The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-05-15
THE A r HORROR.


Problem.
PARIS, May 5.-A somber feeling per.
vades every class of society. The news.
pers, without exception, describe the
disaster at the Grand Bazaar d'Charite
in the sober and simple terms BETTING
UGH An appalling event. The catas.
trophe will always be remembered as
of the most fearful that befell a
European city. Nothing comparable
except the fire which destroyed the
Opera Comique in 1887. Singularly
enough, that disaster happened in the
same month of the year, and SOpersons
were burned to death, while As were
officially registered as missing.
1t is nov estimated that there were
about 1000 persons in the building
when the fire was discovered, about
one-half of whom escaped unhurt.
Some estimates place the number of
dead at 143, others at a still higher
figure.
The amount of administrative negli-
gence surrounding the catastrophe is
almost uncomfortable. The structure
was so combustible that many of the
victims, if not most of them, must have
been burned alive, without s~uffoca-
ton. No sort of inspection seems to
have been made in advance by the
municipal or police authorities or by
the project of police.
Mrs. Z. B. Gilmore, of New York,
had a narroyv aSoaDa Sba bod oon-
scented to act as a saleswoman at the
stall of Nine. Costa Beauregard. She
left the Hotel Terminus, where she
was staying, about half-past one, ac-
companying the Viscomtesse Savigny.
The sale was going well, when sud-
denly her maid cried:
Madame, save yourself. There's a
fire."
Mrs. Gilmour, with wonderful pres
ence of mind, rushed toward the main
entrance, but seeing the danger of be-
ing trampled to death she ran quickly
back to the rear of the building, where
she saw a window that opened in the
wall, through which she soon reached
the street.
Mgr. Clari, the papal nuncio, who.
had attended to pronounce his bless
ing upon the bazaar, says he was talk
ing to the duchess d'Alencon, at ten
minutes to four o'clock. He adds:
Around me wasa group of blind child
rem. Several of these must have per-
ished."
DIR. Nachtel, who has directed the
ambulance work, says that the number
of bodies found gives a very inadequate
idea of the number of victims, as
dozens were burned completely to
ashes.
The Viscomte Damas identified his
wife's body by a piece of hair cloth
which she wore next her skin as a
member of the Third Order of st.
Francis.
NJ. Jean Raffaelli, the painter, says:
MY daughter had the mark of a heel
stamped into her back. She was tram.
pied in the heap at the door near the
main entrance. Her mother tried to
pull her from the blazing fire, but she
said: It's useless; save yourself, as ]
shall die in any CASE Her mother re-
piled: I shall not leave you. Twill
take you or stay and die with you;
Both escaped, though severely injured.
The Able Marbel says that the
Comtesse Villeneuv returned to search
for her two daughters, but failed to
find them and persisted herself.
NJ. Lepine, the project of police, who
is severely censured for lack of proper
supervision of the preparatory ar
r~angements, says in Excuse hat the
patrons and patronesses of the bazaar
were r~eactionists, and he feared if he
meddled with their programme that
they would say he was trying to sup
press a Roman Catholic enterprise.
NJ. Faure has received kilograms of
coincidence from Queen Victoria, EN-
peror Nicholas, Emperor William,
King Humbert and other sovereigns, all
couched in terms of the deepest sym
pathy.
Identifying the Dead-A Peculiarly Dis
tressing Case.
PARIS, May 5.-Further particulars
regarding the finding Of the remains
of the duchess d'Alencon, show that
the secretary of the prefecture, accom-
panied by the maid of the duchess and a
footman, belonging to the household of
the duke, examined the rows of bodies.
The two servants stopped before a black
ened and mutilated corpse, whose abdo-
men was torn open. They declaredthat
it was the remains of their mistress and
also Sent for the dentist of the duchess.
The latter, after examining the corpse
half an hour, declared it was not
that of the duchess. He claimed there
was a tooth too many in the head, but |
the servants insisted, w%hereupon the
dentist and two doctors operated upon
the upper jaw and then the dentist
was able to formally identify the re-
mains as being those of the duchess
Terrible scenes continue to be en-
acted at the Palais de PIndustrie this
The mother of the four
year-old child, Alfred David, one o. the
arrived during the day for the
purpose of taking the body away. 1t
was decided, however, that it was in
to show her the CHASTITY re-
mains of her child. When this news
was communicated to the unfortunate
mother, in a paroxysm of grief she
to force her way into the NOR
tuary hall, screaming: 81 will see my
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