The Rice belt journal., 1905-02-24
BIG HOTEL DE ,THOYED BY FIRE.
Welsh Ladies' Have narrowing EXpe.
ricnce in Burning Building

at Leesville, at which place some men,
berS of the Eastern Star Chapter OF
| Welsh had gone to assist in instituting
a lodge, was burned to the gOund, and
the seventy guests, who we're asleep at
the time, had thrilling experiences in
escaping with their lives.
The fire was discovered about +
o clock and had gained such headway
at the time of the discovery that no
effort was made to save the building.
Many of them heard no alarm, except
the screams of some person who was
confined in room about sutfocating
with no apparent avenue of escape,
consequently many we're not awakened
until their rooms were on fire.
Those from Welsh who assisted in
insttuting the lodge and were in the
burning building, were: Mr.. and Mrs.
L. E. Rohinsont Mrs. c. A. Austin,
Mrs. j. H. Cooper, Mrs. VIM. Fear,
Mrs. A. c.. Shipman and Mrs. S. ".
Day.
Mrs. Day was the only member of
the party from Welsh who escaped
down a stairway. Others managed to
get to the head Of stairways only to
find that avenue of escape cut off
either. by the flames or heaps Of drum
mer's trunks.
Partially dressed Mrs. Cooper,
Mrs. Fear and Mrs. Shipman were
compelled to slide down a gallery
post to save their lives, catering up
few pieces of clothing as they hur-
riedly emerged from their burning
room. After reaching the ground in
safety Mrs. Cooper stopped to pick up
some of her clothing that was thrown
from the upper gallery and by a hairs
breadth escaped being struck by a
drummer's heavy trunk, hurled from
an upstairs window.
Mr.. and Mrs Robinson and Mrs.
Austin were almost exhausted from
sutfocation when they were rescued.
Their room was filled with dense
smoke and it being dark at that time
it was with difficulty the window was
ii found. Mrs. Ro Ninson located win
dow and with her bare foot and hanC
IL broke through the glass and all es
y capped safely. Mrs. Robinson's hanc
and foot were both badly cut by break
b ing through the glass, two stitches
l. having been required in dressing the
latter.
n Some of the ladies wt.re fortunate tc
: escape in their nightrobes, some savet
portion of their clothing but los
q their shoes and stockings. Not {
IS member of the party from Welsh es
capped losing q part OF their clothing
e Mr.. Robinson, the only gentleman il
IT the party from Welsh, lost his shoe
and top coat. Mrs. Fear, besides los
q ing some of her clothing, was unabl
9r to recover her gold watch and chair
r and pocketbook from the burnin!
building. The lodge paraphernali
was left in the lodge room and wa
NJ saved
le The ladies from Lake Charles ha
similar experiences. One lady los
n all her clothing, money and watch an
I'd chain. The Lake Charles paraphel
re MALTA was destroyed.
No fatalities occurred, but Ne
to Orleans travelling man named Blai
lg was overcome by smoke in his roOl
1g and rescued after neutrality-suspicious.
OF The ellis hotel was frame strut
ture and made a fierce blaze. Loss o
Of building amounted to about 5000
ds with no insurance. The fire is belize
m ed to have been of incendiary origin
ho The seven members of the local {
E. S. lodge left Welsh Tuesday morl
ing on the 4 O'Clock train to assist
nc instituting new Eastern Star lodG
on at Leesville, up the Kansas Ci
th- Southern road. Much of the afte
noon was devoted to initiating cand
= dates, and it was after midnight b
~ fore the work was completed and Wis
x tors had retired. As result Il
~ hotel was mass Of flames befo
g many of the tired guests were awake
X ed. To add to their discomfort
- wreck occurred north of Leesvil
60 necessitating delay of eight hour
X Instead of arriving here noon We
. nesday they did not get in until ye
G. terday morning. S. w. Day and
X c. Shipman met the party at La
y Charles.
A II is said, you know, that our la
K guage is the most intricate in t
Y world. You will understand how tr
y this is, if you read the following:
@ sleeper is one who sleeps. A sleeF
-