The Minneapolis journal., 1905-09-07
TERRIBLE DEATH
In FIERCE FLAMES
ALL EFFORTS TO SAVE MRS. MIND
WE'RE UNAVAILING.
Bodies of Three Victims Found Next
Morning, Charred, in Ruins of the
Place-Rev. George B. Mind Had Left
Saturday, and Did Not Hear of Dis
aster Till Next Afternoon.

Later news Of the Littleton, Mass,
fire, in which Mrs. Mary G. Mind was
burned to death, changes the list Of
casualties. The granddaughter who was
consumed by the flames was Lydia
Mind, instead Of her sister Gretchen.
A third death was that of Mrs. Eunice
Knox, who boarded in the Millard home
which burned.
The circumstances connected with the
fire were unusually strange and tragic.
When the alarm was sounded in the
little village, about 9:3O pm, by the
bell of the Baptist church, the villagers
rushed from their homes in all condi-
tions of garb to fight the fire with buck
cts, pals and tubs of water and wet
carpets. Mrs. Millard, who owned the
house, was crippled by broken knee
cap, yet she and her invalid daughter
were rescued from an attic room, while
others nearer apparent safety were
burned. One granddaughter of Mrs.
Mind, Gretchen, leaped from the second
story window and was unharmed. A
boarder in the house also escaped in the
same manner.
Heroic efforts were made by the
townspeople to rescue the remaining
occupants Of the Millard home, but their
work in the sitting smoke was un,
availing. The faithful volunteer band
of fremen worked all night in the
rain.
When it was possible to enter the cell
lar in the morning the charred bodies
of the three women were found near
together. Mrs. Knox was identified by
her corset steels and the other two by
Mind and her granddaughter were suf-
focated in their beds. The fire is be-
lieved to have started from the over
turning or the explosion of a lamp
which it is presumed Mrs. Knox was
carrying. After inspection by the med
ical examiner, the remains were taken
to Woodlawn cemetery.
Rescuers Driven Back.
Subsequent accounts Of the fire tell
of heroic attempts to rescue the Minds.
Rev. Mr.. :Enslin mounted the stairs and
was nearly suffocated while gropiine l
granddaughter. Two young men who
placed a ladder at second-story win
dow were driven from it by the blind
ing smoke and heat. Gretchen NinC
is Frustrated by the loss of her rela
tives.
Lydia Mind was the daughter of Rev
George 3; Mind, a missionary a
chen, boarded with Mrs. Millard. Th'
daughter Lydia had ha no regular hom,
daughter Lydia had had noregular hom
Lithia, near Springfield;
The day before the fire Mr.. Mind
with his mother and daughter, had ar
rived from Goshen, where they spen
the summer, to visit Gretchen for twt
weeks. Saturday afternoon Mr.. Nint
left for New Bedford to preach in {
former. pulpit. It was impossible tt
reach him until Sunday night
He had not seen Sundays papers an.
strange to say, none Of the large audi
ence which heard him preach in the af
ternoon seemed to connect their forme
pastor with the report Of the disaster
which they had read. When the new
was broken to Mr.. Mind it was too lat
to get a train until the next day.
One Of the strange incidents was tn
fact that the reunited family had at
tended Sunday school picnic Satur
day, as a sort Of celebration after
long separation, and that the age(
Mrs. Mind had accompanied her son t.
| the railway station to bid him goodby
unaware that it. was long farewell.
, Besides the missionary son and
} Newton. Mind, formerly Of Minneapoli;
Mind, of Detroit.