The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-10-02
\ FIRE

Of Mind Ibid Not Desert Him, Tells a
his Own and Other Interesting ExprrI
enees-
81. LOUIS, Sept. 25.-Most of the :,
Louis boys who were attending tn
Missouri Military academy at Mexico
which burned Thursday morning
have returned to this city.
Young Clopton. the son of Unite,
States District Attorney VIM. II. Clop
ton, proved himself "A hero during tn
fire. He sounded the bugle call whel
the flames were first discovered. ans
afterward helped many of the cadet
to places Of safety.
Cadet Clopton modestly insists tina
he did only his duty. lie says:
"My Don was on the second door
near the center of the building. Abou,
1880 o'clock heard Capt. Louen q,
down the corridor ON his tour of in,
spection. Then | dozed off again.
About midnight heard some one run
down the hall crying fire thought
mt first that some Of the boys were
playing a hoax. but when ! recognized
the voice as that of Capt. Glasscock |
knew h "A the matter was serious. |
opened the door and looked out in the
hall. The smoke came pouring in and
almost choked me.
my first thought was to escape, but
i remembered the other BOYS and
got my bugle. / went to the win
dow and blew that bugle as hard as
l knew how. Very few Of the
boys seemed To hear. l waited "A fe "
minutes. and then wen into the CORR
dor and sounded the fire call again.
This time the boys responded.
Many of those on the third floor came
rushing down stairs in their night
clothes. There were two stairways,
one at the east end and the other at
the west end Of the corridor. Both
flights leading to the first door we're
in flames.
The boys ran upand down the hall
like mad. There was no use in trying
to preserve military order.
There was a high wind blowing,
and in a very short time the econd
flight OF stairs leading to the third
luorw was also in flames.
About ten minutes after the alarm
sounded a keg of powder stored
under the stairs exploded. This in
creased the excitement, and the bows
made a wild rush for the windows.
The fire was gaining Roadway every
minute, and there was no time to
think of saving anything.
II pnt my bugle and mandolin un-
der one arm and my valise under the
M hos e~Al sol ~
sioping roof under my window.
Then l went back and got some of
my bed clothes. l threw the things
the roof and jumped after them.
by that time the boys were Jump
ng from thei windows on all sides of
he building. Gordon Cox. of st.
was n of the first to jump.
He leaped from the second story and
iad his arm badly shattered.
"Dan Boone jumped soon after. lie
1t on his feet and broke one ankle
sprained the other. IL Boone had
Jumped from his window he would
probably not nave been so badly hurt.
lie stepped out ON a stone ledge under
he Il and made his way along
se wall to the corner Of the building.
lie thought there was "A water pipe
here, but there was not. When lie
ound there was no chance of sliding
Q the ground he jumped. lighting on
hard cinder path.
"one of the most unfortunate incl
OF the fire was the accident
which befell Capt Garner. He had
ct down eight boys from the third
Ioor on "A rope made of bed clothes
together. When all the boys were
afe he started to slide down the rope.
me of the knots gave way and he fell
0 feet, striking the ground on his
ide. Three of his ribs and an arm
,erc broken.
Leslie Wheeler, a St. Louis boy.
with a similar mishap. lie made
rope of sheets and started to the
round from the third story. lie had
OF slid 10 feet when his hands struck
of the knots. This loosened his
old and he fell. striking on his back.
Cadet John McClelland, of Enid.
'kla., started to slide down a water
ipe at the west end of the building.
he pipe broke at one of the Joints
nd fell outward. carrying McClelland
18th 1t. lie landed at the foot of the
stairs. Several OF his ribs and
is right arm were broken. !
Hamilton Sutherland. one of the st.
outs boys. had a thrilling experience.
e had a room mate named Eads. Eads :
OF out on the window sill OF the
iird-story room and stood there.
to jump. He would not get of :
he sill and let Sutherland jump. The )
was pouring into the room. '
waited until he was al. :
ost suffocated. Then he pushed :
ads out of the window. Eads was
hurt. Sutherland stepped out on :
le sill. Before he could jump he was :
ercome by the smoke and fell head !
ng To the ground. lie turned two
and struck on his back. 9
is seriously hurt. !
Most of the boys threw their mat =
esses out of the windows and jumped
| them. We, who had gotten out,
It them to a place Of safety. Most l
them, after hitting the mattresses. z
y there perfectly helpless. !.
was in trying to Jump into n =
the blankets that WaIter Wolf 30 u