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Show SMOTHERED TO DEATH. A New York Cisrar-Maker Fires a Tenement Ten-ement House for a Paltry Insurance. In-surance. - - Scene of Terror During: the Escapeof the Inmates From the Bnrniny Building. JL Mother and Her Two Children on the Fifth Story Smothered to Death. Terrible Result ef n Tenement Fire. New Yobk, November 232 a. m. A fire has just broken out at 406 East Sixty-fourth. 6treet. A third alarm has been sounded, and ambulance calls sent out. The building on fire is a five-story tenement house. The loss to property of about 0,000 was the only result of the blaze. New Yobk, November 23. The accidental upsetting of a kerosene lamp in the rooms of Otto Matsbeck, on the third floor of the five-story tenement, 404 East Sixty-fourth street, early this morningwas the signal for - - AGONIZING SCENES OF TERBOB And death.' The house and the one adjoining adjoin-ing are filled with Bohemian cigar makers employed in the neighboring cigar factory. One hundred and fifty people slept soundly when the cry of fire was raised. The flames communicated to the floor above through convenient air shafts. A scene of wild confusion con-fusion and panic ensued. The frightened tenants took to the fire escapes with all haste. They were given shelter by the neighbors neigh-bors while the firemen were fighting the flames. This was not an easy task, as the upper stories and the roof were ablaze, and flames had spread to No. 406. Reinforcements Reinforce-ments were summoned and the fire quickly subdued. About $100,000 damage was done to the buildings and the property of tenants. There have been some narrow escapes, and two women, with their children, are reported slightly burned, but firemen were not prepared pre-pared to find A WHOLE FAMILY SMOTHEBED TO DEATH. In the rear room of the top floor they came upon Mary Tealko, a widow, 40 years old, and her children Mary, aged 7, and Annie, aged 6 years, lying dead. It was three hours after the outbreak when this discovery was made, but no other bodies had been discovered discov-ered up to 8 o'clock. The report spread early among the homeless home-less tenants that the house had been DELIBERATELY SET ON FIRE By one of their number. Henry Kohul, a ' Bohemian cigar maker, was pointed out as the guilty one. He had disappeared and did not show up until later in the morning, when he was arrested. By that time the police had collected evidence enough to make a charge of arson and murder against him. The excitement of the Bohemians had become be-come a furious rage, and threats of lynching were made. - Kohul is insured for 900, while his furniture was scarcely worth $75. The charge is that he set fire to the house to get this money. The Fire Marshal began taking testimony later concerning the origin of the fire. From this it appeared the fire broke out in Kohut's room, and that kerosene oil had been poured over the bed. The lower hallway of the stairs wer in flames, and the only way of escape for the tenants was by the fire escapes. Kohue was identified by one of the tenants as the man who threw something like water out of a pail on the burning stairs. It blazed up the minute It .struck the stairs, and then the witness thought it was kerosene. kero-sene. Kohue was arraigned in court to-day and held on a charge of arson. |