The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-18
THIRTEEN PERISH IN FIRE
Women and Children Trapped in
Incendiary Blaze.
New York Tenement Horror-Con-
fcderates of Burglars Thought
to Be the FireJugs.

New York Ctty.-Trapped In their
sleeping rooms on the top floor of
the four-story tenement at 2121 Sec
'ond avenue by an incendiary fire that
was started in the lower hallway
thirteen people, nearly all women and
children, were burned to death. Their
charred bodies were found huddled
in the places where they had fallen
after a futile attempt to escape. Those
who responded early to the cry of
fire could hear the screams of the
unfortunates as they fought to get
out of the death trap, but soon their
cries were stilled as the flames did
their work.
When the firemen got to the top
floor they found the bodies Of the
victims lying in heaps about the
rooms, and 80 blackened by the
flames as to be almost unrecogniz-
able.
Cardinale, PasQuale, aged thirty-two.
Cardinale, Nicolino, wife of Pasquale,
aged twenty-eight.
Cardinale, Giovanni. brother of
Pasquale, aged twenty-five.
Cardinale, Donito, uncle of Pasquale,
aged sixty.
Cardinale, Juliette, wife of Donito,
aged fifty-five.
Cardinale, Julia, daughter Of Pas
quale, aged eleven.
Cardinale, Rosa, daughter Of Pas
quale, aged two. ...
Cardinale, Luigi, son of Pasquale,
aged three.
Cardinale, Judito, daughter of Pas
quale, aged five.
Baraca, Catherine, aged twenty
seven, wife of Rocco, who escaped
with sick son.
Baraca, Jennie, daughter of Gather
inc, aged seven.
Baraca, Cosette, daughter of Gather
inc, aged four.
Baraca, Marie, daughter of Gather
inc ,aged fourteen months.
A heart-rending feature of the
tragedy was the finding of the body
of Mrs. Catherine Baraca, and hud-
died up close to her the bodies of
three Of her children-Jennie, aged
, seven; Cosette, aged four, and Marie,
aged fourteen months.
The father, Rocco Baraca. on being
aroused by the rush of smoke, seized
his nine-year-old son, Dominick, who
had long been i'll, and got safely to
the street. AS he ran out he called
to his wife to hurry along with the
other children. The poor woman evil
IDENTIFY became confused by the smoke,
and did not follow, and she and the
three children perished.
When the father saw that his wife
and the other children we're not COM
ing he tried to run back into the
burning building, and struggled with
the police and firemen. They barred
his progress and saved him from GER
tain death in the flames.
A bundle of oil-soaked wood that
the incendiary had carefully placed
at the foot of the shaft was found,
indicating plainly that there had been
a deliberate attempt to burn up two
buildings and destroy the lives Of the
tenants. .r
The only motive for the fiendish
act is one Of revenge. Giuseppe Gu
demo, who keeps a saloon on the
ground floor of 2121 Second avenue.
recently drew $4,000 out of savings
bank, and placed it in safe In the
rear Of the saloon. Three weeks ago
burglars tried to blow open the safe,
but were surprised and arrested by
police of the East 104th street sta
ton.
The attempted robbery Of the safe
in Cudeno's saloon took place on Mo-
vember IA, and the men arrested
were John Quinn and Edward John
son, both of whom were held in
$4,000 bail for trial, , It IS asserted
that Cudeno received threatening let
tiers from friends of the accused men,
but he will not admit it. The police
are confident that friends of the rob-
bers approached Cudeno with a
proposition that he refuse to appear
against them, that he declined to ac-
cede to their wishes, and that in re-
yenge they fired the building.