The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-09-27
ROCK H|lL NAN IsPHINlTEDi
A. Il. ALLEN DEAD AND BROTHER
CHARLES ALLEN, IN A CRITT.
CAL CONDITION.
One of Brothers Appears to Have
Turned on Gas, Intending to Turn
on Light.


Charleston, Sept. 22.-Two broth
ers, A. L. Allen and Charles sAIlen,
came to Charleston from Rock ,EIill
on pleasure trip Wednesday,, and
yesterday incoming the formeEs was
found dead III bed from asphyx4aAion
at the rooming house Of Mr.. CO r.
Klenke. Bay and Columbus streets,
while Charles Allen was lying on the
floor unconscious. and is still An
critical condition at Roper Hospital.
One of the other Of the two broth
ers accidentally turned on the gas
while turning out the elctric 3ight
when they retired about 1880 o'clock
Wednesday evening, and the escaping
gas h..ed the room during the morn
ing hours to such an extent as to
asphyxiate one brother and almost the
other.
"The young men engaged e room
with me about O'clock Wednesday
evening" said Mr.. Klenke to report
er for The News and Courier, And I
went with them to the room and turn
cd on the elsctric light myslf. The
fixture Is a combination burnet hav-
Ing an upright gas Jet and d 4Spend-
sft electric Light. Soon after 4hAt
tho two brothers went out sn6 res
turned about 11.30 O'Clock, Tlf&y had
left the electric light burning Ind Il
was burning when they entered the
room. 1t is evident that the last one
ready for bed attempted TO tuxn on
the electric light, but first turaSd on
the gas screw. OF course, that didn't
turn out the light and he must have
then tried the, screw on the &lecttic
light. When he turned that th6. .iiyht
went out but he evidently went td bed
without turning of the gas whiQh he
had innocently turned on.' . Z,
Continuing the story Mr.. Kisnke
said. THE first suspicion Z hadx x4bat
anything was wrong was this prls.
ipg about $50 when went utef fairs
ia awaken man; In another a III tpn
the same floor. smeiled III &itht
away and began to look for thtD BON
In which the Allen brother1 ktts
aleeping. tried the door. but}S1 ykss
locked, and,I ran out and "a s. d,
lltcsnian Fred Slender. We wenR Rl6aeh
ana as we still couldn't eet & Nj
[stshdsr susrsstad that We ~ ~ ar
the DOOR. but ] ran and f6 ~ . Us ss
ia stt lllI the 10 ~ i1nl
somehow on the other. the key '1lShe
inside fell out and 7 was able to = ssily
unlock the door.
when we opened the door tho rush
Of gas was SO strong 1t almost over
powered both Mr.. Slender ana iiyself
but as we could see the form OF one
Of the men lying on the floor We rush
ed in and dragged him out. Thsoothet
brother. A. L. Allen. was dead 81 bed
guess that his brother tried q reach
the door. but fell on the fiooryqovef.
come with gas.
Then We called the ambulancS. and
that Is about all know Of the sad
occurrence, which regret very
much" tl t &.
Soon after found. the body OF the
dead man was taken to j. Henry
stuhr's Undertaking estabiishment by
the police. where 1t was prepared for
burial. and communication was eetab-
lished with his relatives in Rock Fiji
who later advised Mr.. Stuhr by wire
to ship the body there at once by
express.
The body was accordingly shipped
TO Rock Hill on the SIS Southern
Railway train yesterday afternoon.
Whether any member of his family
Will come to Charleston to look after
Charles Allen. who is still In the
Roper Hospital. is not known. On ac-
count Of his unconscious condition
yesterday he could give no account
Of the affair.
Coroner Mansfield held an inquest at
8 o'clock last night the verdict being
accidental deash.
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