The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-23

JOSEPHINE BONN,
MARGARE WARNER.
All these were between nine and eleven
years Of age. Helen Soebbing and several
other teachers Father Nicholas and Prof.
Frank Mushold, were painfully burned In
trying to save the children.
The fire started in little dressing room.
Three or four little girls were there dress
ing for the rehearsal and laughing gaily
among themselves. A dozen others were
grouped in the wings of the stage near the
foot of the stairs descending from the
dressing room. The girls in the dressing
room had nearly completed their costumes
when one Of them brushed against the gas
jet, but which one it was will never be
known. A touch Of the flame was sufficient
and in an instant her dress of cotton
and light cloth was in a blaze. She
screamed and ran out of the room COM
municating the blaze to the others as she
ran.
One of the girls with her dress in blaze
jumped out of small window into the
streets leading to the stage and down the
stairs. flaming torch she was. as she al
most fell down the stairs and rushed into
the groups of children standing in the
wings. They were all clad like her. in
fancy costumes of cotton, lace and silk,
and the fire spread with incredible rapidity
from one to the other There were four
teen children in the cast of the Christmas
entertainment and only a few escaped. 1t
was all over in ten minutes and in that
time four perished, seven were fatally
burned and others more or less severely
injured.
The children were panic-stricken and
rushed this way and that, screaming with
pain But the agony was brief. Only
few minutes, and then four of them sank
to the floor dead. Others fell, too, but they
still lived, suffering excruciating agony.
The school hall was filled with children,
and many more would have been killed in
the panic which followed had it not been
for the prompt efforts of the teachers and
sisters who were in charge of the enter
tainment and were present. The children
were in a panic for a few minutes and
rushed for the doors, but prompt efforts
quieted them, and no one was hurt in the
rush.
Frank Mushoit, teacher of the school,
was standing at the foot Of the stairs from
the dressing room when he heard the cry
of 'Fire!' and turning to where it came
from saw the flash of flame In the dressing
room. He was half way up the stairs at
one bound, when he met a child rushing
and tumbling down. mass of flames from
head to foot. Tearing off his coat, he threw
it around the blazing child, and endeav-
ored to extinguish the flames, but crazed
by pain and fright, she jumped out Of his
arms and rushed on down past him, still
wrapped in his coat, into the group of other
children standing about in the wings of the
stage
The shrieks and screams of the injured
were agonizing. The little ones lay help
less and impotent on the floor and writhed
about in agony. The dead were charred
in most cases beyond recognition. The
home of peaceful pleasure had in in
slant become a charnel house. The doc
tors hastened about on their missions of
mercy, seeking to supply soothing lotions
to those who were still alive. and seeking
also to cover the charred bodies Of the
dead with blankets or other covering. The
excitement inside the building was soon
intensified by the situation without. The
crowds congregated in instant. and
parents soon came searching anxiously for
their little ones. The landing at the third
floor was a combination Of hospital and
morgue.
All the telephone lines in the neighbor-
hood were in service summoning surgeons.
doctors in town were on hand. Besides the
many patients within the smoke-stained
walls there were dozens Of fainting and
heart-broken women without. They
screamed some OF the scenes came to
them. and IL the child or loved one was
among the dead and wounded their grief