The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-01
Graphic Stories Of the
Chicago Catastrophe

brothers and sisters during the long hours
OF Wednesday night and Thursday.
In sharp contrast to the awful fate of this
family is that of the Muker family, of
Chicago. This consisted of Mr.. c. G. Muker.
his wife and five children. Exactly the same
number of the Van Ingens. They occupied
seats in the theater close 10 where the Van
Ingens sat and all of them escaped in safety.
One of the children without a scratch. the
other members Of the family sustaining
slight bruises only.
One of the saddest of the many scenes
enacted at the Thompson restaurant, near
the theater, where many of the dead and
wounded were taken Immediately after the
fire, was the search by a party of priests
and nuns, headed by the Rev. j.. l.. Hol-
finger, of Ontenagon, Mich, for Edith Hor-
ton and her sister, two little girls who, in
company with one of the convent sisters,
had attended the performance. The body of
Edith Horton was found in the restaurant,
many Of the nuns breaking down and weep
ing bitterly at the sight. The other Hor-
ton girl and the sister who accompanied
them were not found.
Charles Dexter, of the Boston Baseball
Club. and Frank Houseman, the old Chi
cago second baseman, with their families,
occupied a box. Both claimed that but for
the presence of mind of Eddie Foy the
death roll would have been double. When
the panic began Dexter and Houseman each
made for and manned a door leading into
the alley on the north side of the theater.
Tire people from the balconies had already
commenced jumping to the ground floor
when Houseman and Dexter forced open
their door, and they were compelled to lit
aWaV the MANNED and tha dead i'm order
10 permit of exits from the ground floor
Houseman, having escarted his party out,
took a position at his door and kept 1t
from choking up by assisting people
through. Finally, forced away by the
names, HouSeman got into the alley just
IN time to hear the agonized voice of a
woman In the window of an upper gal
lery Shrek, Catch me-" AS the woman
screamed she jumped and Houseman, catch
f mS = 10 the pest or his ablhty, broke her
fall to the ground and she walked away
uninjured.
Clinton G. Meeker, a clerk In the registry
department of the postofice, living in the
suburb of Irving Park, has probably lost in
the fire his entire family. consisting of his
wife, two daughters and two sons. A
friend called Mr.. Meeker up on the tele-
phone at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and
asked him if any of his family had gone to
the theater. lie answered that so tar as
he knew none OF them had left home. When
he reached the house, however, he found
only his mother-in-law there.
Where are Mabel and the children?" he
asked.
They have gone to the ~Iroquois Thea
ter was the reply.
Il dropped right down on my knees
said Mr.. Meeker, "and prayed that God
might spare them"
To-day Mr.. Meeker had partially identi-
fled the bodies of his wife and two daugh-
tiers. He failed to find any trace of his two
sons.
1t was a cause of wonder TO many people
around the theater building how so many
physicians and so many trained nurses
could arrive on the spot within so short
a time. DIR. Herman Spalding, senior Of
fetal in the city health department at the
time the fire broke out, made all the ar
engagements for medical attendance.
Il ~telephoned to all the physicians in the
downtown district" he said, land then to
hospitals, nurse associations and schools
for persons TO assist in the care of the
injured. Employees telephoned to all the
principal office buildings and told the Op-
orators at the switchboards to notify every
physician in the building, while others tele-
100 physicians whom 1 personally knew at
the fire, and probably $50 nurses. There
has never been, as far as L have been
aware, a call for so many physicians in
Chicago at any one time since the great
fire. Within a few minutes physicians three
and five miles from the down district were
Offering their services.
One of the largest audiences ever seen in
the Garrick Theater, which is on the same
street as the I%roquois, less than one block
distant, sat in complete ignorance of the
awful tragedy which was being enacted 200
feet from where they sat. When the fire
engines commenced to patter past the Gar
rick Manager Schubert became fearful lest
the impression hat his theater was on fire
should spread in the audience. When the
intermiSsiOn between acts came he ordered
the doors closed and refused to allow any
one to pass in or out, as he was determined
that no knowledge of the fire should reach
the audience.
Wilton Lackaye, the star of the play now
being presented at the Garrick, stepped be-
fore the curtain and entertained the audi
ence for over five minutes with a witty
speech, which kept his hearers in continual
laughter The orchestra contributed it's part
toward divertlng the audience and the cur
tain rose for the next act without anybody
other than. the theater employees knowing
that hundreds of lives were being sacrificed
almost next door to the Garrick. When the
people filed out of the Garrick they were
greeted at the door by hundreds of frantic
men and women, who anxiously scanned
their faces to see If any of their friends were
among them. They were looking for MEM
bers of their families and acquaintance
who had gone to town simply to attend
a matinee, without stating to what theater
they intended to go. There were many
scenes of joyful recognition and astonisheG
members of the Garrick audience were hug
ged and kissed in frantic delight by their
relatives, who up to that time had believed
il possible that they were in the CHASTITY
pile of dead lying within the doors of the
lrOquOiS Theater.
When the Rev. F. O'Brien, of the Holy
Name Cathedral, heard of the fire and
learned that so many were dying he rushed
into the old fremont House, which is now
converted into the Northwestern University
Law School, into which many victims had
been taken, to administer the last sacrament
to members of the Catholic Church. He
was followed an instant later by Bishop
MuldOon, the highest Catholic prelate next
to Archbishop Quigley in the diocese of Chi
cago. Finding that they were unable to at
tend the great number being brought in,
Bishop Muldoon announced that he would
give a general absOlution 20 all the Catholics
among the victims.
During the brief moment that the two
priests with uplifted hands besought God to
pardon all the frailties of His dyinC serv-
ants, the poor mangled men and women who
lay i'm dozens on the floor seemed
to realize that they were face to
face with the last scene in their
lives. Many, though craZed with pain,
ceased TO moan and fastened their fast
dimming eyes on the two priests. After the
absolutiOn was given many of them, barely
hands implorlngly TO the priests for one
hand clasp and one word Of sympathy be-
fore they passed away. Both clergymen adj
ministered absolutiOn, remaining till the