Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-01-15
PROBING THE:
|R0QUO|S HORROR
Further Evidence of Criminal Negli-
gence Brought Out at Inquest.
ANOTHER DEATHADDEDT TO LIST
Jnmcs ". strong Tcstincs How His
Mother aud wife We're Caught
In Death Trap mnd burned to
Death Befor Ills Eyes.

tHltdSD Jan. IS.-by lHe D'din Aon'
day afternoon of Herman Bcin, this
number of dead in the Iroquois theateI
Gre Is brought up to 81.
II was expected that the city coun-
I'll Monday night would definitely de-
torjninc the exact nature of the altera-
tiOns which will be demanded in all
Chicago playhouses before they are al
lowed to open their doors to the public
The amended building ordinance
covering playhOUscs recommended by
the council was go long and the press.
urc of other business so great that II
was decided 10 make the matter the
subject for a special meeting of the
council, which will be held next Thurs.
day evening.
wife and Mother burned
James NJ. Strong the first witness oi
the afternoon, testified that he, with
his mother and wife, bought standing
room tickets To the performance anC
were in the first balcony. When the
fire started he left the balcony, fol
lowed by his wife and mother, anL
went To a door which proved TO be al
exit, but was locked. lie threw himself
against the door, but could not force
IT open, and then reached up and broke
the transom with his first. Being I'M.
able TO open the door. he pulled him
self up through the transOm, dropping
upon the outside OF the door, where he
found a man with a lot Of tools, pre-
sUmably a carpenter. The TWO men
tried 10 break down the door from the
outside. but could not, and then StrOnt
pulled himself up into the tranaOm a
second time, intending, If possible, &c
pull his mother and wife out in the
came manner as he had escaped. While
he was half way through the transom
flames filled all that part Of the the
alter. his mother and wife were burned
in front of his eyes and he was Sc
badly scorChcd that for several day
his life was ~dcspared Of.
1t Is upon Strong's testimony that
hat states attorney will largely rely
II an attempt is made 10 secure indict-
ments in connection with the fire. lic
aid that not only his own family, but
hundreds Of other people could have
got through this door and been saved
had IL not been locked. When he
looked through the transOin "A second
time, he declared, the entire passage
was damned with people.
Did Al lie Could 10 snyc People.
George NJ. Duscnbcrry, head usher
Of the theatcr, was the next witness
lie testified that he made a round OF
The theatcr just prior 10 the commence
mcnt of the fire and found 70 people
standing 4 few more were standing
in the a~isles, and these he requested
to move back, as the aisles must be
Kept clear. He was down In the foyer
when the panic started, and Immediate.
IS, he said, threw open two doors for
the front exits and then ran into the
auditorium TO assist some women who
had been knocked down. He did all he
could to save people and was, accord
ing to his statement, the last person
20 leave the main floor of the thcatcr
Win Chain and Paddock.
When questioned as TO the fire pro
lection in the house. Mr.. Duscnbcrry
declared that a number of fire extin-
snishers We're placed In different parts
If the theater, and near the front door
there was a hose. apparently about 81
feet long. He had never received any
instructions AZ 10 what should be done
In CaSe of fire, and had never issued
any TO the ushers under him. He tes-
titled that there were three doors lead,
ing from the second balcony in,O tn,
lobby. and that one Of these was locked
he having fastened 1t with Il key. II
was not possible, he said, for anybody
To open that door without the second
balconies folding metal gates, one In
the passage leading TO the second bal
cOny. Both were locked with a chair
and paddock. It was his duty to loci
these gates al the commencement u
a performance and TO unfastcn them a
the close Of the second act.
Al Exits We're LocL.L.
Mr.. Mr.. Dusenberry testified that al
these exits except those on the nortl
side OF the house were unlocked, bu
admitted that there were fully a half
dozen attaches Of the thcater who haC
keys to the doors. lie wa asked b.
Coroner Traegcr If It was not possible
iol SpHif olHti 'iHpIDJtS % lDtk Ih'
door and then forget to unlock them
lie refused 10 answer al first, but final
IS admitted that IL might be possible
but not at all probable
by mutual agreement. the cases II
which VIII j Davis. Harry Powers an,
Building Commissioner Williams ar,
charged with manslaughtcr in conncc
tiOn with the irOquOls thcatcf fire, vii
be- continued this n.o...... .I:.! Ian
uary n.