El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-07
IS PRISONERS
DIE FROM BURNS
10 Others Suffer Silently in
Hospital Wards; Grand
Jury to Probe.
CONTINUED from page -

Continued from page II
kerosene and burning flesh. -Four or
five women serving vagrancv finee
were released and taken TO the front
part of the station, where they We're
held until the jail was cleared OF
smoke.
Front Door Locked.
Though the watts were located at tho
south enc of the cell house. before tbe
door through which the prisoners arc
taken te the cells from the sergeant's
1esk, forty feet from the point where
Cross struck the match, the entire in
terror Of the cell house was so badly
burned that the paint was blistered
OF all the cells.
All the prisoners. to escape from the
jail, ha0 to pass forward towards the
gasoline flames and through the flames
10 get out. The door leading from the
cell room TO the police station proper
tthe old office OF the iailer) is kent
locked since the completion Of the new
~celihouse and the establishment of a
new office for the jailer in the rear of
ooth cell houses. This blocked the way
OF the prisoners through the exlt lead
ing to the street.
Fire Everywhere Instantly.
However, very few ATTEMPTED To get !
out or were able TO make their escape !
from their cells. The fire was all over
the place in an instantaneous flash.
ana the only hope OF the men was to
seek such shelter as they could procure ,
IN thelr cells. Some buried their faces
INTO their blankets, but even these soon \
TOOK fire and the flames had soon made \
me floors Of the cells. particularly 7
taose OF the upper tiers, so hot that il
vas impossible to stand upon them
even IN shoes. and all the prisoners
Tongues Stick Out.
me suffering was terrible. When
chieI John W. Wray and the firemen
groped their way into the cells. after
IIIst removing the burning tubs of gas
oilne, they found many of the victims
with their tongues sticking out. IN an
my experience" said the chief later.
When you find a man in a fire with
us tongue sticking out, I have never
seen 'one who had not inhaled the
IAN 5s ana VINO did not die, and I sup
nave seen zoe or 300 such cases"
Etremen Fight Bravely.
Inc hremen' on reaching the Jail,
pIuh6ed INTO the flames without count
ne the COST TO self and Immediately set
- ~ork 70 remove the blazing tubs
ragged and lifted the blazing fluid
mo the alley in the rear Of the Jail.
where, with hose, they washed tbe
tanning ItquidI down the streets. Then
nemieaIs were used to fight the gaso- I
that had spilled on the floor and !
Q put out the bedding in the cells Z
leahtlme, flremen were carrying out {
ne wounded n dying men. piline Z
hem up in the little emergency hos :
Ilal IN the rear Of the jail, where. '
roaming and writing. they received
irst aid treatment and were then sent n
urther care. lux 2
OdOr STILES Rescuerr. h
me door of burning human flesh h
ilieo the air and almost stifIed +be n
remen at work inside the iail No. a
lrs ana police suffered from a similar I
suheatlng effect of the mingled smell
| sasoIlne Vapor and burning rags s
~ human flesh. Even last night. the C
~ and the corporation corFt roor7 2
o were impregnated st-onei T-ftb n
nauseOus Odorl :,
Hurried to Hospitals, r
Every hospital in the citv was called Z,
send ambulances for the burned men
me a iong line OF private cars and
,AiSaos lined Overland street in front m
the station. all donating their ser p
.ces toward tn removal of the suf- ci
.rers. The first IS men to be taken Il
II were pushed to the county hospital.
me 10 were sent to Hotel Dieu. iThe b.
'naihlng three, J. Provencio. Ocafio III
10 and w. b. Costley. were sent 10 81
evidence. the two first named diving III
itnln an hour after reaching the hos "
Army Gives Aid. 81
Lieut.. 6. n. Campanole, provost mar bJ
al communicated with the Fl. Bliss J
Inorlties Immediately after the fire. iii
d obtained a large quantity Of bed 81
ng' medical supplies and eight gal lii
Is OF oIlve oil. which were applied to tn
Aid vas also obtained from the Sixth an
q sixteenth infantry camps by Lieut.. tn
hipanole, n cots were provided for ma
Z sufferers at Hotel Dieu and the sa
my hospital, where the majority OF
unfortunate men were carried.
A Girl Heroine. cri
@afma Alonzo, an IS wear old MeYi- au
girl. was the heroine Of the IRE this We
woman being Of Invaluable aid on
me physicians in applying or to the me
.Ds or the wounded. Miss Alonzo was he
ne court room when she heard the wa
,Iosi0h' ana going downstairs, went me
the hospital, where she assisted nm his
every one of the sufferers had been Nc
loved There was hardly a SQUARE
I Of the small hospital where the =
lurea prisoners were not laid, and -
fortunately Is were taken upstairs II
, me detective department, where
we're attended before being sent to
hospitals in automobiles that hur-
10 the scene from all parts Of the
Prisoners Cautioned.
| the inquest conducted BY coroner
Mohday afternoon, two TRUSTEES
tne jan, r. II. Bagley and Harry
RS; both swope that the prisoners
al been repeatedly warned not TO
Ae matches IN the Jail. Dr.. G. 3
ian, who was directing the work OF
ing the men at the time of the ac-
nj, made the same assertion
H. Bagley said: Hi
was IN charge OF the TRUSTEES of
CITY jail and was in cells on the east
supervising the dressing of tbs
ana seeing that none of them
OK matches. I had assisted a negro
ey Johnson, in fixing up me baths
" instructions from DR.. Calnsn w :
TWO tubs, one for the bath and one
washing their clothes. In the batb-
we put a bucket Of >gasoline- ono
.et OF coal oil and a bucket of vim
and IN the tub for the clothes we
a bucket of gasoline and a bucket
isinfectiug solution.
Prisoners All Naked.
e brought the prisoners ONT and
them d1srobc outside Of the collie 4
gave them a bath. Then their
es were dipped IN the tub prapared =
that purpose. The clothes were u
u out and were taken back m e. 4
up Where they dried in a fc..
ties The prisoners would then ~ HI
TO their cells to put on tbe;. fW
es. There was no gasoline at H. lii I
END Of the cells and was bacL y
myself with the prisoners M Ill ,
them to dress. This r,,rP Ill !