Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1914-01-23

VII wednesday olHiHS, Just dltti
midnight, the farm home of Emil s.
Ech, in Cato township, was totally
destroyed by fire, and the wife Of Ex-
| County Auditor Emil S. Eich, and
sister OF r. V. Bice, cashier Of the
First National Bank of this city, lost
her life, the charrcd remains having
been found in the ruins.
] Tuesday Mr.. Eich and his daughter,
| Wihelmina, drove into the city, and
! that night remained at the home Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Bce here. The only
persons left at the Eich home were
Mrs. Ech and Robert Epp, a hired
man who has worked for Mr. Eich
for the past three years. Tuesday
evening about nine O'Clock Mr.. Eicll
called his wife up over the long dis
tance phone to learn if everything
was all right and to bid her "good
night" and how little he thought
that this would be the last time he
would hear her voice. She stated to
her husband that everything was all
right at home.
Wednesday morning between and
4 O'Clock Epp telephoned to the Bce
residence, having gone to the Thomas
O 'Rrien farm, two miles away, to get
communications, and told them of the
sad aff;,ir, and that he felt sure that
Mrs. Eich had lost her life in the
flames
Mi. Eich, r. V. Bice, Sheriff Nc
Lean and F. T.. Cuthbert secured an
auto and rushed to the Eich farm
with all possible haste, but as there
was considerable snow and the roads
had they did not reach the scene of
the disaster until nearly 9 O'Clock
that morning. when they found will
ing and ready hands there doing what
they could under the terrible cond-
tions which existed.
A careful examination was MADE
by the officials of the premises, and
later Drs. Mcintosh and Drew We're
called to the scene. Undertaken Gll-
bertson's hearse went to the Ech
farm and brought the remains to this
city. arriving here late Wednesday
evening. The funeral arrangements
have not been made, and probably
will not be held until further inves-
tgiation and examination:
Robert Epp, the only man on the
premises when the fire occurred, has
enc detained pending an investiga-
tion, which will be a thorough one,
as the circumstances and findings up
to this time are such as to demand
such an investigation.
AS near as we can get the complete
story of the affair it is about as
follows: Mrs. Eich slept in a room
off the kitchen down stairs, while tn"
hired man slept upstairs. He claims
that along in the night he was arous'
ed by being suffocated with smoke
and he arose and tried to get down
the stairway, but on opening the
oor at the foot Of the stairs that he
was unable to get into the room. and
he returned up stairs and hurriedly
threw some Of his clothes through the
window, after breaking the glass and
then jumped out of the window to the
ground, and after slipping on his
trousers he rushed to the front door
or main door Of the house, but the
fire had gained such headway that az
was unable to enter and he closed
the door and went to the window
which led to the bedroom where Mrs
Eich was sleeping, and broke th'
glass, but was unable to get in OF
account of the flames, and he shoutei
several times but could get no reply
although he was able to see Mrs. Eicl
on the bed. He then mounted /:
horse and rode to the home Of Edwar,
Kavanaugh, which was less than
mile away, and gave the alarm, an
as there was dance at Kavanaugh'
home that night there was a larg