Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1896-02-26
Residence of a Prominent Bal
timore Family Burns With
Awful Results.
Seven of the Inmates Dead
and Six Others More or
Less Injured.
Victims Overcome by Smoke
and Perish Before Assist
anCe Arrives.

were asphyxated, one fatally hurt by
jumping from a window, and five 9th
ers more or less injured by fire in the
residence of James r. Armiger, prom
inent jeweler, at 1906 Charles street.
The dead are: James r. Armiger,
aged 30; William B. Riley, aged 36;
Richard Riley, aged A; Marian Riley,
aged z; Mrs. Marian Champlin, aged
30; James Champlin, aged 3; Horace B.
Manuel, aged 56. Alice Williams, a
colored servant, was fatally injured.
The house in whith the holocaust oc-
CURED is one of row of granite front
residences on Charles street. 1t is four
stories high and at the time of the fire
was
Filled with Costly Fu' niture
and much rare bric-a- brac, plate and
unique jewelry, of which Mr.. Armiger
was an enthusiastic collector. In the
house We're just IL persons. OF these
ten We're members of the Armiger
household, two were servants, ana the
other, Mr.. Manual, was guest who
has been visiting the Armiger family
for the past two or three days. All of
these people were in their bedrooms ON
! the upper floors, some of them partially
dressed, when at S:l5 a. m. fire was
u scovered issuing from partition in
the cellar. 1t had ignited from an
overheated furnace fue. The alarm
was at once given, but the fire had
spread SO rapidly that the people on
the upper floors were already cut off
from escape by the stairways. Mrs.
Armiger, who was in her room ON the
second floor, managed to reach small
balcony and was assisted to the ground
inmates in the front rooms crowded
to the windows, making the most pit
eous appeals for help. The people be-
low shouted to them not to jump, but
Alice Williams disregarded their warn
ings, and with an appalling shrek,
sprang From the Fourth Story Window
and struck the stone steps full upon
her forehead, fracturing her skull and
sustaining other injuries from which
she will die. An attempt was made to
succor the other unfortunates by means
of the doorway on Charles street, but
when the police burst it in they were
met by such volume of smoke and
flame that they were driven back.
In the rear room on the second floor
were Eleanor and Virginia, the un-
married daughters of Mr.. Armiger.
A neighbor came to their assistance
and under his cool-headed direction
both escaped but slightly injured.
By this time the firemen reached the
scene and in a few minutes the re-
manning inmates of the doomed house
We're carried out. On the stairway
leading from the second to the third
| floor was found the body of Mr.. Ar.
niger, with that of his little grandson,
Richard Riley,
Clasped Tightly in His Arms.
! In the front room ON the third floor
was found the corpse of Mr.. Manual
He, too, had the body of child in his
arms. In the rear room on the third
floor was found the dead body of Mr..
Riley. By his side lay his wife, breath
ing family. She was hurried into the
open air in time to save her life. In
another room were tho bodies of Mrs.
Champlin and her 3-year-old son, while
upon the upper floor the firemen found
Mamie Whiting, the colored servant,
unconscious from smoke but not seri-
ously hurt.
The fire was confined to the Armiger
residence, which was completely gut