The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-01
TOLD OF DEATH
Of Her Father Before the News
Came
DAgGRTER HAS PREM0NITLON
of,ths Fate Of Her Father Remark
able Incidents Follow Burning Of a
Newark, N. j., Home, with Daring
Rescue Of Mother and Children.

Newark m. ~ Special to New York
press: Occasionally voice suddenly
speaks out OF the unknown aHd starties
all who hear 1t, 50 pregnant does Il
seem with message from 3 strange
world.
Gussie Rapp had been rescued from
a burning house and was Numbering
peacefully carly this mornlng in the
home Of nelghbor when abeisuddenly
awoke with wild look on her face and
cried loudly;
Papa is dead nOw!" 9A
Then she fell back on her pillow and
went to sleep again "A few minutes
later her father's dog. its hair all sing
ed scratched at the door and was let
into the room, whining piteously Gus
sizes mother, who also had been rescued
from the flames and lay In the same
room, had shuddered at the girls cry,
and as the dog thrust Its cold nose Into
her hand, exclaimed:
"He must be burned to DEATH"
Her klnd-hearted neighbors. who sat
by her, Gained her, and soon another
person entered the room and said the
bremen had searched all through
Rapp's house and found no trace OF
him. Therefore, they were sure he had
carried out his intention. expressed on
the evening before, to take a late train
to PlalnAeld. where he had pressing
business.
Mrs. Rapp, who had been Ill and was
Frustrated by the excitement Of the fire,
groaned and fell into troubled sleep.
he Was the One Victim.
shortly after daylight she was
awakened by the hurrying footsteps OF
a messenger who came to tell her that
her husbands dead body had been
found wedged beneath a heap OF char
red rafters, which had fallen on him as
he lay sufrocating with smoke.
The Rapps lived in a frame house in
No. 524 Market street. Joseph Rapp
was the head Of the family. The blaze
started in the kitchen. where Rapp was
sitting with his dog. A kerosene lamp
10 supposed to have exploded. So rap-
Idly did the flames spread that the res
cue of Mrs. Rapp and her three chill
dren was accomplished only at the risk
Of the lives Of the rescuers.
Patrolman Townsend discovered the
blaze, broke in the door Of the plumbing
shop Of Isaac P. Jones, on the first floor
OF the building. obtained an az and with
1t broke in the door Of the Rapps'
kitchen. in the rear Of the shop. Rapp
had charge of the shop for Jonees.
Several Daring Rescues.
In the meantime Fred vftatiy and a
friend. Gus VOTERS, of Bath Beach,who
were in bed in the sleeping apartments
Of the Rapps. on the second floor, had
become awakened by smoke.
Wolters rushed outdoors through the
nearest available exit, while vitality
folded Mrs. Rapp In a blanket and, at
the risk of his own life, lifted her from
a window and carried her across the
roof of the blazing kitchen. which was
an extension, then across the roof Of
another extension, and lifted her
through another window into the house
of Mrs. Thomas Naughton, who cared
for her.
vitality, at the risk of his Owtl life,
helped the children to safety by the
same route. sleet was falling, and the
operation was perilous. A few minutes
after they had left the burning house
Captain McDermlt, Of Engine No. &,
dashed up into the sleeping apartments,
not knowing the inmates had escaped.
He found nobody there, and got out
safely. though almost su1focated.
Body Found by Neighbour
Within ten minutes the flames were
under control, after they had done
about $500 damages. suspectIng Rapp
might not have gone to RlainHeId .thl
firemen made dlllgent search for him.
but found nothing but debris. They
did not examine this carefully. It was
Mrs. McNaughton who entered the
kitchen early in the morning and dis
covered the body. It lay on the floor.
bent almost double, firmly wedged I'M
der the debris, the head between a re-
frigerator and the side wall, The body
was not burned, but the trousers had
been set on FIRE by falling embers. Rapp
...,tA.SNT.s he q knnV, n