Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-07-20
EIGHT LOSE
LIVES in FIRE
MRS. MARY C. R0ESCH AND SEVEN
CHILDREN BURNED TO DEATH
FRIDAY NIGHT
JOHN R0ESCH Is ONLY WITNESS
MYSTERIES of Horrible Calamity Re-
main UnsOlyed.


Friday night near Copeland when Mrs
Mary 6. Roesch and her seven children
cIose to the county road where it
branches off to Copeland.
The names and ages of the Roesch
children follow: Clara NJ. and Marie
r twins, age ID years; George, age
wears; Henry, age years; Esther
age 4 years; Ellen, age 2 years; Bust
or age II months. Mrs. Roesch is the
eldest daughter of Mr., and Mrs. George
Olden of this city.
John G. Roesch, the head of the fam
jly. was the only one to escape from
the burning building and was the only
witness of the calamity.
AS soon as word reached this city
of the fire and the loss of life, Coroner
Simonds, County Attorney Wilson,
Sheriff Dunning. DIR. Fry, Undertaken
stookey and his assistant, H. S. Sven
son. left to investigate. Upon the ar
rival of the party at the Roesch home
coroner's inquest was conducted the
following serving on the coroner's
Jury John F. Cook, Theron Edwards,
G. B. Chaplin, ]. I. Jones, w. B. Stock
ton and H. S. Swenson.
Roesch told the coroner's jury the
details concerning the fire.
He and his family were sleeping in
the attic of the house. The house con-
sisted of two rooms and a kitchen on
the ground floor and the attic, reached
from the first floor by a stairway and
trap door in the ceiling. He was
awakened shortly before midnight
s11 Tho
attic was full of smoke and the flames
we're to be seen shooting from below
in one corner. He rushed to the trap
door and the flames shot through it,
but he managed to get out, burning his
hands and singeing his hair in doing
So He then tried to put out the fire
with a couple of buckets of water and
tried to find ladder so that he could
get into the attic from the outside
opening in one end of the building,
covered only with a mosquito netting
and about eight feet from the ground
In the meantime the entire building
became mass of flames. He told that
the outside of the building was
sheathed with tar paper He said he
heard no screams or sounds OF any
kind from his wife or children after
Mrs. Roesch first called out and woke
him up. While the fire was still rag
ing he went to the H. O. Bradley home
about a half mile distant, to get help.
Bradley and Roesch were back at the
fire about / o'clock and at this time
the walls of the building had fallen IN.
Neighbors sent word of the terrible
burning to the Olden family in this
city.
After the fire Roesch went to his
homestead in the Round Prairie dis
trict to get clothing. He had been
sleeping, he said, in his shirt and
overalls and his shoes and hat were
burned
Under the direction of County At
torney Wilson the coroner's jury IN
vestigated all circumstances OF the
tragedy. In the ashes of the burned
building were found the charred skulls
and some of the bones of those who
had been burned. The skulls OF the
smaller children were so badly charred
that they fell to pieces when touched
The skulls of the two older girls and
Mrs. Roesch were brought to the city
to be used in further investigations,
the coroner's jury having found IN
their deliberations that the circum-
stances surrounding the fire and death
OF eight members of the Roesch family
warranted the holding of John Roesch
pending final Investigations.
Roesch is employed as a section man
on the K V. railway. He and his lam
lily had been living in the house near
the branch road to Copeland for sew
eral months. He was in town Friday
70 cash his pay check from the Great
Northern Railway company.
When seen at the county jail sunday
by the Herald representative Roescn
displayed great agitation in talking Oh
tne terrible affair and broke down ire
quently. The evening he was brought
10 the jail he tainted away lie salu
That he could not understand how any
of his friends and neighbors could hold
any suspicion against him. He men
uoned the insurance carried Dy ms
Vile and children and said that ne ala
not know how much it amounted 10
out that it could not be over couple
OF hundred dollars and this amount
would not more than pay half his deDts
and that now he has nothing lett put
his homestead.
Roesch stated that he was AZ years
old That he was married to Mary "
Olden II years ago in Cincinnati. ONO,
ana that with his family he had hveo
IN the Copeland district eight years.
Roesch tells a straight story ana
makes no attempt to withhold any ae-
tails Of the tragedy. He said Sunday
mat he could not understand why ms
"lIe and children had not tried TO get
out of the building while he was try
ing to put out the flames He said
mat he is afflicted with hernia and
that he hurt his side badly when he
Jumped from the attic to the floor be-
low He told that the children had
orten jumped from the attic window
70 70 the ground outside in their play
~ ne told Of the finding of a child's bare
LOOT tracks in the dust near the house