Death, pain, tragedy—and at 7:30 o'clock the place was a restaurant again.
CHILD SAVED FROM DEATH IN FIRE BY BALLET GIRL.
Left under the burning stage during the mad rush by the members of the "Mr. Bluebeard" company at the Iroquois theater fire a four-year-old girl, who appeared in the performance as one of the Japanese children, was heroically rescued by Elois Lillian, one of the ballet girls, who was the last to escape from the theater.
"I was the last to escape from under the stage," said Miss Lillian, "and as I rushed headlong through the smoke I saw the little girl screaming with fright and almost suffocated. The rest had escaped, leaving the child behind. I took the little one under my arm in a death-like grip and succeeded in getting into the aisle behind the boxes; and ran through the smoking-room and out the front door. I don't know how I managed to hold on to the struggling child, or how I came to get out the front way.
"I was dressed in tights, and as soon as I reached the street ran into Thompson's, and there soon had her revived. The mother, frantic with grief, came in, and when she saw her daughter and heard my story she fell upon her knees, thanking me for saving her little girl's life."
PRIEST GIVES ABSOLUTION TO DYING FIRE VICTIMS.
When the Rev. F. O'Brien of the Holy Name Cathedral learned of the fire and heard that so many were dying he rushed into the Northwestern Medical University, into which many victims had been taken, to administer the last sacraments to members of the Catholic Church. Finding he was unable to attend the great number being brought in, he announced that he would give a general absolution to all the Catholics among the victims.
The scene of that last absolution beggars description. During the brief moment the priest, with uplifted hands, besought God to pardon all the frailties of his dying servants, the poor, mangled men and women seemed to realize that they were face to face with the inevitable. Though crazed with pain, they ceased to moan, and fastened their fast-dimming eyes on the priest.
When the absolution was given many of the victims, horribly burned, with the flesh of their head and face blackened, and in most cases so burned as to expose the bones, put out their hands imploringly toward the priest, for one handclasp, one word of sympathy before they passed away.
Even the stalwart policemen were affected by the touching spectacle. Another priest of the Holy Ghost order arrived shortly after, and both clergymen administered absolution, remaining until the injured were removed to various hospitals and the dead to the morgues.