A TYROLESE TRAGEDY.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sia,—Remembering well two delightful letters in your cor- respondence columns some time ago about the " Doctor-Duke " at Meran, and " Carthaus," near here, I feel sure there must be many friends of the Tyrol among your readers. Those letters were enough to make them, if the friends did not already exist among the lovers of the Spectator. May I tell them a pitiful story through your columns " Auf der Mudh " on Monday morning was one of the most smiling of Tyrolese Alms. On a corner of level ground were perched two peasants' homes, and the farm-buildings belonging to both. It was almost a hamlet. Twenty people lived there, —three generations of happy, industrious people in each home, and some " labourers " too, I believe. The dwellings faced due south, and commanded views towards the Stelvio Pass, west- ward; the Dolomites and long stretches of the Adige, south- west and south; and the Home-Mountains of Me= to the east ; the Italian mountains in full view in the far south; and rocky peaks, and snows, and forests all about them ! It was an earthly paradise !
At mid-day, the whole hamlet was in flames. Twenty-four hours later, I stood by the smoking ruins and tried to add up the losses. The little child, of three and a half years, who set the first house on fire was burnt to death. Two boys, his brothers, are badly injured. The inhabitants of that first house saved nothing from the wreck,—furniture, provisions, clothing, their all is gone. Their pigs, too, were burnt alive. An aunt of the children, who came from a neighbouring Alm, rescued two babies out of the burning house. The other peasants have saved some of their furniture,—hay, straw, and other valuables went with the farm-buildings.
The Tyrolese live very frugally ; but as they own their "bit of land," they can venture to house themselves well, even when their fare is of the plainest (meat, at most, once weekly, and for the other days polenta, potatoes, milk, and eggs). The best house burnt cost 2200, and the other about 275. The owners, who were "snug farmers" on Monday morning, were
beggars that night. If you will allow me, I will constitute my- self their deputy beggar with your readers. Herr Muller (Haps- burgherhof, Meran, Tyrol) authorises me to say he will receive subscriptions for these poor people ; and I will also thankfully receive and acknowledge anything that may be sent me. Where the sufferers have nothing, the smallest help is a boon.. What added a great element of horror to the tragedy was that most of the grown-up people belonging to " Auf der Mudh" had come down to Meran before the fire began. It takes three and a half hours to climb up to that part of the mountain. What a journey for them to make, in full sight of their flaming houses !
The houses were not insured. Wooden or partly wooden. houses are very dear to insure. The peasants have so little money, they shrink from the expense of insurance, I need_
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