The gold leaf., 1911-02-23
FAMILY OF SEVEN
KILLED BY GAS
Father, Mother and Five Chill
dren Found Dead.


Deadly Fumes From Tube Detached
From Gas Stove Filled the House
and overcame Family In Their
Sleep.
Seven persons, including the father,
mother. three sons and two daughters
] we're asphyxiated by gas in thei,
4 home at Pearl place, IN the rear OF
/ 2f8 Christian street, Philadelphia
The dead are: Lyman Berkowitz
forty-tWo years old, fruit huckster:
Mrs. Rose Be. kowitz forty years old:
Minnie, eighteen Michael twelve;
Israel, nine; Reoecca, seven, and Paul,
five years oil
The family was killed by the acci-
dental loosening Of a rubber gas tube
from gas pipe running across the
main living room, and the flooding IF
the house with the illuminating gas.
Not one of the family was able TO get
out of bed bafoi g being overcome by
the fumes, although the three young
est children showed evidences OF hav-
ing tried in feeble manner to escape
the oVerpoWCring gas.
A particularly sad feature of the
deaths was that of the Oldest child.
the daughte' Minnie. She was to hare
been married. within two or th.eze,
days to LOUIS WC.nalein, a merc{1flt.
The girls jTouSaeau was all fisassheI
and was found hanging on the, Sec
ond floor, covered with cloth to pEQI
tect it from dust.
The RerhCEiIz family rstired early,
The father did nc, return IL 1TE.e until
after one O'Clock. IN the. rlairs living
room down stairs is g, gas stove in
one corner under a window. From it
there is a pipe which extends across
the center O.! the ROOM From this
pipe rubber gas tuDe had been at
tached which Han to the stove in the
cerner
BerkowitZ, the evidence showed, in
crossing the room On his return home,
accidentally kicked the gas tube and
detached it fTQm the pipe and there
upon allowed che gas to escape with
full force
lie Wehe Upstairs to bed and lett
the door tG his room, where he sleatt
with his three sons, and the alcoBee
where his wife and her two daugh aers5
slept, wide open. In a short time the,
gas, which escaped with full force, out
of the pipe, had filled the house
To all appearances no one made any
attempt TO ge1 up when the escaping
gas reached them. The smaller chill
dren showed evidences Of q struggle,
g ri iol T,rT+ ,Nf
successful il. getting away from the
fumes. The youngest child, Paul. was
nalf out of bed, but was the only one
to have made any move apparently.
Their bodies were net found until
]. Marvin, a constable and collector,
went to the home 70 collect the rent
for the mont He pounded at the door
and later hammered on it, but there
vas no response,
He then went next door to the
home of Samuel Smith Smith told
Marvin that he had not seen The Ber-
sowitz family, and, fearing that some
thing had ha2pened, ave Marvin
key to the Derkcwitz home Mrs.
Smith accompanied avn to the,
house, as did Rose Hitler, who lived!
one door away.
Upon opening the door the invsstt:
gators We're almost knocked ov<s,~ By
the rush CT esee ping gas. TIE s7assiett
was found tUrleI wide oye~.. after.
it had been turned OF 40 T 4orlsp b rs
tened upstairs and there fottn.n the
seven people unconscious and ar,ar-
entl- dead
DR.. Levitt, a cousin @! the BQxko-
witz family, was called Upon "a close
examination he pronounced tie entire
seven Ge23