New-York tribune., 1903-01-12
MRS. P. S. HENRY KILLED.
SUF'FOC4T TED At FIRE.
Vas Daughter Of the Late Leonard
Le7Cisohn-SerUant PeriStes.

Mrs Florine Henry. twenty-five years old. the
wife of Philip $. Henry. a wealthy coffee mer-
chant. and daughter of the late Leonard Lew
isohn, the banker, was suffocated and burned to
death early yesterday in fire that almost en-
tirely destroyed the temporary home OF the
Henrys. at No - East Fifty-sixth-st. AIbertha
Erickson, twenty-three years old a Swedish
servant. clung to a window ledge on the fourth
story until rescuers were almost at hand. Then
her strength failed her and she fell receiving
injuries from which she died later in Flower
Hospital
The two children. Violet. two years old. and
Gladys. only few weeks old. saved
There different versions of the story Of the
rescue of the children and of other incidents OF
the fire. According to story. the children
were saved by their nurse. who carried them
through the binding smoke and flames to the
street. Another woman servant rescued by
the fremen from the second story window after
she had hGrg 20 the ledge suspended by her
hands for almost fifteen minutes. The fire
must have been burning for time before
ii was discovered by the occupants OF the house.
Policeman Buesser standing at Park-ave.
and Fifty -sixth-st- at 6:15 a M. when he heard
a woman screaming Fire. He rushed toward
Madison-ave. and smoke pouring from the
windows of the Henry home. He raped for
assistance. and, sounding alarm, rushed to
the burning house.
SERVANT HANGS FROM WINDOW.
As he rushed up the steps he says he met the
nurse girl rushing out with the children in her
arms She took the little ones to the Essex
apartment house. at Madison-ave- and Fifty
sixth-st Buesser was soon joined by Police
man Charles A. Schultz. of the East Fifty-frst-
ST. station. They saw two at bay win
dow on the second floor making frantic efforts to
open the windows. A third had started to climb
out of front window on the fourth floor The
policemen shouted to the women not to jump
and that help would arrive IN a few seconds
The woman on the fourth floor needed the
warning and paused for few minutes. in the
mean time crying to the policemen to help her
Meanwhile & woman who had been working
with the window the east side of the bay
window succeeded in getting it open and started
to climb out. The policemen shouted 20 her to
remain STILL but she did not heed them. She
got outside the window, crawled over the rail-
ing and let herself down. full length. along the
side of the house. until she was suspended by
her hands.
While she was hanging in this position the
policemen ran to the house next door. They
ran up the stoop and Buesser jumped up on the
stoop railing While Shultz steadied him, Bues-
ser reached up after the and tried to
get hold of her thin garments. He was. how
ever barely able to touch the soles of her feet
In the position was IN IT was 1TnpCSSiD!e Tor
him to catch her if she let go. The rattle of
wheels announced the arrival of the engines. and
Buesser told the woman to hold on minute or
two longer.
Buesser and Shultz tHen back to the door
of the burning house. intending to rush up
stairs and try to the other woman. who
was still struggling with the bay window When
they reached the door. however, they found
that the servant had shut and locked it as she
ran out with the children. They smashed the
door open and suffocating cloud of smoke
poured out Buesser rushed into the hallway
through the dense smoke and inside he found
Mr. Henry wandering about excitedly,. crying
and tearing his hair
MR. HENRY FIGHTS TO GO BACK
Buesser seized the frantic and with diff
fculty dragged him 70 the street AS soon as
the policeman let go his hold Henry made a
dash for the door, through which the flames
were now pouring, and shouted:
How dare you take me out of the house,
My wife, my children. all are upstairs tnere'
and they must be saved"
Mr. Henry had to be held to prevent him
from going back into the house He was clad
only in his nightgown which burning.
Rv this time several nefghbors had donned
their clothes and were on the scene They
tried to prevail Mr.. Henry TO go into their
homes and put on some clothes. but he refused
He ran about the street. cold as IL was, I'M
pIoring somebody to save his wife and children
He was told that they had been saved.
and were in the Essex. and he finally consented
to go there
Just after Mr. Henry had gone Hook and Lad
der Company No reached the scene Of the
fire. The fremen quickly ladder up TO the
servant who was hanging suspended from the
bay window, and rescued her As they took ner
down. exhausted, she murmured:
.sMv mistress my mistress! She was IN the
same room with me. Save her. oh, save herr
Then she tainted
The statement Of the servant made 1t evident
that Mrs Henry was still in the house. and the
frennen made every effort to make their way to
the room through the dense smoke and scorch-
ing flames 1t was an impossible task however,
and time after time the fremen were driven
back.
They then turned their attention to Albertha
Erickson the servant. who had like the other.
crawIed out of the fourth story window and
suspended herself by her hands from the ledge
A. J. CurIey. the engineer of the Essex. was on
the roof Of the adjoining building, encouraging
her to hold on. The crowd was watching her
with breathIess anxiety. The fremen were be-
ginning to run up ladders to rescue her In a
moment more aid would have reached her. Sud
denly however, the woman. probably exhausted
bv the cold and her efforts to maintain her
position dropped from the window sill
She turned over several times in her night 20
the street below. and when she was picked up
she was a mass of bleeding bruises and cuts
By this time Deputy Fire Chief Farrell had
arrived on the scene. and he turned in second
alarm. calling several more engines to the hre.
which was now raging fercely- BY the hardest
kind of fighting the hremen succeeded in getting
the fire under control in less than half an hour
In an hour IT out