The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-02
WITH DEAD GIRL IN ARMS
AND REVOLVER IN HAND
Father Dehes Street-Car Conduc-
tor and Carries His Dead to
His Home.
CHICAGO FIRE STORIES
More Pathetic Incidents OF the
Theater Disaster-A Woman's
Experience.

HOSSdIu dnu WOIHs tnlGEcQ a 0olNd6G
Grove-avenue car, carrying in his arms
the body of a golden-haired girl. The
form was partly wrapped in a can
vas. AS the father took a seat with
the child in his arms. the conductor
touched him on the should er. saying: Il
am sorry. but the rules of the company
do not permit the carrying of bodies in this
manner. l must ask you TO leave the car
Without changing his expression in the
slightest, without showing a trace Of ex-
element or irritation. the man rose TO his
feet still holding on one arm the body of
his child. With his free hand he thrust
into the face of the conductor a large re-
volver, and said in a tone which betokened
utter WEAKNESS and nonchalance: This is
my daughter. 1 have looked for her all
night and all day. l have tried in vain to
obtain a cab or a carriage and L can get
none. 1 am taking my baby home to her
mother and 1 intend TO take her on this
car. Now, go on"
Other men on the car interceded with
the conductor, and the conductor, realizing
the situation, ave way, and, in the crowded
car, the father sat and carried the corpse
home.
Miss Georgia Swift, a society woman,
was battered and bruised in the panic at
the theater. In talking Of her experiences
to-day she said: "I started up the aisle
at about the same time as all the others,
/ suppose. My seat was on the first floor
near the stage and when 1 had reached the
rear of the auditorium the aisle was choked
with people who had fallen. j looked down
TO avoid stepping on them and just as L
did so my eyes were caught by those OF a
hONF hnRf anFnr IL rwhA mas LIVING
on the floor unable to rise. He had large
brown eyes and was so neatly dressed and
apparently so we'll bred that he fascinated
me. 1t was all in a second, 1 know, but as
he saw me looking at him he said:
Won't you please, please help meg
Il stopped to raise him, but the crowd
was too thick and the rush too strong. L
seized him under the arms and then / was
knocked over him on my knees. l strug-
gled to my feet, but the weight of the
crowd was such that / could not turn back,
and / was carried out through the door.
The little boy was probably trampled to
death and the memory of those eyes Will
haunt me while / live"
Sorrow of two days changed TO joy to-
night at the home of Herbert and Agnes
LANCE, when the father of the children
returned home with a body, which he sup
posed was that of his daughter. and found
his own children in the arms of his wife.
They had wandered about the city dazed
after the fire and panic, reaching home to-
night before the father returned from a
wearisome search Of the morgues.
The Lange children attended the per-
Torrance, and, after the fire, were reported
missing. Mr.. LANCE started TO find the
bodies, as he felt sure the children were
dead. He went from morgue to morgue
and from hospital TO hospital and from
police stations to coroner's office. spend
ing all Wednesday and Thursday nights in
the search. In despair he sought the aid
of detectives and reporters. saying that
his wife was almost Frustrated over the
loss Of her only children. At dark to-day
Mr.. LANCE found the charred body of a
girl. which he was sure was that of his
daughter. He smiled to think he had found
the body, and, abandoning the search for
his son, FASTENED home with the girls
body. When Mr.. LANCE reached home. 1922
Barry avenue he found a rest for his sor-
row and travel in the persons of his chill
dren, uninjured. He took the body Of the
girl back to the morgue.
Miss Viola Mcdonald, of Chicago, says
she was the last person to leave the thea
ter alive. She was a member of the chorus,
and rushed TO the dressing-room beneath
the stage TO dress: but, after seizing some
of her clothing, found 1T impossible to make
her way up the stairs, which were blocked
by flame and smoke. Turning around. she
ran back into the basement again and made
her way to a coal hole underneath the front
sidewalk. Crawling on her hands and knees
10 the hole, she managed TO thrust out her
arm TO attract attention, and was drawn out
by a fireman.
Surrounded BY friends and relatives. Will
liam Mclaughlin. nephew of DR.. F. w.
Gunsaulus, died at the Presbyterian Hos
pital as a result of the injuries he suffered
at the fire. The young man was severely
burned in escaping and aiding others to es-
cape from the building, m was first taken
to the Sherman House. Later DIR. Gunsau-
lus secured his removal to the hospital,
where the physicians said he could not re-
cover. William Mclaughlin came to Chi
TO attend the wedding of Miss Martha Gun
~sauius, daughter of DR.. Gunsaulus, and
Henry H. Schueler, which was to have been
celebrated at the Gunsaulus home this
evening. The cards summoning guests TO
the wedding were recalled and the wedding
was held in the afternoon.
This morning IL became known that
the entire family Of Frederick S. Pond, for
thirty-three years cashier Of the Deering
reaper works. was exterminated by the
fire. In the disaster Mr.. Pond lost his
wife and two children, all of whom have
been identified. A sister Of Mrs. Pond.
MISS Grace lutte, Is sun among the MISS
ing. Helen. a seven-year-old daughter Of
Mr.. Pond, was Identified solely by her
teeth. A club pin was all that led TO the
recognition of Raymond Pond, fourteen
years old. The funeral Of Mrs. Pond and
her two children will be delayed until the
body Of Miss futile is found.
The local insurance fraternity was hard
hit in the loss of life. E. d. Clarke was
killed in the crush Three daughters Of
A. b. Washington were at the theater, and
two were killed. Florence Oxman, sister of
Clarence Oman, perished. T.. r. Wetmore,
who placed the insurance line on the the
il started to ascertain the probable insur-
ance loss, forgetting until he saw the fire.
men carrying bodies from the building that
his own twelve-year-old daughter and her
fourteen-year-old cousin had intended going
to the Iroquois. Both children ESCAPED
through the efforts of one OF the ushers.
No attempt has yet been made TO accurate
ing places the amount at about Is per cent.
of the insurance, or $4,000. Some thought
this estimate was too high. The damage
was all on the contents and furnishings.
the structural part of the building being in
tact.
At the hospitals. where many fearfully-
burned persons are being cared for. death
was being momentarily awaited in a num-
Der of cases. All that could be done had
been done, except 10 sit and watch for the
last breath. A typical case was that OF
at the Samaritan Hospital by relatives.
Mr. Schneider 6nnllV paSSpd away TO-DAY