The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-07
HALF OF REAR
DOOR WAS LOCKED
TESTIMONY GIVEN BY TEACHERS
AT coLLINWooD SCHOOL.
FRIDAY A DAY OF FUNERALS
Teachers Tell Of the Heroism Display.
ed by the Youngest Children
During the Time Of
Greatest Danger.

Cleveland. March 7.-Stories of
heroism on the part of young women
were told to Coroner Burke Friday
when he examined the teachers of the
ill-fated Collinwood school. They told
little of their own exploits. but gave
credit to their fellow instructors.
One of the most touching develop
ments was the story they told Of how
the brave children of Miss Eta Roses
room, none more than years old,
marched past the burning front stair.
way, keeping step, and filed into the
yard. because their teacher had told
them they would be safe. She stood
at the cellar entrance. already ablaze,
until they all were gone.
The inquest developed beyond posi-
bility of question that half the rear
door was locked, and two teachers
told of their unavailing efforts to open
II. II also showed that after the first
crush at the door, It was beyond
human possibility to save those who
were roasting to death.
The body of Catherine Weller. the
teacher who lost her life in the fire, Is
supposed to be lost. The body iden-
tfied as that of Miss Weller was dis
covered later to be that of man. a
Greiner. who probably is the hero of
the disaster. He is supposed to be
John Krainyak who has been missing
since the fire.
After finishing a house-to-houso
canvass of the Lake View school dis.
trict, Supt. Whitney, of Collinwood
schools, places the number of dead at
173-171 children and the two teach
ers. Misses Weller and Fiske.
This is six more than the count
made by the coroner Already l67
bodies have been taken out of the
ruins
Hundreds of Collinwood citizens
stood with barred heads. bow
ed with grief over the graves of chill
dren being lowered into the ground
Friday-the victims of the terrible
school disaster.
The village seemed to be one vast
procession of hearses and carriages.
White hearse after white hearse pass
ed down the various village streets
Friday morning and afternoon. From
8 o'clock in the morning until dusk
there was no cessation in the process
sion.
The saddest funeral was that OF the
three Hirter children, the two daugh-
ters and son of the ianitor. The ser
vices for these three victims were
held simultaneously with those for
Lilly Rostick. Robert Wickert and
Henry KuIat.
Mutterings against the ianitor could
be heard about the village all morn.
ing. Grief.craZed parents, eager to
wreak vengeance upon anyone who
could be held i'm any way responsible
for the deaths of their little ones, were
eager to pick up the slightest rumor
of carelessness. II did not take long
for these rumors to spread to ominous
threats against the ianitor.
All night and all morning police
guarded the Hirter home against pos.
sible attacks. Angry parents who
came to inquire what was his respon.
sibilty in the fire were turned away.
While the funeral preparations were
being made in the home, the crowd
collected about the house. The people
had heard that the funeral would take
place at | o'clock. Long before
this time there was crowd OF 500
persons about the house
The police became alarmed and six
extra patrolmen We're sent to the
house to be prepared for emergencies.
When the first white casket appear
ed in the doorway however, a silence
fell upon the crowd. When this
casket was followed by two more just
like Il, hats went off and tears came
TO the eyes of many