Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-03-11


of whose children were killed.
Tries to Save Her Children.
AS soon as the alarm was given.
Mrs. Kelly ran from her home nearby
to the burning building. The front
portion was mass of flames and
frenzied by the screams of fighting
and dying children. which reached
them from the death trap at the foot
of the first flight of stairs. and be.
hind that closed door, Mrs. Kelly ran
to the rear, hoping to effect an en-
trance and save her children.
Saved Some Through Window.
She was Joined by a man whose
name is not known, and the two
tugged and pulled frantically at the
door. They were unable TO move it
in the slightest and there was nothing
at hand by which they could hope to
break it down. In utter despair of
saving any of the children, they
turned their attention TO the windows,
and by smashing some of these man
aged to save few pupils
Might Have Rescued Many.
"They could have saved many
MORE said Mr.. Kelly last night. "if
the door had not been locked. No
body knows how many children might
have made their way out before my
wife had reached there, if the door
had not been locked. If half dozen
men I'D been there when my wife
with her companion arrived at the
schoolhousa perhaps they might have
broken the door down, but the two
could do nothing, and the flames
spread so rapidly that it was all over
in a few minutes"
Parents Fight in Frantic Grief.
Collinwood contains about 5000 peo-
pie and within half an hour after the
outbreak of tire fire nearly every one
of them had gathered around the
blazing ruins, hundreds of parents
fighting frantically with policemen
and fremen who were trying to save
the lives of the children and doing
their best to extinguish the fire.
Unable to Restrain Mob.
The police were utterly unable to
keep away the crowd that pressed
upon them, and the situation soon be-
came so serious that number of the
more coolheaded men In the throng
took 1t upon themselves to aid in
fighting back the crowd while others
worked to help the firemen and police.
Tragedy Of the Front Door.
Among these latter was Wallace Up
ton, who reached the building shortly
after the front door had caved in and
disclosed to the horror-stricken crowd
the awful scenes that had been en-
acted there Just in front of Upton's
eyes was his own 10-year-old daughter,
helpless in the crush, badly burned
and trampled upon, but still alive.
Fathers Fight for Child.
The fire was close upon her and if
she could not be saved at once she
could not be saved at all Upton
sprang to save her, and with all his
strength sought to tear her from the
weight PRESSING her down, and from
the flames creeping close. Although
he worked with the desperation of de-
srair, his strength was unequal to the
task. He fought on until his clothing
was partly burned from him and the
skin Of his face and hands was
scorched black. Other men attempted
to induce him to move but he refused
until he saw that his girl was dead
and that he could not save her life
by sacrificing his own. He then with
drew from the schoolhouse, and al
though so seriously injured that he
may die. fingered about the place sew
eral hours. refusing to go to the hos
lital or TO sect medical attendance.
A Cellar of corpses.
The flames spread with such terrific
rapiiity that within 80 minutes from
the time tie fire vas discovered the
schoolhouse was nothing but blackened
wallis surrounding a cellar filed with
corpses and o'iIls
Fight to Save a Few More.
The .iremen dashed into the blazing
wreckage, and with rakes, forks,
shovels and bare heads, worked fran
tically with the hope OF saving a few
more lives.
They were unsuccessful for none
was taken alive from the ruins after
the floors collapsed. Fragments OF
incinerated limbs, skulls and bones
were found almost at every turn, and
these were piled together in heap at
one side of the building.
Will Never Be identified.
A great majority of the little bodies
taken from the ruins were burned be-
yond all possible recognition. And it
is no small part OF the sorrow bearing
down the people of North Collinwood
that positive Identification of many of
the children will never be made
Leaped from Attic to Death.
Besides the children killed inside
the building, three girls, Mary Ridge.
way, Anna Roth and Gertrude Davis,
were instantly killed by Ieaping from
the attic to the ground.
Carried Little Ones in Arms.
Miss Laura Bodey, the only teacher
on the third floor, formed her pupils
in line and marched them to the sec.
ond floor. where, finding the flames