The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-06
THREE FIRES IN NURSES'FLAY.
WEIRD STORY or TALL MAN WHO
GAGGED YOUNG WOMAN.

MlNN Wulthutt OuHN NgNWNgNHRH 7" 1913
IIlness, Found Unconscious White mat
tresses mMzed-She Discovered the
Other Fires I'LL In HOspital Now
There should be all the elemeDts Of a
thrilling yarn at the investigation at fire
Haadquartersto-day Of the three mysterious
Rres which took place within thirteen hours
yesterday ma fifth floor nat at IS West lOlst
street. occupied by eight nurses connected
with the New York Medical College Hospital
for Women. The causes Of the fires
the truth OF the wild tales related about q
man in dark clothes" whom one OF the nurses
accuses Of gagging her and then starting
the last fire will be threshed out.
There was much secrecy among the
nurses in the fiat last evening and among
"the officials Of the hospital, which is directly
across the street, Miss Jardine, supertn-
tendent Of nurses, said that there
be -something to talk about later but
would not discuss the fires further. DR..
Boise, the young woman resident physician
Of the hospital, admitted that Miss Anna
Rollins, the nurse who sayss he was gagged
with a towel by the mysterious hreoug,
was confined to bed in the hospital because
OF extreme nervousness.
aWe shan't tell tales out Of school, was
the reply OF the nurses who live IN the nat
Of many fires when asked for particulars.
The frat Of the three fires was discovered
by the nurses at half past 10 o'clock on
Thursday night, shortly after they returne1
to the fiat from a lecture at the nospltai
across the street. A strong smell OF smoke
permeated the fiat and upon INVESTIGATION
the excited nurses found that a ffre had
been started in a storeroom at the rear
anon a pile OF curtains. Inc nurses
put out this fire without summoning the
department and after their nerves mad
uuleted they went to bed.
Shortly after half past Q O'clock yeeter-
day morning, or eight hours after the hrst
scare, Miss Rollins; who had been among
the discoverers OF the previous fire, while
walking through the corridor, oil, the nat
discovered that q mattress had caught
fire in the room OF Miss Whalen lille MISS
Whalen was taking a bath. Miss Rollins
had gone TO the bathroom a few minutes
before and had talked to Miss Whalen
there. The nurses tumbled out OF. bed
in short order and soon had this slight ola .
washed out also.
Again the nurses Strengthened out the
kinks in their nerves and later all went
over to the hospital for duty leaving MISS
Rollins alone in the fiat. shortly after
IL O'Clock in the forenoon Mrs. b. ID, 6ueTr'
who lives in an apartment Just under the
nurses, went up to the roof to overlook
the stringing of The family wash. Mrs.
I Guerr had been on the roof only a rev
minutes when neighbors called TO her
from upper windows OF the house at Y
that there was a fire in a Nat below where
Mrs. Guerr was standing.
A glance over the roof edge showed Mrs.
Guerr a great deal Of smoke coming from
the nurses apartment: She immediateiys
ran down from the roof, found the door OF
the fat unlocked and entered. The hrst
door she opened showed a room in perfect
|, order but when she pushed open a second
bedroom door sui coating smoke poured
out uponiher and through il she could see
that a blazing mattress was the cause OF
the trouble.
Mrs. Guerr ran from the room TO find a
nail or pitcher, and during her hurried
hunt she discovered a second mattress
abLaze in another bedroom. Janitor Malm
heard OF the excitement about this time
and arrived in the fiat while Mrs. Guerr
was putting out the fres in the two mat
tresses by means Of her individual pitcher
brigade. During her hurried trips through
the smoke to fill and refill the pitcher Mrs,
Guerr q v she jumped across an object
living in the hall several times and supposed
Il in her hurry to he a bundle Of clothes.
Just about the time that the ianitor ar,
rived on the scene Mrs. Guerr discovered
that the supposed bundle was Miss Rollins,
who appeared to be unconscious. over
the face of the PROSTATE nurse a towel was
living. Mrs. Guerr says the towel was not
tied. but was merely folded once around
Miss Rollins's head, and the two ends were
brought around under the nurses face
and held in place by the girls depressed
ohin.
aDon't let him kill mel cried Miss Rol-
Inns when Mrs. Guerr had removed the
towel. While the janitor hurried to notify
the nurses in the hospital across the street
and to send for the police of the West tooth
street station house Mrs. Guerr and some
Of the neighbors carried Miss Rollins into
the fat OF Mrs. LaBelle across the hall
way.
There Miss Rollins told a hysterical
story of a tall man in dark cloths coming
up behind her Ia. the fiat and throwing
the towel over her fac and gagging her
Then she became unconscious, sh said.
Mrs. LaBelle, who had entered the fiat
to assist the pitcher brigade just about
the time Miss Rollins was discovered on
the floor, says that a man came out OF one
Of the nurses rooms during the excitement
and ran out OF the fiat. Mrs. ABEL il
the only one who agrees with Miss Rollins
about tn man. Mrs. GuerT said quite
positively that there was no man there
except Malm, the ~janitor.
Miss Rollins was In SO bad a state after
the third Are hat she had to he taken to
the hospital. She is just convalescent
from a three months illness following a
severe attack of typhoid. Capt Carson
of the West tooth street police station and
three of his detectives, Herman, Conlor
and Moran, were busy investigating the
matter last night. They will be present al
the vestigation at Fire Headquarters
to-da