Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1896-02-28
Terrible Holocaust in a Batl-
more Residence.
Cut Off From Retreat, They Met Death
in the smoke or Were Killed
by Jumping.

lnent jeweler on Charles street. this
morning. The dead are:
James r. Armiger, aged 90.
William b. Riley, his son-in-law, Sc |
years old.
William Riley, aged 4. |
Marian Riley, daughter of w. B. |
Riley. aged 21a years.
Mrs. Marian Chaplin, daughter OF
James Armiger, aged 80.
James Chaplin, her son, aged 8.
Horace B. Manuel, aged Sc, of New |
York; a guest.
The fatally injured are: Alice Will
iiams, colored servant, skull fractured
and other serious injuries; Mrs. William
B. Riley, burned about the face and
arms; Mrs. James r. Armiger, aged so,
slight burns and suffering from shock
and exposure; Miss Eleanor Armger,
aged IA, slightly burned; Miss Virginia
Armiger. aged 20, ankle slightly sprain-
ed in jumping; Ida Whiting, colored
servant. slightly burned.
The house in which the holocaust oc-
CURED Is one of row of granite resi-
dence belonging to the A. s. Abel es-
tate, on Charles street, just north of
Lafayette avenue. 1t is four stories in
height, and at the time of the fire was
filled with costly furniture and much
rare bricabrac and unique jewelry, of
which Armiger was an enthusiastic col
lector.
In the house were Is persons. OF
these 10 were members of the Armiger
household, two were servants and the
other, Mr. Manuel, was a guest All
of these people were in their bedrooms,
on the upper floors, some of them being
partially dressed, when at $50 o'clock
this morning fire was discovered issu-
ing from partition in the cellar. 1t
had ignited from an over-heated fur
mace fiue, and was first seen by Louis
Whiting, the colored man. who was
cleaning the front steps. Whiting ran
to the adjacent corner and gave the
alarm to a policeman and hurried back
| to the house, entered the front door,
closed it behind him and assembled to
the second floor. where Mr.. and Mrs.
| Armiger had their bedroom.
The house by this time was filled with
a dense, sitting smoke, and when the
negro and Mrs. Armiger attempted to
| descend they found it impossible.
Whiting aided Mrs. Armiger to the
front window and helped her to reach
small balcony in front, upon which
he placer her, and returned to the aid
of Mr.. Armiger. He found the latter
had gone, and came back to Mrs. Ar
niger, who, clad in nothing but her
night clothes, was shivering on the mar
row balcony and shrieking in agonized
tones for help.
Half a dozen men who were passing
fastened to the power house of the
Charles street cable line, a block below,
and procured a short ladder. When
they returned they found Deputy Fire
Chief McAfee, noted life saver, who
quickly mounted the ladder. 1t was
not long enough. but by standing on the
uppermost round, he could reach the
frightened woman.
AS he attempted to lift her from the
balcony her scanty clothing caught
on an obstruction, and she fell forward
with her whole weight upon the out
stretched arms of the fireman.
Just then the ladder slipped and ev-
cry one below expected to see both res
cuer and the woman dashed to death
on the pavement below. By a tremen-
dous effort, however, McAfee steadied
himself, and holding Mrs. Armiger with
one hand, grasped the balcony with the
other Hanging thus he slowly re-
placed the ladder with his feet and
brought the fainting woman down in
safety, and in the meantime the othe,
inmates of the front rooms were crowd
, ing to the windows making the n)st
piteous appeals for help.
The people below shouted to them moi
to jump, but Alice Williams disregard
ed their warnings, and with appalling
shrieks, sprang from the fourth-story
: window, struck the stone steps full
upon her forehead, fracturing her skull
: and sustaining other injuries from
9 which she win die. An attempt wa,
made to succor the other unfortunate,
: by means of a doorway on Charles
: street, but when the policemen burs
it in they were met by such volumes o
smoke and flames that they We're driver
back
In the rear room on the second foo
were Eleanor and Virginia, unmarrie,
daughters of Armiger. They were par
TALLY dressed, but so rapid was tn
spread of the flames that they had n
time to escape by the stairway. Il
their extremity they leaned far GU
of the rear window and cried for hell
neighbor came to their aid and unde
his cool headed directions Virginia low
u cred her younger sister with shee
and throwing a mattress out of tn
window leaped to the yard below Sh
allghted in safety and beyond the shoe
and a slight injury to her ankle, es
capped unhurt.
By this time the f1remen had reache
the scene and in twinklng had reare
long ladders up to the windows bot
in the front and rear. Up these the
swarmed and in a few minutes the r,
naming inmates of the doomed hous
!, were carried out. On the stairway LEAF
" ing from the second to the third foo
was found the body of Mr.. Armige
with that of his little grandson, Richa,
Riley. clasped tightly in his arm
showing that the old man had made
gallant attempt to rescue the boy
- the cost of his own life.
In the rear room on the third foe
lying on the bed, the fireman found Il
body of Mr.. Riley. By his side Ia
= his wife, breathing family. She WI
r hurried into the open air in time
save her life, and though she Is bad
burned about the face and arms al
half crazed by the terrible loss, she w
- recover In another room were the DO
les of Mrs. Chaplin and her S-year-o
son, while upon the upper floor the I'll
men found Ida Whiting, the color
servant, unconscious from smoke, b
;, not seriously hurt.
Nv Tho uiured were taken to the HON