Phoenix weekly herald., 1896-05-21
A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
Deadly Flames sspe the Life of a
Phoenix Lady.


wagon end when opposite the Office o
o the gas works on west Washington
o street he noticed flames in the windoV
Of the room adjoining that office. Sop
ping his horse he ran to the window
s and tearing down the screen which GOV
cred the window he broke the glass ii
| the sash and with his hands threw
water from the ditch on the flames
q During this time he was calling for helI
t and Mr.. Sloan, the livery man, responded
! with bucket aud in few moments the
flames In she window were extinguiehed
Mr.. Con. Hurley drove by at this time
and stopped and assisted Mr.. Zoeckler
Mr.. Hurley lesped through the window
into the room but wss obliged to return
into the open air at once as the room
was foil of smoke and gas. The gentle
men then battered in the door of the
Office and passing through that room
: broke in the door leading into the inside
room and entered. As soon as they had
entered the room they saw form lying
on the floor in the middle of tbs room
and as Mr.. ZiekleFc carried it into the
other room Mr.. Hurley extinguished
another blsze which was growing larger
at the time in the other corner OF the
room.
Dr.. Tuttle who lives but few doors
from the Office OF the gas company was
at once called. He found that the foru
on the floor was that of Mrs. Catherine
| Lacy, sister of the lste Mr.. J. B. Lacy
and that she wss fatally burnsd, not a
single portion of Der body having escep-
ed the cruel fl mes. The hair was
mass of charred coal and the skin of the
face had been burned so that it dropped
| off in large patches, presenting a horri
BILE sight. The poor woman lived about
an hour and half after being found
| but did not become conscious and pass
ed away without awakening to her suf-
teripgs.
Justice tombstone who bad been sum
moned empaneled coroner's jury, who
viewed the body and the surroundings.
The room in which the body was found
presented horrible sight when to the
minds of the jurors the manner in which
the accident occurred and toe terrible
fight for life made by the poor woman
became evident.
She had evidently risen about four
O'Clock end eimply putting on her
stockings and q lose wrapper over her |
knit updershirt had taken q small por-
table gas stove and placed it on a chair. |
Then connecting the stove with the gas |
had turned on the gas and lit the |
stove on which she hsd plsced small |
BUCKET OF water The match With |
which ste bad lighted the stove she
bad evidently placed upon the corner
of tbs bureau at the edge Of the window
without extinguishipg it, The match
fell to the floor while still burning and |
she had gone into rear room where
the bath tub was and had turned tbs
water on in the tub. Then turning to
Renter the bed room she saw that the
match had igrited the curtain end in
her efforts to extinguish the blaze the
loose.wrapper which she wore became
gnited and in moment enyelored her
form.
To her efforts to escape she had run
to the door connecting her room with
the offics and had endeavored to open
it, but being in terrible suffering, the
flames from her clothing soaring her
flesh, she could not find the knob, and
the marks of her hGpds on the door
show that she had not reached quite
far enough for it. Above and about
the height of her heed large black T.
marks show where che had rubbed her
head on the door in her efforts to re-
tain Consciousness lopg enough to es-
cape from the room. The door leading
into the bathroom show the same
marks, though not SO plain. In her
struggles in the room she bad knocked
The rubber hose from the burner, which
sxtinRuiehed the stove but allowed the
gas to escape into the room. The ter
r. Die eufferiDgs aud the escaping gas
soon rendered the poor woman upcon-
scioue, and she sank to the floor where
she was found by Mr.. Zoeckler.
The testimony before the Corners
Jury was tic the feet that the unfortu-
1ste lsdy's nsms was Catherine Agbes
Lacy, aged Sc yesrs end native of
Canada. aud that she cams 10 her death
through accident.
The room in which the accident oc
'urred has besn occupied by Miss Lacy
or some time, and wss the only room ip
be building which was oooa pied during {
he night, so that she was entirely
Ilone. Miss Irene Kearney, q neice, s
lad been in the habit Of sleeping with
Ter, but for some reason slept at hone {
asst night.
Mr.. j. F. Kesrney, relative, who j
las been in the city for several days,
Tut who left yesterday morning for (
Congress, where be is employed, was
to, and is expected TO re- T
urn this afternoon. The funeral will 6
ske place from the Catholic church to-
morrow morning at 9 O'Clock
NJ. E. CONFERENCE.
Bowman and Forster to be
RAfErad