The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-27
VERDICT OF THE JURY
Inquest Into the Death of Doyle
and Rohle.
LEAPEO INTO ETERNITY
While Many Saw Them Jump No Ono
Could Be Found Who Would
Swear to the Fact-Did Not
Fix Responsibility.

DdneleQ 10 lnQulTt IHtO thC oSos
Matt Doyle and Frederick Rohle. the
two victims of the Hale house nre,
were compelled to return a verdict
without being able to establish den'
nitely the exact cause to which death
was due. 1t was shown clearly that
they died from skull fractures, but
whether they received their injuries by
jumping. falling or from blows re-
ceived on the head was not brought
out in evidence. Both men undoubted-
Iy Jumped from a window, and many
people saw one or both when they dld
IL. but a number of others who were
not killed jumped also and, singular as
IL may seem, not a witness couiu De
found who was willing TO swear ne
saw either Doyle or Rohle when they
leaned into eternity. The determined
effort of Proprietor Haggerty to TX the
responsibility for the fire proved I'M
successful, as the jury declined to lay
the blame for the destruction or the
building at anyone's door and made no
reference whatever to either the
water company or the city fire Depart
ment.
As a result of the three days inquest
he Jury found that Doyle and Rohle
came to their death as the result OF
injuries to the brain caused by a frac-
ture of the skull, as a result OF falllng
or jumping from the windows OF the
Hale house, tuated in East Broad
way, in the city of Butte, Mont, on the
morning of March q, 1898, between the
hours of 3 and 4 a. m The verdlct
was signed by James e. McNally, J. z.
Collins, p. ii. Gallagher. c. w. New
ton, oliver Chevrier, N. Jacoc.
Assistant Fire Marshal Sanger, at the
morning session of the inquest, said
he reached the fire with the hose wagon
from the Quartz street station. He
!. opened the office and the door to the
ba of the Hale house n flames
were coming up. IL any men were
down i'm there fighting fire at that time
they must have been burned up. Mr..
Sanger said he did not ave a fire ex-
tinguisher. When he opened the door
to the basement there was, In his Judg-
ment, too much nre ana smoke 10 pe
put out.
..If you could stand in the door, why
! ouldn't you turn a stream on n
flood the entire BASEMENT" inquired
| Mr.. Haggerty.
Il told the men behind me to get the
guests out first"
But by turning the hose on you
could have checked the fire, could you
not?"
Il think it was too far gone to put
out
But it was only in the basement at
that timer"
"Jt was confined to the basement at
that time, but could not have been
checked, in my judgment"
Mr.. Sanger said that the chemical
was over in the western part of town
when the secon alarm came in, but
none of the rest of the apparatus. Mr.
Sanger look that apparatus over there
when an alarm came from box 90. IL
was while he was n that the water
was turned on. The first alarm came
in all Rights. The water pressure
was good when Mr.. Sanger came back
and was good all the time he was
there. He went from one nozzle to an
other and found the pressure good
When he arrived the fire was in the
light court and he did not believe the
fire could have been extinguished a
that time. When he was on the thirC
floor he saw flames coming up from th'
rear of the building. He told every
body he saw, Boys. keep cool and
you'll all get out" He went only to-
ward the front of the building. 1t wal
too hot toward the south. Some fol
lowed his advice and went out, whil'
others stayed up there. There wer'
some going to jump, and he told then
not to Jump. The witness did not thinl
the department could have put the fir
out by putting on all the streams a
soon as they arrived. He didn't thinl
the department could have done an!
better with the fire IL it a had 10
men.
owen Cunning, a fireman, said h
was in bed when the alarm came in. II
said:
w made a good jump away. goinI
out on the tap SO. 1t took about 35 sec
onds to get to the fire. / went Il
through the barroom door. 1 went t
the door of the basement and the hea
was so strong no n could live dow
there. Many people were crowding an
trying to get out of the front door.
told them to go to the barroom dool
There were many people at the win
dows. / called to them not to jun
and went to putting up the ladders.
noticed the water when IL was frs
turned on 1t was a strong pressure
that is, as strong as we ever have herr
I stayed at the fire all the while.
think we had all the people out in 10 @
- minutes. The hose was all laid an
we turned the water on. j played int
the cellar window with one stream.
STAYED on the east side until after tn
wall fell. / o know how man
streams were on the balance OF tn
building. Their was plenty Of time fc
everyone to get out of the buildin
safe on the ladders without jumpinI
Thirty or 40 people came down on tn
ladder / was handling. ! did not Sc
anyone jump from the windows The
was no flame coming from any OF II
windows at the time We were using u
ladders.
George Kessler Aitkin was the mel
witness. He said:
Il am q fireman and was on duty
the Hale house fire. We went out on
of the first round. There was not
soul on the streets but a policemal
who cried out hat ii was the Ha
house. i rushed into the bar and SOM
one said the fire was in the basemen
1 went to the door, but the hot air ar
flames were coming up and l could n
get down. i rushed back to get a lii
OF hose. when someone yelled to ~
up the ladders. Up to that time i d
not think ladders were necessary. b
now windows we're smashing up aboy
/ went UP one OF the ladders and We
along through the halls. which we