Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Star, February 8, 1935, p. 3. NOTE: The item below was abbreviated from the original as shown by the ellipsis. FIRE SWEPT OLD BUILDING LEFT IN RUINS Structure Insured for Only $5,000 Monroe County seems assured of a new and modern county jail as a result of the fire that wrecked the present structure Wednesday night, in the opinion of county officials and insurance men interviewed Thursday. The old jail, condemned by county grand juries and the state board of welfare and charities for several years, was completely gutted by the blaze that apparently started from a defect in the wiring system. Damage on the structure was estimated at about $25,000 of which $5,000 will be covered by insurance. The fire, which started in the attic of the jail, endangered the life of 19 prisoners, all of whom were led to safety. Seven of the prisoners facing trial in city court on minor charges were released on their own recognizance and eight were taken to the Owen County jail at Spencer. Although the building was destroyed, personal belongings and furniture belonging to Sheriff Loba Jack Bruner, who had occupied the jail residence only for the past month, were saved by volunteers, with the exception of a bedroom suite on the third floor.Fire Chief Burt Hazel and Firemen Carl Hawkins, Arthur Retzlaff (sic)and Ernest Jones narrowly escaped serious injury when trapped on the third floor while fighting the fire. The old jail was approximately 65 years old and is the third to be constructed in the county since the unit was founded. In 1837 the county board concluded to build a new jail. The contract was awarded to Hardesty, Graham and Chapman. The construction was delayed but the building was a strong brick structure and cost about $5,000. It was not fully completed until in the forties. There was talk of building another jail as early as 1856, but nothing definite was done until 1869 when bids were called for for a combined jail and sheriff's residence. The bid of Finley and Company was accepted for $6,998. Adams and Denton did the brick work for $4,000. The prison was 34 by 41 feet, the residence 20 by 44 feet and the kitchen and guard room 14 by 33 feet with a stone foundation and walls of brick. The prison quarters were constructed later. The building also contained the heating plant for the county courthouse.