistants, used tc
scenes of death, turned away at this
half sickened.
Mr.. Armiger was burned TO crisr
around the upper part of his pody. The
white hair about his venerable heac
was matted with blood and cinders;
Mr. Riley died from burns and suf
location, The burns were chiefly about
his face, neck and shoulders. His face
was terribly distorted and wore an ex
preston of awful agony. His left les
and side were slightly burned, ant
| A. Ii1,i1 Ave RI mi,
> chest.
Mr.. Manuel was terribly burned ant
, his horribly SCARED face and body wa
twisted to one side, as though he haC
died only after making supreme eff
fort for life.
Cleaning in startling contrast will
the burned and blackened fingers O
Manuers left hand, glistened a hand
, some ring shaped like a snake, with
! glittering gem in the center of tn
head.
; Strong men who were standing in tn
, parlor turned their heads away whel
the undertakes brought In the body o
| little James Chaplin, grandson of MI
Armiger. A woman standing near tn
parlor door in the hall tainted, TIL
! child was a blackened cinder. Smok
, and fire had done their fearful work
. Even the throat and nostrils were burn
r ed inside.
The two Riley children were kille
\ by the suffocating smoke. Their face
were blackened from the bursting c
blood vessels, and the crimson f1ui
, stained their blackened night gowns.
a Mrs. Letitia Riley, who is so cruell
. bereaved, is lying at the home of d.
Bachelor in a semi-stupor, seemingl
a unconscious of her irreparable loss, an
l suffering great physical agony. TIL
, physician says, however, that he
\ wounds are more painful than serious
p and that the only obstacle to her II
: covery will be the awful shock she ha
r sustained, and will again experienc
: when the full knowledge of the dread
A ed thing which has come to her make
itself clear to her mind.