The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-01-03
FATAL CHICAGO
ASYLUM FIRE
Panic Stricken inmates Of FIimsy
Death House Seize Axes and
Battle Guards.
OTHERS RUSH INTO BLAZE
Several Patients Die Trying to Save
Holiday Gifts-Near Cured Cases
Among victims-Man Hunt Start
ed as Victims Relatives Riot.

Chicago-In a scene of horror and
confusion beyond the power of de-
description to portray, IT of 600 mad
men trapped in darkened cinderbox
firetrap in the Illinois State Hospital
for the Insane. at Dunning. a suburb,
were burned to death.
The survivors. transformed from
comparatively harmless patients into
raving maniacs, fought in a frenzy
of terror and hysteria with guards
and nurses Some dashed back into
the flaming building to save their few
possessions Their bodies are being
sought in the ashes of the Death
House" a name the patients had con-
ferred on the fiimsy building.
Others, running wildly around the
grounds in fear, seized axes and tore
down sections of fence, escaping and
scattering throughout the northwest
side.
An investigation into the fire and
into the housing of insane patients
in the structure, known years ago
as a fretrap when it belonged to
Cook County, was started at once.
Judge C. H. Jenkins, director of the
State Department of Public Welfare,
came from Springfield to Chicago to
conduct the inquiry.
The section destroyed derived its
name of the Death House" because
it was used to house paretics and
other incurables. An ancient struc-
true of wood, 1t went up in flames like
a cardboard house. Between 500 and
600 PATIENTS are housed there.
The building is 200 feet wide by
500 feet long. Three attendants in
each section, or IS in all. care for the
500 patients.
When they learned that it was
real fire and not drill, however,
many became panic-stricken. In that
hour of peril the twisted minds of
the patients turned to insignificant
trifes. and many of them fought with
guards and plunged back into the
blazing building to get little trinkets
they wished to save.
A heavy rain made the grounds a
morass and the fire trucks sunk to
their hubs Bed ticking, blankets and
clothing were laid under the wheels.
The fire had gained such Roadway
that within an hour the old building
had burned to the ground.
The fremen and police of Elmwood
Park and numerous parole patients
on the grounds joined with attendants
in calming the $500 insane patients
and in keeping sparks from igniting
nearby frame buildings.
The patents led from the blazing
building were marched in double file
to the amusement building, which had
been decorated for holiday enter
tainment.
The more violent patients, includ-
ing the runaways, broke from ranks,
however, seized axes and chopped
their way out OF the grounds. The
guards, hopelessly outnumbered, were
powerless to stop them before police
arrived.
AS the men were being ushered
out of the death House" attendants
saw three men break away and run
back into the flaming building. There
they locked themselves in a lavatory
on the second floor The structure is
one-story high on the east end and
two stories on the west end.
Unable to abandon their charges
to save the demented patients, guards
continued with the more docile ones
to the amusement hall, and notified
the fiyver squad.
Sergeants Mahon, Johnston and
Barry dashed into the building.
seized axes from the wall and
crashed down the lavatory door.
Fighting and struggling, the three in
sane men were carried to a window.
Firemen extended a ladder, and the
detectives carrie the fighting men
down to safety. BY that time the
stairway was enveloped in flames.
Returning, the men carried six bed
ridden patients from another section.
LAssEN PEAK IN ERUPTION