The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-07
An Unknown Man feriShed
in a Burning Barn.
Went to Sleep in UnOccupied
Stable on Matilda Street.
Fire May Have Been Caused by
CarslessneSs OF the Victim.

Tho alarm of fire from box 195 last
night ana tho brilliant reflection of the
flames on the clouds that obscured the
sky drew very large number of people
TO Matilda street. The results OF the
blaze were damaged barn on tho un-
occupied premises at number l on the
street named, and the death OF an un-
known man w no had gone TO sleep on the
second floor OF the barn and whose re-
mains, charred beyond probable recogni-
tion, fell TO the ground floor and were
after examination by Medical Examiner
Palmer, delivered to Undertaken Mccarthy
and taken TO his establishment, 2iO
Charles street.
There was some delay in sending In an
alarm as the first party TO discover the
blaze started to look for ihe Pawtucket
fire department.. q. 4. Iillinghast and
Lyman Pidge, however. also saw the
blaze. and they sent in an alarm TO which
the ciry department. responded. When
the alarm was sent in the upper part OF
the barn was already "a mass of flames
and two young men who went and
opened the front door and looked In saw
nor heard no evidence that man might
be In the building. The lower floor was
clear and the loose hay in the top story
threw out such hea. that the door was
quickly closed.
The building had hecn we'll soaked with
water and the flames had died away
when the fremen began an investigation
of the burned building. The police knew
the empty barn was sometimes used as a
lodging place for tramps and Lieut.
Murray was quick to look the premises
over. He ard the firemen found in q
corner of the barn only foot or two
from the door the PROSTATE form OF q man
who had been terribly.burned, ana whose
du xt+nc
fore stated, from the second story.
Just after the finding of the body,
George Birdwistle whose homo Is within
a short distance of the barn that was des-
troyed, notified Lieutenant Murray that
o man had passed his place on Nassau
street just before dark who when he heard
the speaker ana mem bers OF his family
talking had suddenly asked for a drink of
water. Mr.. Birdwistlo has been troubled
"a good deal by parties going by asking for
drinks so he at first refused the man ana
directed him To nearby spring. Mrs
Birdwistle, the wifo Of tho man telling the
story, told her shusband that was rather
harsh treatment and at her request the
stranger was given drink of wafer In
one of the best glasses In the house. The
man was not drunk and the woman's act
was Just one of those kindnesses OF
women that the world is full OF, and the
grateful thanks of the Door tramp were
probably the last words be ever uttered.
Mr.. Birdwistle thought that the form
Of the roasted man that ho looked upon
with Lieutenant Murray was the man
that called at his house for after leaving
there his wife and he watched the man
turn into the lane near the barn. IL Is
very probable he went in by the rear door
and climbe to the hay loft where he went
to sleep after lighting his pipe and never
woke up until escape was impossible
Lieutenant Murray at once notified Medi-
cal Examiner Palmer
The barn destroyed belonged TO Henry
Quinn ana IL and the large house In front
which Is well known TO residents of the
north CT the city and other sections has
been unoccupied for some time, owing to
a serious Disagreement between the last
tenants and the owners of property In tie
neighborhood. The old barn and "a house
I'm the vicinity have been freely used by
men without homes. About $500 Will
cover the loss.