Miller, Alfred c1876 - 1910

MILLER

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 3/12/2023 at 14:11:57

Source: Decorah Republican Jan.13. 1910 P2 C5

BURNED TO DEATH.
A Former Decorian Meets Death in a Livery Barn Fire in Minneapolis.
Alfred Miller, a former Decorian, met death in a fire that destroyed the Barden livery barn in Minneapolis on the morning of the 10th.
Forty valuable carriage horses were taken from the burning building, blanketed and turned loose. All the carriages stored in the building were saved, although about twenty light buggies on the second floor were damaged. The barn was occupied by the A. D. T. company, 401 Nicollet avenue.
Alfred Miller, 34 years old, was upstairs in the barn when the fire started, about 4 a. m. He was awakened by the dense smoke and shouted downstairs to Clifford J. Ryan, who was on watch at the time. Ryan at once turned in an alarm and went upstairs in response to Miller’s cries for assistance. When he reached the top of the stairs he was met by clouds of smoke and forced to retreat. Tying a wet sack about his head he made another attempt to save Miller’s life. He fought his way through the fire and smoke but was forced to retreat before he could reach the room of the unfortunate man.
Ryan half stumbled, half fell downstairs and met the firemen.
“There’s a man upstairs! Get him out!” The firemen rushed upstairs, dashed through a wall of flames and after some difficulty found the room in which Miller was lying. They smashed the door down, picked up the unconscious man and took him downstairs. He died as he was being carried across the street to the city hospital. Death was caused by suffocation.
Miller was well known in certain circles in town in the days when he was an employe of the Reed livery stable. He always had a faithful companion a little dog without pedigree, just plain dog “Brownie” was his name, a little animal that always was ready to make friends unless you scuffed your feet a him. If you did so “Brownie” was always close by. If any one saw the dog they knew that Miller would soon show up. When he went to Minneapolis he took the dog with him and when the news of Miller’s death came the first inquiry of his acquaintances was, “I wonder if “Brownie” died with him.”