New-York tribune., 1912-03-01
Police Break Window and Crawl
Into JanitCr'S Apartment, but
Are Driven Back by
the Fumes.
HAD FOUGHT FOR HIS LIFE
Although in Poor Circumstances
and Having Moved In Only
Three Days Ago, Theory
of Suicide Is Not Con
sidered by Neighbors.

\ family nj five persons father. moth
cr and three children-vas wiped out
by a gas leak in the ground floor apart =
ment of No. Az West 54th street last
night John Barrett. the head Of the
family which met death by asphyXiation,
vas In" ianitor of the building Al
though hc and his family were in strait
ened tinarcial circumstances there was
rothiHg in the room to suggest that the
destruction Of the FIVE persons was any
thing except an accident.
The Barretts retired early last night.
and not long afterward n tenant in pass
ing through the hall detected n strong
odor Of gas. He followed it to the door
Of Rarrct;'s apartment ard here the
Odor was so strong that he was confident
the leak must be behind the locked door.
Running into the street. he found
Patroman Fitzgibbons. who summoned
Patrolrcn Delaney and Fitzgerald Ia
assist him. The three men hurried 10
the house and decided that the best way
10 gain access to the apartment would
lie through the window on the ground
floor. Rlcaking the glass all three
crawleG in. hut they found the front
room SO fGll of gas that il was necessary
for thcm to hurry back to tho street.
Wait for Gas to Escape.
The then broke the other window
and aftcr waiting few moments until
the atmcsphere in.idc was little less
dangerous, they again went in. They
found two beds in the room. Upon one
Of them lay the three chldren-Nellic,
seven wears old: Winifred. four years
old. AID Margaret, baby Of four
months
The body Of Mrs. Barrett lay on the
other bed The father of the family had
evidently died while fighting for life.
He was huddled in a heap on the floor
with his arms stretched toward the win
dow Evidently he had been awakened
before the gas had rendered him un-
conscious and had tried to throw open
window.
There were two gas Jets in the room,
one of which was turned on. There was
q rubber tube leading 10 gas stove,
but it was not connected with either OF
the jets. on the jet from which the gas
was flowing were two cocks, one Of which
was evidently used 10 turn the gas into
the stove. The police believe that some
one Of the family. in trying to turn out
the light, turned the wrong cock, which
soon flooded the room with gas.
Fitzgibbons compiled with the for
rnaity of sending in an ambulance call,
and DR.. Rochelle. Of the New York Hos
pital, responded. He said that all five
had been dead for several hours.
Moved in Three Days Ago.
The Barrett family moved into the
apartment only three days ago. Bar
retts appointment as janitor was q
stroke Of fortune for him, as he had beer
hard put TO it to meet his rent in the
building across the way, at No. 433. He
worked spasmodically as a laborer for
the Consolidated Gas Company, where
he received 81 so a day.
None Of the people in the neighbor-
hood advanced any theory of suicide
for In addition to the fact that the fam
lily was III better circumstances than II
had been for some time. Mrs. Barrett
was known to all the people on the block
as woman who had remained extraOr-
dinarily cheerful in the face Of mis-
fortune. Laughing Winnie" was the
name by which the neighbors knew her
nd they we're a unit in saying last night
that she was the last person in the world
who would have entertained any thought
% suicide
She had been married to Barrett for
two years. Before her marriage to him
| she was tho wife of A Mr. Sullivan. The
| eldest children were by her first hus-
band. but they had taken the name oi
R2 rrctt.