Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-05-11
|sEyEN BURNED TO
DEATH IN CHICkG0
Fire Destroys a Three-Story Apart
ment House, Cremating Num-
Der Of Occupants.
OTHERS ARE BADLY INJURED
Feud Between Two Families Said to Have
Been Indirectly Responsible for the
Disaster-street Railway Col
lision In Akron, Ohio.

Chicago, May 7.-Seven persons were
burned to death, three fatally injured
and several others slightly burned and
otherwise injured in a fire that de-
stroyed a three-story apartment build
ing at 1916 Marquette avenue, South
Chicago. early yesterday.
The dead:
MRS. JOSEPHINE COOLEY.
MABEL COOLEY, 6-year-old daugh-
ter of Mrs. Cooley.
ing.
MRS. PETER look.
NICHOLAS ZOOK.
Seriously injured:
VIM. Cooley, husband of Mrs. Joseph
inc Cooley, badly burned; will die.
Louisa Christensen 2-year-old daugh-
ter of Mrs. Christensen. severely
burned; will die.
Harry Murphy, slightly burned and
both legs broken by jumping from the
third story windoy; will recover.
John Zook, badly burned and bruised
about the body; will recover.
Mrs. Julia Erwin, burned and bruised.
While the occupants OF the burning
building were struggling with the
smoke and flames in the hope OF fore
ing their way to safety, the hremen'
who were responding to the Alarm
were vainly waiting for a freight train
which blocked the way of the hre en-
gines TO move away from the crossing
and give an open road TO the fire. Mar
shall Driscoll, In charge Of the IN
called to the conductor and brakemen
70 remove the train, but they refused
to comply with his request. The po-
lice were sent for and the crew was
! arrested. Then, under orders or the
fire marshal, the train was backed
from the crossing. but by the time the
hremen reached the burning building
the structure had been destroyed.
Scattered among the embers were
found the charred remains or the VIC
Tins. The bodies were burned beyond
recognition, and were Identified In var
ious ways.
The train crew, who live at Elkhart,
Ind. are being held without ball.
awaiting the verdict of the coroner
inquest.
The origin Of the fire is unknown.
The building vas an old one, bullt OK
wood, and burned so rapidly that all
n of escape by stairways were
cut off before the occupants were
aware of the fire.
Defended by Railway People.
officials Of the Lake Shore and Mich
igan Southern railroad, on whose
track the train Is said to have blocked
the hremen, declare that they have
evidence that the blocking lasted but
a few minutes, n that the members
of the train crew did everything In
their wv to make way for the fire.
engines.
Conductor Brown, who was arrested,
claims one of the firemen uncoupled
the air brakes without turning tho
angle cock, setting the brakes, n
that the engineer was unable to move
the train until the pipes were filled
again and the brakes released. After
an investigation by the police officials
the train crew was released on bonds
M fire was fraught with an
incident of the most distressing char
acter. The little 2~-year-old daughter
Of Ch~ristianson, who lived on the
third floor, was terribly burned, her
left arm and her face being roasted.
Her father, q follower of DIR. Dowie,
refused to allow the little n to have
medical aid, and fought desperately
when she was taken from him. He
lung to the burned arm of the child.
and part of the flesh was torn from
the member. When finally the police
forced him to give up the little one,
he cursed them and prayed that they
might be punished for subjecting his
child to the worldly scienc of medi-
cine. The father was knocked. down
by some person In the crowd and bare
ly escaped lynching. He was arrested.
Persons living in the vicinity Of the
building were inclined to con-
meet the disaster with a warfare that
had been waged between the look and
Cooley families for several days. This
trouble led to a fierce fight between
Zook and Cooley Saturday night. Cool
ey was severely beaten and he an
nounced that he would apply on Mon
day morning for a warrant for looks
arrest. The o. we'd in the front
fiat on the second floor. The Cooleyi
lived on the floor above.