davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
Jan 1915, 1894.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE ON FILING Pc
Triton TO SELL La ND.

STATE oF MINNESOEA, Ca lnty of Blue
In the matter of thel estate of Henry w
Davies, deceased.
On reading and filing the poii ton of Josenb
". Davies, auminlstEagor OF aid estate, set
Ting Iortn Une aInounG OF perssH ial estate that
has come into his hands, the Gi3 POSITION thereof
and how much remains upGti sposed of: the
amount of debts OutStandilS against said do
ceased, as far as the same csIc be ascertained.
the legacies unpaid, and lie scription of ali
the real estate, excepting E9u lestead, of which
said deceased died seized ad the Condition.
and value of the respective portions or los
Thereon; the persons lntersste in said estate
with their residences; an ipr aging that license
De TO MIN granted TO sell ons west ten acres of
the east twenty-one ana alT rec fourths acres of
north west quarter of tie ns nth west Quarter Of
section eleven In township, one hundred and
eight north Orange bszaa ty eight west. Blue
Earth county, Minneso6b. And it annear.
ing by said petition. tlit there is not STIFF
Gent personal estate in the hands of said adj
ministrator to pay said debts, the lecacies or
expenses of adminissra ton and that it is nee
essary for sAe payment of such debts legacies
or expenses to sell said real estate.
1t is Therefore ordaCkd that all persons inter-
eated in said estate appear before this court on
Wednesday the 9th day of Jsnuary, A. b. 1901.
at 10 o'clock a. M, at the probate office in the
city OF Mankato IN said county, then and there
should not be granted 10 said administrator to
sell so much OF the real estate of said deceased
as shall be necessary 10 pay such debts, 1egacies
Anaeft is further or6ared. that this order
shall be published once in each week for three
successive weeks prior to said day of hearing in
printed and published at Mankato, in said
county.
Dated at Iankato, 6he 2srd day of December
a. d., 1903
By the court.
WIN. f. HUGHES,
tPpobate Court SealG Judge OF Probate
8. B. Wilson, attorney for administrator.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
EAvoRs PHONETIC SPELLING.
Minnesota Educational Association De-
sres Reform.

st. Paul, Dec. 31.-Without a dis
senting voice, the Minnesota Educa-
tional association yesterday afternoon
at the general session in the Central
Presbyterian church, went on record
in favor of the adoption of the phonetic
spelling of the following twelve words:
program, tho, altho, thoro, thorofare,
thru, thruout, catalog, prolog, decalog,
demagog, pedagog, and voiced its dis
approval of the restoration OF the let
ter "u' in such words as harbour"
The resolutions, which are almost
exact copies Of those adopted some
time ago by the National Educational
association and by the Illinois and
Wisconsin state associations, are the
first step toward a general reform in
the spelling of the English language,
which the educators hope to see realiz-
ed some day.
The presentation of the resolutions
followed an address in favor of the
reform by E. o. Vale of Chicago.
There was very little discussion, al
though some of the teachers urged
even more radical reforms.
Superintendent John Kennedy of
Batavia, N. Y, spoke in favor of two
teacher system in vogue in Batavia.
The teachers were entertained at
The Commercial club in the evening.
Three More Vessels for Panama.
Washington, Dec. 31.-Word has
been received at the navy department
from San Francisco that three addi-
tional vessels had left that place to
join the fleet under Admiral Glass at
Panama. They are the gunboat Ben
nington and the destroyers Preble and
Paul Jones. {
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
BODIES ARE CRUSHED INTO
SHAPELESS PULP OF FLESH.

AS one by one the bodies were
dragged out of the water-soaked,
blackened mass Of corpses, the spec
tacle became more and more heart
rending. There were women whose
clothing was torn completely from
their bodies above the waist, whose
bosoms had been trampled into pulp
and whose faces were marred beyond
all power Of identification.
Bodies lay in the first and second
balconies in great numbers. In some
places they were piled up in the aisles
three and four deep, where one had
fallen and others trpped over the
PROSTATE forms, and all had died
where they lay, evidently suffocated
by the gas. Others were bent over
backs of seats where they had been
thrown by the rush of people for the
doors and killed without hardly a
chance to rise from their seats. One
man was found with his back bent
nearly double, his spinal column hav'
ing been fractured as he was thrown
backward. A woman was found cut
nearly in half by the back of the seat,
she having been forced over it face
downward.
In the aiSleS nearest the doors the
scenes were narrowing in the extreme.
Bodies lay in every conceivable atti-
tude half naked, the look on their
faces revealing some portion of the
agony which must have preceded their
death.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
OPTIMISM PREVAILING IN RUSSIA
Is RUDELY SHAKEN BY DIS
PATCHES FROM TOXIC.
JAPAN PLAYS WAITING GAME
LOOKS FOR RUSSIA TO DECIDE
THE QUESTION OF PEACE OR
WAR. IN THE FAR EAST.

Paris, Dec. 31.-The ST. Petersburg
correspondent of the Paris edition of
the New York Herald says that the
optimism prevailing concerning the far
Eastern situation has been rudely
shaken by the dispatches from Toxic.
The dominant sentiment now is that
war is inevitable, says the correspond
ent. A high military authority, ac-
cepting as fact that war is a fore
gone conclusion, said to the CORES
pendent:
81 presume that when the time
comes the Japanese will effect land
ing in Korea. Well, what of it, and
what after?" thus indicating that Rus
STA does not propose to take precipi-
tate action in the event Of Japan try
ing to force the situation.
The London Daily Mails Nicnlaieff
correspondent says Two
volunteer fleet cruiser su1E
lions of war and ma lel ss.t
East, have been reca. 70 mack
Sea as the possibility Gl l &4n&c-9
Is feared.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
TEACHERS ELECT or FIcERs
z. w. Walker Chosen PI resident. os
Wisconsin Associate On

Milwaukee, Dec. 31.-The Wisconsin,
Teachers association elect ed of1t ,ers
as follows:
President, e. W. Walker, Deiay ran,
first vice president, j. A. Tezefw ood.,
second vice president, A. IE San ford
Stevens Point; third vice presS 1ent
julius H. Pratt, Jr., Mfflwaq kee.l
treasurer, F. A. Lowell, HhRaeia1 lder:I
railroad manager, William F.. Seq MIL
waukee; secretary, T. w: Boycs Mil
waukee. holds over for two yeaiE be-
ing elected for term Of three wears.
A resolution was adopted ppe yiding
for the appointment of a commit tee to
secure if possible legislation ON higher
wages. ]. w. Stearns, G. P? "a nv and
D. r. Augusberg were the 8 peakers
Of the day.
W. G. Bruce, chairman Of. he Wis
consin committee on the louisiana
Purchase exposition, reported that the
committee had secured ST. 900 for
Wisconsin's educational aeAlI bit at the
fair.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
ROOSEVELT AND WEBSTER
Choice of Observation-Disclosures Re
publicans..

Omaha, Dec 31.-Representative Ne
braska Republicans held meeting
during the day to organize a move
ment for the advancement of the, can
didacy of John L. Webster for the vice
presidential nomination. The meeting
decided on the selection Of an execu-
tive committee of thirty leading Re-
publicans of Nebraska, whose work
will be to extend the Webster propa-
ganda throughout the Western states.
Resolutions endorsing Roosevelt and
Webster were unanimously adopted.
The committee of thirty will be chosen
by committee Of five named by the
meeting
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
EXPRESS TRAIN DERAILED.
Passengers Badly Shaken Up But Es-
cape Serious Injury.

Butte, Mont, Dec. 31.-Northern Pa
cific express No. 4, eastbound, Seattle
to ST. Paul, struck broken rail near
Tusca Siding, 1876 miles west Of Mis-
soula at 5 o'clock a. m. Seven cars
were derailed, including two Pullmans.
The passengers were badly shaken
up, but none was badly hurt. Traffic,
was delayed several hours.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
JAPAN WANTS MORE SHIPS.
Offers to Purchase Two Chilean War
Vessels,

Santiago de Chile, Dec. 31.-The
Chilean government has received Of
fers from the Japanese government for
the purchase of two Chilean warships,
the battleship Captain Pratt and the
cruiser Chaicubico.
The Captain Pratt is of 6,10O tons
displacement and the Chaicubico of
500 tons displacement.
When questioned concerning the af-
fair Baron Hayashi, Japanese minister
to Great Britain, said:
eve want more ships. Of course
this is only precautionary measure
and it may be lot of expense for
nothing"
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
Three More Vessels for Panama.
Attempt Suicide by Ploson.

Minneapolis, Dec 31.-May Smith, a
waitress, and Michael Tflfin, butch
er, Respondent over unfortunate love
affairs, attempted suicide last even
ing by swallowing carbolic acid. Both
were carried to the city hospital and
both will recover.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
DECISION FOR MRS. INeERsoL.
Case Involves Large Sum for Legal
Services of r. G. lnuersoIl.

Boston, Dec. 3f.-The United States
circuit court for the district Of Massa-
chusetts Wednesday made decision in
favor Of Eva A. Ingersoll, adninistra-
trix of the estate of Robert G. Inger-
soil, in action against Joseph A. Co
ram and others, to the effect that the
PLAINTIFF has a good lien on the prop
erty of the defendant on account OF
legal services rendered by Mr.. Inger-
soil. The case involves about $780,
900 alleged to be due the estate for
services given by Mr.. Ingersoll as at
torncy in settling the estate of the
late millionaire, Andrew ]. Davis OF
Butte, Mont.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
WOMEN ARE ASPHYxIATED
WHILE CRAWLING ON DEAD

Women on top of these masses of
dead had been overtaken by death as
they we're crawling on their hands and
knees over the bodies of those who
had died before Others lay with
arms stretched out in the direction to
ward which lay life and safety hold
ing in their hands fragments of gar
menus not their own. They were evil
IDENTIFY torn from the clothing Of 9TH
ers whom they had endeavored to pull
down and trample under foot as they
fought for their own lives.
AS the police removed layer after
layer of dead in these dOorways, the
sight became too much even for po-
lice and firemen, hardened as they are
to such scenes, to endure.
The bodies were in such an mex
tricable mass, and so tightly were they
damned between the sides of the door
and the walls that it was impossible
to lift them one by one and carry
they out. The only possible thing to
do was to seize limb or some other
portion Of the body and pull with main
strength. Men worked at the task
with tears streaming down their
cheeks and the sobs of the rescuers
could be heard even in the hall below
where this awful scene was being
enacted. A number of the men were
compelled to abandon their task and
give it over to others whose nerves
had not as yet been shaken by the aw-
full experience.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
FRANTIC SEARcRERs EvADE
THE POLICEMEN ON DUTY.

The building in which the calamity
occurred stands midway between
State and Dearborn streets on the
north side of Randolph street. AL
though every available policeman with
in call of the department was imme-
diately hurried to the spot and the
men placed in lines at the end of the
block allowing nobody to enter RAN
dolph street from either Dearborn or
State, 1t was found for time almost
impossible to hold back the frenzied
crowd that pressed forward, many of
them having friends or relatives in
the theater, succeeded in breaking
through the police lines and entering
the theater, and in many cases di
deroic work in rescuing the injured
and carrying out the dead.
A fireman and newspaper man
crawled up the dark stairway leading
TO the balcony and found the door
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
DEAD BODIES HAULED AWAY
IN DRAYS LIKE CORDWOOD.

Although all the patrol wagons and
every ambulance owned by the city
was pressed into service, they were
utterly inadequate to carry away the
dead and in short time there was a
line of corpses fifty feet long piled two
and three high on the sidewalk in
front of the theater. 1t was found
necessary in order to convey the
bodies rapidly to the morgue, and to
the various undertaking establish
ments to impress trucks into service,
and in these, upon costly blankets fur
nished by the drygoods stores in the
vicinity, and covered with the same
material. the dead were hauled away
practically like so much cordwood:
One large freight truck was so
heavily loaded with dead in front of
the theater that two large horses at
tached to it were unable to start it
and the police were compelled to as
sist by Juggling at the wheels.
The merchants in the vicinity of the
theater rose to the emergency in
splendid fashion. Large dry goods
stores sent wagonload after wagon
load Of blankets, rolls Of linen and
packages of cotton to be used in bind
ing up the wounds of the injured and
to cover the dead. The drug stores
furnished their stock to anybody that
asked for it in the name Of people hurt
in the fire. Doctors and trained nurses
were on the ground by the score with
in half an hour after the extent of the
calamity was known, and every
wounded person who was carried from
the building received prompt medical
aid
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01

Misses Maidie and Mabel Page WENT
to Minneapolis yesterday morning to
visit at the home of Mr.. and Mrs. Dave
Glass, who used to reside. In the village,
and whose little girl is just commissioning
from a severe case Of typhoid fever.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
SCORES OF PEOPLE WITH
FACES ALL TRAMPLED OFF.

There were scores and scores of
nncA-a vlasaa e;ats~a faner had been
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
MANkATo FREE PRESS.

TANNED with bodies higher than their
heads. They at once notified Fire
Chief Mushane. who called all his
men to the rescue.
The gruesome work was at once be-
gun under the light Of 200 Pickering
lanterns.
So rapidly were the bodies brought
down that for over an hour there were
two streams of men passing in and
out of the doorway, the one carrying
bodies, the other composed OF men re-
turning to get more. They were car.
ried into Thompson's restaurant adj
Joining the theater on the east. The
dead and wounded were placed upon
chairs, tables and counters, one wo-
man even being placed for lack OF a
better spot, on top of a cigarcase.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
SCORES OF PERSONS TRAMPLED
TO DEATH IN THE FRANTIC
- RUSH FOR SAFETY.
OVER FIVE HUNDRED DEAD
DOZENS OF OTHERS ARE HURT
AND SEVERAL MORE ARE RE-
PORTED AS MISSING.

More than five hundred and fifty
dead, ninety-two injured and fifty-five
missing is, in brief, the result of the
fire in the Iroquois theater at Chicago
Wednesday afternoon. Scores of peo-
pie were trampIed into shapeIess,
unacceptable pulp and many others
were burned and charred beyond all
hope of Identification. The city is one
vast house of mourning, with thou
sands of people crowding around the
repositories of the dead, seeking for
some missing friend or relative.
Chicago, Dec. 31.-About $50 per-
sons were killed in ten minutes
Wednesday afternoon during fire in
the Iroquois theater, the newest, the
largest and as far as human power
could make it, the safest theater in
Chicago. Estimates of the dead and
Injured vary. The police count of
dead is $50. The estimate Of the
newspapers is $50. Besides this there
are ffty-fve missing at midnight, the
majority Of whom are probably among
the dead in the morgue and various
undertaking establishments. Eighty
six of the dead have been positively
Identified, and ninety-two others are
known to be injured
A few Of these people were burned
to death by fire, many were suffocated
by gas, and scores were trampled to
death in the panic that followed the
mad plunge of the frightened audience
for the exits. 1t will be many hours
before the number of dead is accurate
ly known and many days before all
Of them will be identified There are
bodies lying by the dozens in the I'M
dertaking rooms, in the police station,
and in the hospitals from which near
ly everything that could reveal their
Identity to those who knew them best
Is gone. Their clothing is torn to
rags or burned to cinders and their
faces have been trampled into an I'M
recognizable pulp by the heels of the
crowd that trampled them down as
they fed for safety.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
FIREMEN SAVE SOME PEOPLE
IN ONE OF THE BALCONIES.

About score Of persons in the Sec
ond balcony were saved by firemen
who took them through the roof and
carried them down ladders in the rear
Of the building.
While many men were busy carry
ing out the dead and injured, others,
fortunately few in number, searched
the aisles and seats for valuables.
Two men were found who had pro-
vided themselves with baskets and
were filling them with property of the
dead.
One liveryman says he went to the
anton headquarters, where the drivers
who are now on strike were congre-
gated and told them he had donated
the carriages and asked If they would
drive to the Iroquios theater to help
remove the wounded. They fatty re-
fused to do so.
The Iroquois theater disaster was
vastly more destructive to human life
than any other theater fire in this
country. The next most fatal fire was
in Conway's Brooklyn theater, Dec. 5,
1876, where 295 persons persisted. In
the great Chicago fire of 1871, but 200
lives were lost SO far as known.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01

Last evening occurred the regular quar-
terly meeting of the North Mankato w.
G. T.. u. with the "Y" branch of the
same, that is, meeting of both -e ell
derby and the young members of the
association. The gathering took place
at the residence of Mrs. T. j. Sherk ON
Sherman avenue. About thirty five in
all were present and enjoyed the gayest
kind of a. social evening Music, vocal and
instrumental, games and refreshments
made the evening speed happily away.
Miss Marie Mayer is rallying splendid
ly after her operation at the st, Joseph's
hospital. Her father, j. c. Mayer, con-
fdently expects to have her brought
home a week from next Monday.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
story:

SIOry.
Not long before the expulsion took
place, Ahlenstorf had some sort of a.
trivial quarrel with another North Man
katonian, Charles Dubke of Wheeler
street. Dubke's feelings ran away with
his judgment and he used such language,
to Ahlenstorf as caused the latter to
have him arrested. Dubke was fined for
the offense by Justice Walrath.
Dubke who was a member of the same
church society carried his complaint
among the other members. An endeavor
was made to have the matters adjust
ed amicably between the two men and
Ahlensdorf says he was asked to stand
half the fne. He refused, however, to
patch the thing up in this way and was
turned out of the society,
Ahlenstorf was at first inclined to let
the matter drop, though his feelings were
much ruffled by the course events had
taken. Something, however, appears to
have reopened the wound that time had
partly healed. He received legal advice
that he had grounds for an action lat
membership. He does not seem to want
this however. He rather favors the idea
of simply asking judgment for dam
ages.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
NoRTHWEsTERNERS AMONG
THE IDENTIFIED VICTIMS

The following are the known dead
from Northwestern states:
Mrs. T. G. Peterson, Fargo, N. D.;
Mrs. M. Stark. Des Moines, Ia; Mrs.
o. ]. Tuthill, Des Moines; G. A. Wins
low, Three Rivers, Mimi; w. w. Hop
per, Kenosha, Wis; five children Of
H. S. Van Ingen of Kenosha, Wis,
probable father became separated
from them and is among injured.
Mrs. G. Kranz, Racine, Wis, and B.
B. Stevenson, Madison, Wis, are
among the badly injured.
The fire broke out during the second
act of the play, "Mr. Bluebeard,"
which was the first dramatic produc-
ton produced in the theater since it's
erection. The company, which was
very large, escaped safely to the
street in their stage costumes, a few
members of these sustaining minor
injuries.
The accounts of the origin of the
fire are conflicting and none of them
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01
Fifteen PERSONS RESCUED
FROM A PERILoUS POSITION

Walters and cooks from Thompson's
restaurant rescued fifteen persons by
raising a ladder from the room of a
shed to window in the rear of the
building around which a mass Of
screaming women and children were
congregateG. c. Little, the head cook,
mounted to the top Of the ladder and
told them to jump into his arms.
Fifteen women and children did this
and were passed by Little down to
other men on the ladder below them.
One woman attempted to jump into
his arms before he was ready to take
hold of her and she fell to the alley,
fracturing her skull, dying instantly.
It is estimated that the property
damage to the theater will amount to
$250,OO0 This loss is sustained almost
entirely upon the interior decorations
and the destruction Of glass and seats
made by the crowd in their rush for
the doors. What decorations were not
burned were ruined by smoke and
water.
The CHASTITY work Of preparing the
dead for view by the thousands of
anxious friends and relatives who
haunt the morgues and other places
where the bodies of the victims are ly-
ing is progressing slowly, and only
one-fifth of the bodies had been identi-
fed at o'clock. Dreadful and dis
tressing scenes are being enacted
everywhere, and the city is house
of mourning, the streets crowded with
frenzied seekers for missing dear ones.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-01

lertain. but the best reason given is
that an electric wire near the lower
part of a piece of drop scenery, sud-
denly broke and was grounded. The
fire spread rapidly toward the front of
the stage, causing the members of the
chorus who were then engaged in the
performance. to flee to the wings with
screams of terror. The fire in itself
up to this time was not serious and
possibly could have been checked had
not the asbestos curtain failed to work