Barton County democrat., 1914-03-20
LOSES LIFE IN FIRE.
Daley Livery Barn Burns, caGsins
Loss Of Life and Much Property.

| n SOuug mdn Dy ln6 name q hoy
Schears was burned to death, twenty
one head of horses lost their lives,
and much other property loss was sus
tanned in a fire which destroyed the
Daley livery feed and sale stables
and the old Stauffer property ON the
corner Just east Of the barn. at an
early hour last Friday morning, the
cause of the fire being unknown.
WiA Brown, one f the Daley hack
drivers, had gotten up as usual to
meet No. II, due here at about 4:SO,
leaving Schears, another barn hand =,
asleep in the barn office, and at the
time he left the barn with the hack
there was no evidence Of any fine or
Of any other persons about the prem
ises, with the exception OF Schears.
A few minutes before s O'Clock one
OF the men at Oscar Clink s restau-
rant noticed the barn was in flames
and Immediately turned IN the fire
alarm. Night Marshal Andy Meyers
was the first man to reach the barn,
and ne with the assistance of Albert
Vondra who had seen the blaze from
the depot and believing his own barn
TO be on fire, had run his team up
town, managed to get one of the bus
ses and a couple of buggies out Of
the front Of the barn, but by this
time the entire building was a mass
OF flames, and nothing more could be
saved. The boy, Schears, was asleep
in the office, but by the time the
men reached the barn it would have
been impossible for them to have
saved him, even had they known he
was there, which they did not until
the other barn man came up from
the depot and started a search for
him.
The fire department was on the
scene IN a short time but the flames
had gained such headway by this
time that they confined their efforts
principally to protecting the adjoin-
ing property. Even if they had been
on the scene at the time the fire
was first discovered it is doubtful as
to whether or not they could have
rendered much service toward savine
the property for the water pressure
was so poor that a garden hose in
the hands of the fire boys would have
been just about as effective as was
the fire hose. A breaking of a wat
er main ON south main street was
partially responsible for the poor ser.
vice, but even before this happened
there was not enough pressure fer
the fire boys to throw water into the
second story Of the Stauffer building
The body of young Schears was
found about $50 and was taken to
the Cox undertaking rooms where it
was held until Saturday morning
when it was taken to Kinsley by
relatives for burial. An inquest was
held by Coroner McCauley fer it
was suspiciOned that the young man
might have been murdered and the
barn set ON fire to hide the crime
but the authorities decided that such
was not the case. ScheaB, who was
about 20 years Of age, had drifted
INTO town about two weeks previouelb
and being pennileSs had asked Mr.
Daaley for a place to work for his
board and room and had been given
work in the barn. He had told that
ne had no parents, but that he had
brother living at Belpre or Offer.
lee, and a sister somewhere in Okla
homa. A few days before his death
he had expressed a suit case to r
U. Walmsey, at Grainola, Okla, ant
after repeated wiring over the conn
try in an effort to find some of tht
boy s relatives finally wired to VAIN
sey, and received a reply directint
them to wire Arthur Kinds. at Kins
ley, the father of the boy, and on,
Of the brothers Of the young MAJ
came down Friday evening and tool
the remains home Saturday morning
In the barn at the time were ?
head Of horses, four of which wer
valuable stations. Besides these
number of buggies and carriages
a large number of sets of harness, bt
sides, hay, grain and other article
were destroyed. In addition to tn
one team and bus that was taken OF
| Just before the fire, and the coupl
of rigs that were pulled out after tn
fire was discovered, the entire ou
fit was q total loss.
| The old Stauffer building to Ii
| east Of the harm WAC usad nv N