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May I say at the outset There is no smoking permitted at a corner west.
Please come to order.
This is inquest.
Numbers 1 through 92 of December 1958 into the depths of Joseph Maffiola, Karen Culp and Wayne Frederick Riggs who came to their deaths as a result of a race at our Lady of Angel School located at 909 North Avers Avenue, Chicago, Illinois on December 1, 1858 at or about 2 .45 o 'clock p .m.
Our next...
I give you this inquest to solemnly swear that you will diligently inquire and the true presentment make how and in what manner by whom what, when or where the deceased came to their deaths you will present to me the corner of this county a true inquest thereof according to such evidence as shall be given you and according to my...
...quest of fine citizens who wanted to cooperate with reference to these hearings and I think that these fine men that you are and what you represent technologists in your specific field, I think the people of Chicago are very grateful that you are giving your time to this inquest.
Now you have the right to interrogate, you have the right to question and this inquest is entirely in your hands.
So if there's any witnesses that are on the rostrum here if you care to ask them any questions, you have any and all right.
The object of this whole thing is to determine the cause of death and anything relating to it.
And a little later in the day if you don't mind we'll see how we go along here.
We have three cars outside.
If you have the opportunity of thanking Commissioner Quinn the fine firemen who did a splendid job at the scene.
I was there, I saw what they have done.
Those men are credited to Chicago.
I want to thank Captain Harry Penzen of the 28th District who worked around the clock.
I want to thank James McMahon, head of homicide, who threw his men at the night at the county morgue when they were bringing these bodies in with all the turmoil and hysteria that we had.
I think that Mr.
James McMahon and his men deserve a lot of credit in helping in the identification of bodies.
I also want to thank Commissioner O 'Connor for the cooperation that he has given throughout this entire case.
I also want to thank Sergeant Drew, this is something that I hope that Drew, such fine men as yourself, that something may come out of this to save lives in the future, not only in the city of Chicago, but throughout the country.
Because I think the eyes of the nation is watching what may come out of this inquest from a constructive basis.
And on that basis and on that premise we can do those things, then I think we've done something for our entire community and nation.
Who's your first witness? First witness.
O 'Connor, for the purpose of the record there, I represent this here of the State Fire Marshal.
Are you the person that made the identification? Could you step forward please? What is your mother? Mother.
Your citizenship to the deceased? Mother.
I'm sorry.
Oh, I'm sorry.
614 North Springfield.
Or would I? I understand you lost little boy a girl in the fire, is that correct? Yes, I lost my son.
What was his name? I say his name.
24? Joseph Matthews.
I'm alright.
And his age please? 10.
Have you or your husband or a member of the immediate family the identification was made of your son? Is that correct? Yes.
The corpus lecti has to be established, that's why I asked that question.
Yes, it is been, it was identified.
Corpus lecti has been established.
Yes.
I'm going to make it as easy as I can.
Is there any comment? If they would only, as the paper says, look into it for the fire sprinkler deals that I've been reading up on, I think that would be marvelous, with fire traps or whatever, that the people in general, because we all have children, look forward for the future, for the safety of the school, as they are building in the suburbs, over here in the city, that's it.
I mean, everyone would feel, for the safety of the children, you have to...
Comment? No, I think that covers it.
Thanks a lot for your time, I'm awfully sorry.
Thank you.
Alright, there are a member of the Karen...
Sir? ...instamagor...
...for our kids.
Your name and address, sir, for the record? Edward Reeve, 1119 North Springfield.
How do you spell that? R -E -E -V.
Edward Reeve, and your address? 1119 North Springfield.
I'm repeating so the jury can hear.
1119 North Springfield.
I understand that you lost one of your children in this fire, is that correct? Yes.
What was his name? It was a girl, Marilyn Patricia Reeve.
And her age? Ten years old.
Did you, or any member of the family, establish the identification? Yes, sir, I did.
You did? I'm awfully sorry.
Is there any comment that you would care to make? You have that right.
No, sir, everything has been said.
Everything has been said.
Alright, thank you, and I'm very sorry.
Alright.
Well, in all her testimony, I'm sure a little man would instruct him.
Your name and address, occupation? Harry Panson, 6222 North Lee, Royale, New York, Chicago.
Capital Police, 28th Police District, City of Chicago.
Captain, would you tell the jury and tell myself what you know about this incident? About 2 .55 p .m.
on the 1st of December, I was notified, my office by Lieutenant Hayes, that there was a fire at Lady DeAngel's School.
What time was that place? About 2 .55 p .m.
Two investigating officers talked to the engineer of the school, Mr.
Raymond, at the hospital.
What is his name? Raymond? Engineer.
Yes.
Another couple, they're here at the...
2 .55 p .m.
We were given a still -armor fire by the fire alarm office.
In 48...
What time was that? 2 .42.
2 .42.
Okay.
By the fire alarm office, still -armor fire.
3808 West Iowa Street.
On arrival, we pulled up with the fire engine in front of the school at Iowa and Avers.
I immediately called the fire alarm office by radio for a box of armor fire.
I got off the ambulance, was ordered to remove the victims to squadrons in the ambulance by orders of Commissioner...
Who else? Go ahead.
There would be a lot more deaths if the encouragement wasn't shouted to the children in that northwest building.
Because they were ready to jump.
The fire was really up the north end of the building where the children were jumping.
And the rescue work by the civilians of the fire department helped come immediately.
By the time I got there and started to lead out my hose, the truck was in or showing up ladders.
People don't realize the work that the fire department did by shouting encouragement to the children, raising them ladders.
The civilians were raising ladders.
It's a saying that nobody will forget in their lifetime.
Thank you very much.
You did a splendid job.
Please, ma 'am.
On December 1st, approximately 2 .44 p .m.
While we signed to Squadron 263, the day watch, we were on our way to cover the 3 o 'clock crossing at Amman in Chicago.
That was a school building without culture jackets on.
They were being led up to church by teachers.
We asked one of the teachers if other children were in the building and she said yes.
As we came closer to the north school building, we could see some children coming down ladders and others jumping into fire nets from the second floor windows.
All the children seemed to be very seriously injured or burned and some were laying on pavements while passerbys were helping and putting victims into private autos.
I ran back to the squadron and called the CC room and asked for all available vehicles immediately and reported the surges of the fire.
I drove closer to the building on Averitts and we picked up several victims and placed them in the squadron.
We saw Sergeant Nubona who advised our debut sergeant Nubona.
Youngsters that had been in the area of the stairwell where the fire parable started, we talked to them about what they had seen, what they had smiled.
The names of these persons, Mr.
Corn, are available to anyone who wants them, but to cut down the time for yourself and everyone concerned, I would just as well say that any evidence that would assist our unit relative to possible arson had not been forthcoming.
That is, we have discovered no evidence that would indicate that the fire had been set.
However, we haven't ruled out as yet the possibility that it may be a set fire.
We don't want to do anything that would hurt your investigation either.
Go ahead.
We took police crime and photographs of the scene.
We obtained physical evidence such as a step from the stairwell that led down into the area where the fire parable started.
We took other physical evidence such as papers that were in the area.
May I interrupt for a minute? Go ahead.
Did the fire department take any pictures? We have been able to find a certain amount of material that may have been flammable.
We have statements from two boys that were in the boiler room at the very time that the fire was going.
I don't remember the names, sir.
Mr.
Farner, would anyone care to hear these statements? We'd like to know the names of those boys.
The cause of brocato.
How do you spell that? The cause of brocato states that he and Ronald were in the boiler room, and Joe mentioned to Ronald that he smelled something peculiar, something different from the ordinary combustion smell that you'd get in a boiler room where coal is being burned.
It states that at that time, the janitor came into the area and yelled, notify the fire department.
They did not state or did not say that any time did they see fire in the area that was on fire.
However, Mr.
Raymond stated that he found that the fire was raging when he entered the boiler room and saw through a partially open door that there was fire in the stairwell, and that he then went and called for someone to notify the fire department.
Talking to Mr.
Raymond yesterday, he stated that definitely he saw the fire in the boiler room.
I saw smoke.
It was approximately about 2 .38, 2 .40 summers around there.
As I was going by to school, I seen smoke.
So I slowed up a little more, and then I seen it was coming.
What time? Pardon me, that time again? About 2 .38 or 2 .40.
Smoke was coming from the rear, and I slowed up.
Then I seen it was coming from the doorway in the rear north end of the building.
I pulled over the curb, run across the street to a little candy store there, and to ask her if she had a phone, I want to report a fire.
In the school, she said she had no phone.
I turned around and ran across the street and rang a couple of doorbells in a two -story building there.
A lady from the first floor came out, and she said she had no phone, but she would run across next door and get to a phone to notify her department.
Did you say the woman in the...
I was going to say the woman in the third floor.
I was going to say the woman in the fifth floor.
I was going to say the woman in the fifth floor.
I was going to say the woman in the fifth floor.
I was going to say the woman in the fifth floor.
I was going to say the woman in the fifth floor.
![[Our Lady of the Angels] School Rebuilding](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/4/9/74360_ca_object_representations_media_4999_medium.jpg)
