The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-28
WRITER
BURNED TO DEATH
Charles H. Ellis is Found Dead
in His Bed.
PICTURE HINTS OF ROMANCE
MYSTERY ABOUT POET AND
PHILOSOPHER.

and nature in practical solitude. was
found about o'clock yesterday afternoon
lying face downward on the charred floor
i'm the smoldering flames that wc1c grad
ually consuming his old hut az g East
Second North street.
Not until the smoke was pouring from
the cracks and creViceS above the doors
, and windows was the fire discovered and
the alarm turned in to the fire depart
ment. When the door was broken down
ny the firemen and the hose brought
into action the body was stumbled over
by Assistant Chief William Workman
where il lay in the live embers burned 10
Z q crisp.
Every room was filled with smoke. and
after the doors and windows were thrown
open and the fire eNtinguished the ~cre-
mated body could Ice seen, curlcd ana
cIiSpCd IN the center of the room. The
walls were smoked to blaCkuess and
every piece OF furniture was charrcd. I'm
his bedroom bis bed was burned % ashes.
as was part of the floor. The body Was
lying in the middle @. the lloor. ana NJ Is
believed that the burning of thc clothes
and bed awakened him from mis- sium-
bers bUt that nc was Straugled i'm the
smoke and died I'm agony upon the floor
only to be- cremdted Dy the flames IL IS
evident that he succeeded in getting out
of his bed. but had inhaled SO much
smoke that he became unconscious and
was unable TO get out of the room
Picture Gives Hint of Romance.
A diucy parched picture of a woman
was the only ornament that adorned tho
/ walls of the room, and it is said by some
OF his acquaintance that the death or
/ this woman was the disappointment OF
/ his hfe, ana led him TO be the Ieciuse
( that he was. II Is an old fashioned PIC
turc. taken possibly fifty years ago. but
/ so far as can be learned he never en-
/ trusted the secret to anyone.
His books on the shelves were smoked
( and scorched. Several of them We're
| piled ON "a small table where he had used
/ them last one volume lay open OH The
/ table Beside it was pen and some
| notes but they were ChaTred and could
not be deciphered Besides the books
I ON theology there We're volumes ON phil
osophy. NOltairc was his favOrits author,
/ and he studied his works year in and
/ year out.
Everything i'm the house was in It's
J place. and there was no evidence That
( would lead TO the belief that any violence
/ had befallen the old man. The cause Of
/ the fire is a mystery, but from the eircum-
stances of the case the authorizes DelieNe
/ that ne had been drinking heavily, ana,
! falling into a deep Slumber with his pipe
! jim his mouth. set the bed on fire. He
] was undressed and it was his habit to
| read ali night in bed and smoke lcisurely
at his pipe until he fol asleep.
Had Only One Companion.
One of his rooms he rented 20 Frank
1 larson. the only person who ever shared
( the hospitality Of his lireside- Larson
! y
/ staying i'm the room one or TWO nights q
7 week when ne came to the city, and IL Is
believed he was there last night before
I last. Larson Is employed as an engineer
| on Il well driving machine for 4. VI.
/ Anderson. who lives next door To Ems.
Anderson and Larson came into the city
I for the holidays a few days ago and
| Larson has been using his room Last
night ne could not be found 10 throw any
1 light on the cause of the fire
Children Lived in Fear of Him.
The children i'm the neighbOrhood who
were cOastins not far from his house sa "
[ the smoke coming through the cracks IN
+ the windows and above the doors a ii
O'Clock in the forenoon. but tlcy thought
] nothing 90 IL. His singular habits of lie,
shut up in the house away from every
body, caused the children 20 lGck upon
him with suspicion. Al times they would
creep mp to the windows and PEEP in TO
watch him in his profound study. Their
presence iTritated him. and he would
drive them away. Even the little tots
cvaded him as be went about In the VI
cinity Of his hut The name of"Daddy
/ Ellis was used TO frlghten therl. ana they
{ would run into the house whenever his
name was mentioned. 10 was the children
on the hill i'm the afternoon who saw The
smoke coming out OF the house. Andrew
Hall and WlllOrd smith ran nome and
told their parents about IT, and the alarm
was Turned IN 10 the fire department
After the body was taken from thu
Tayiors undertaking establishment Jut
coroner Frank II. Clark was summoned
me- rooms We're searched but DOtlllz
could be found that would suggest ann
evidence OF arson. An inquest VIII Dt
held today His bank account with Nc
COrnick q Co. was found. Hc had SI-5.1
IN the bank. Some whisky and rum Wer,
found on the table. and q box of cigars
was also found ON his desk.
Man of Marked individuality.
had some peculiar traits Of character
lie made few friends and during tn,
nine years he has lived IN the neighbour
hood OF Second North street. he VISITED
only one famiiy-that Of a. N. Ander
son. He would drop in only for a few
moments al intervals of q month or $,
and II was always regarded as StTang
why Larson was able TO rent room
there.
He was a lover OF nature and spen
many days roaming about the hills an(
and the mines He would walk about II
a driving SnOWStOrm simply. 10 face TIT
/ elements, and he seemed to enjoy it. II,
wrote several beautiful articles on ma
/ ture and its scenery which We're pub
Hshed in The Herald He had severa
1 friends whom he called on occasionally
but he could never be approached on tht
! history of his early life or what he haS
! done before he came here. Fully dOzeI
men who knew him well were asked las
! evening by The Herald for information
I about his career, but they said ne neVe
talked of his early life and they knew
/ nothing about il.
Once a Unitarian Minister.
When he first came to Utah some four
I teen years ago he was Unitarian min
, lister and for three or four years ne lee
! tured on religion and philosophy He wa
] well informed man and was considered
an excellent speaker He gradually drift
I ed into agnOstiCiSm and continued hi
/ studies along that line. He finally tool
up TIE cause of MOrmOniSm and wrOt
T favorable treatise entitled Mormon
ism. by a NOn-MOrmOn." In his librar,
is TO be found a manuscript on William
Jennings Bryan. Among his manuscript
were. also found poems which he hat
/ written, but they We're scorched an
partly ruined. One of them was entiue
Death.
The only thing that is known Of hi
former life is that he once lived I'm Michi
[ gan and later in Dakota before he cam
( here. and took a prominent stand i'm be
half of the Indians -hcn their land
We're being opened up for settlement
Many iniuStiCes were imposed upon Their
and he took their part IL is said tina
he was a veteran of the civil war an
fought for the flag i'm several campaign
through the south. He drew a penSiO
, from the government, but the cNaC
living in Denver and about five year
ago his sister visited him for few Uay
on her way TO the coast, but she did nO
stay long He spent SEINE time In Lit
tie Cottonwood canyon, near Alta. an
) was constantly roaming about the hill
near Salt Lake studying nature.
I The funeral arrangements have no
, been made. In all probability the an
thOrities will wire his brother of IN
; death and await his instructions.
CEMENT FACTORY BURNED.