The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-12
SET THE ASYLUM AFIRE! / |! 4 !
An Inmates Attempt to Bur,I q & Y the g
Matteawan, n. y Institution.
DEED OF 4 DEspERAI laslAes = 4 !

g.. ..s 90
@. F. Mitchell, . Mad Prisoner, 1mpsr1ls
tho Lives Of Hundreds Of Coryicfs.--,
Wild Panic Among this Tsrror-s tricken
Manlacs---Remarkable in the Wcrids 4;
Criminal Insane History. = q go II.
Fire started by madman was disco oyered
In the New York State Hospital for the Goa
vict Insane at Matteawan and caused tnss
greatest stexcitement, not only In MattsswM
and Fishhll; but throughout Dutcbsqsa
County, and even across the Hudson River
into Orange County. t$t IS
The fires, which were five In number, wer
started by convict named O. 2. Mitchell, AZ
pyro-maniac, sentenced to life fmpris.
onment from Oneida County in 1877
and transferred from Auburn Prison in iS91ts
His crime was arson, In which two hyes
were lost. II was only because OF fnes
excellent discipline which Is matnj
tanned in the asylum that the fre was mn:
attended by fatality. The moment the
smoke Eegan to all the corridors the bSS
patients In the asylum were driven into
shambles; the lights were extinguished. and
force Of fifty armed men stood guard oyer
the desperate people In their charge.
The story Of this confagration Is unique,
IN the criminal Insane history Of the worid.f
DR., Allison, the Superintendent, says mol;
similar event has ever before occurred.
With the proyerbial cunning OF the lunadc
Mitchell prepared to burn the asylum. He
knew the building was splendidiy eduippedE
for the fighting Of a fire and that ne couidE
not hope to do much damage wtth Ang.sl
blaze. So he planned for five atmultaneous
ones at widely separated points. hoping to-
scatter the forces Of the fighting brigade and
thus insure oonfagratfon.
he laid In store Of straw and .shavingss
and small sticks and hid them In diherent
parts OF the basement and the cellar, to which,
he had gained access by means knownonlyi
to himself. q Y d z. q n " ~ s.S
Aud then he stset" the fires, one nderneath
the Kitchen, two underneath the dtntng-t
room, one In particularly large pile Of tn,i
Hammable stuff under the infrmarys and
the fifth In the cellar OF the north wing ":
considerable distance from the others.
Mitchell worked With the utmost secrecy
and doubtless chuckled to think OF the Glori-t
.ous blazes that he was about to kindle. Them
he kept his eyes open for chance to light
the fires when lighting would do the most
good or harm. 3,
That opportunity came soon after 4 p. MI
When no one was looking MITCHELL unloekedi
a.door and orept down to the heap OF straw
underneath the kitchen. Having put, thel
torch to this he visited his other piles and
speedily fred them. 1900 .sis
Fire was first discovered In the cellar Under:
the kitchen, which Is some distance from
where the patients are reconffned. Nogooner
YNrfv aoIa ff.r rax n
than It was discovered that the north wing
was also ablaze. directly under where over 8
hundred patients were located In the wards
Smoke was fast filing the building. The
patients were terror-stricken, especially the
women. n. :. I. q Z 4;
Meanwhile several other scattering blazes
were discovered in various sections OF the
asylum, and soon the fires were beyond the.
control of the hospital attendants, even with
their excellent facilities to cope with an enaers
geney of that kind. Help was at once sum
moned from Fishkill Landing, about Two
miles distant. The Beacon and TompHns.
hose companies arrived in g short time, and
It took the combined forces Of the hospital
attaches and the others until 2 o'clock TO ges
| the fire past the danger point. = q 3 ,s:s;.
The men patients, a dozen or more or
whom had every opportunity to escape,
| worked heroicaily, and It was due IN some
instances to their e1ertions that patients
who were terror-stricken were assisted to q
| place of safety. MI !,
DR.. Allison. the Superintendent, says the,
| men patients throughout the building acted
| in manner so cool and courageous as TO-
astonish the doctors, who at first feared g.
panic, with all its terrible consequences,
] among the insane. :5
After the outbreak, and when It was found
| that the total destruction Of the asylum was