AN AMERICAN POOR-HOUSE HORROR.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 50, 1 July 1878, Page 2

AN AMERICAN POOR-HOUSE HORROR.

Uath (X.Y.) April I.— Tho building of Iho Htouben Country Poor-house, btimod on Saturday night wns of brick, 80 by 4') foot, and two storios high. Nearly nil tho windows we»o Rratod. nnd thoro was. but ono modo of ogress from oaoh story. No nigSt watchman wns employed nbout tho buildings, nnd thoro was no firo apparatus Tho County Housa is two miles from Until, nnd the firo department did not go out. An insnno epileptic from Hornollsvillo, nnmod Ford, who wns locked in n 001 l o?> tho first floor, sot firo f to his bod with a mutely probably obtninod from n foltow pauper. All tho partitions woro of pitch pine, a»d burned liko tindor. Tho« crios of Ford nrousod tho othor inraotos only nf tor tho building wns fit loci with a blinding Rmoko. Tho inmnto who had Ford in ohnrfjo opoticd Ford's door, and tho ffutnea burst out and ma nlontf tho partition nnd up tho stoT©pipo hole into tho second story. Ford oould not bo scon on account of tho flamon.. Ifo had forcod hia hoad botweon tho bars of tho window, nnd, unnblo to pull it bnck wns crying for hoi p. Tho flumes poured out of tho window around his head, nnd ho porkUwnU Tho uppor story was ocoupiod by twontv»fivo women nnd ohildron^ n»d tho lower storey by oi«htocn mon. Tlw majority' wero idiotic oripplos of ovorjf »r«. Fivo on tho first floor nnd ton otv tho second woro burnod. At tho first alarm, Eli Oarrington, a koopor, rushod out of tho mnia buildings with nu employe nnd knocked in tho door at tho foot of tho stains loading from tho second &toroy. High,t o» ton women woro piled up nt tho foot oC the stains nnd a cloud or suffooati»g smoke- rollod down. TUo wonion woro pullod ou* ftnd Cnrrington started up the stairs, but was driven back by tho smoko. In ftvo minutes from, tho timo of tho alarm, tho puupors. ceased coming out, and in half nn hour tho roof foil in. Tho first floor door, loading from tho men's dopnrtment, wuh novor looked, nnd no ono in tho building was lookod in a cell except Ford. Fivo bodies woro taken from tho ruins, and to-day about two thirds of the dobru vv.W. dujj, ovor,, ftud wotq remftius fouud,, '

Altogether, they would nliou* fill nn ordinary-sized « >ffln. fields, logs, and arms were entirely burned off, and in Most (.-uses U'i' ,i vory mti ill por'ion of 'he body coul Ibo found. N > blame attaches to any ono. but the country is severely eonsured for providing such n man trap for its paupers, JMoro tho firo there woro 140 paupers iv the -County Houso.