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Searching for the bodies
The search party consisted of Guy Hensley, Nevance R. Donaldson
(a freight agent at the railroad), Henry S. Tousley
(a fellow train dispatcher), Edward P. Hutton (clerk
in the railway supply office, Oscar Vandorn Hensley
(Guy's brother), Ed McDonald, Dr. M. A. Jordan "and
others." Hiram White of Englewood in Chicago also
joined the party — probably when Hensley searchers
arrived, hoping the Hensleys had survived the fire
with Hiram's wife, who was thought to have attended
the theater with Flora. The searchers learned, from
Mrs. White herself, that she and her infant had not
attended the theater after all because Flora had not
called upon her. (The details of Flora's failed
meet-up arrangements with Mrs. White are unknown but
Mrs. White surely spent the rest of her life
thinking it was fortuitous.) By then, however, the
Logansport search party's inquiries of officials
resulted in the erroneous addition of Mrs. White and
her infant's names to some victim lists.
The search party members returned to the Breevort
Hotel at midnight on the 30th, not having found any
of the Hensleys. On Thursday morning, they
telegraphed Logansport for more information,
possibly clothing descriptions, and divided into two
groups to cover more ground.
Identification
Miriam's body was located first, at D. J. Horns
mortuary at 169 18th St. Flora's and Genevieve's bodies
were found the next day in different rooms at Rolston's Mortuary.
Rolston's handled a large proportion of the bodies
but was accidentally overlooked by the search party
until late in their efforts.
In all, the search party visited
up to 50 hospitals, police stations and morgues, as
well as homes of Chicago friends of the Hensleys.
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Compared with many victims, the Hensley's bodies were not severely
damaged. It was speculated that they had remained in
their seats and died of asphyxiation.
Burial
The Panhandle railway made
a special train to transport the Hensley's back home
to Logansport where undertaking services were then
provided by Woll & Tucker, 417 Market St. Guy
Hensley said his wife and children planned to visit
the family of Hugh Smith when they reached Chicago,
but it is not known if that visit took place or if
members of the Hugh Smith family went to Mr.
Bluebeard. There are several Smiths in the victim
lists. The Hugh Smith family associated with the
Hensley family lived in Logansport before moving to
Chicago.
Private funeral services for Flora, Miriam, and
Genevieve were held Sunday afternoon, Jan. 3, 1904,
at the home of Flora's parents, Theodore and Kate
Kerns on 7th St. in Logansport. The service was
conducted by two Presbyterian ministers, reverend
Walter Johnston of the Broadway Presbyterian Church
and reverend Yates Hill of the First Presbyterian
Church.
The caskets of Flora and her daughters were buried
in a common grave at Mount Hope Cemetery in
Logansport, Indiana.
In the years after the fire
Guy Hensley remarried in 1907 and had a daughter
with his second wife. They named the child after
Flora. Harold went to work for the railroad, and
Josephine married and had a family.
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