Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-08-05
A Woman and Four Children Burned to
Cindara.

One of the most awful calamtles that
ever happened in this section of Canada,
occurred on the 18th of July, in the town.
ship of Augusta, whereby the wife OF an
old pensioner, named Lavery, and four
little children, were burned literally to
ashes. The Lavery family, consisting OF
the father, who is an old man of seventy
years, his wife and five children, occu-
pied log house sixteen feet square, built
against bank. John, the eldest of the
children, about seventeen years of. age,
had been for some time past working for
his uncle some distance away, but on
that fatal night had returned home. AS
soon as he arrived, at rather late hour,
his mother lighted FIRE and prepared
him some food. The cooking stove stood
in kind of porch or stoop in front of
the house, and he observed before going
to bed, which he did after eating his sup
per, about ten o clock, that brisk fire
was still burning in the stove. His
mother retired about the same time as
himself and his father and the chill
dren some time previous. The room on
the ground floor contained two beds, one
of which was occupied by this boy John,
and the other by his mothor and three
children, viz Mary, aged seven years,
James, three years, and Alice, an infant
about six months old. The room above
was occupied by the father and Cecilia,
girl about nine years old. In his evil
dence before the Coroners jury,
John Lavery states that he awoke
about midnight and discovered that
Il 80
stood was on FIRE He Immediately got
up and opened the door, when the flames
burst into the room. He tried TO open
the outer door, but it being latched and
hooked, the fire drove him back before
he could succeed. His mother was
awakened by the noise he made in trying
tosopen the door, and got out Of bed. He
next attempted to break out the window,
but he broke the glass only the sash re.
fusing to give way. He then ran up
stairs aud called his mother to follow
him. But mothers love prevailed over
the motive to selfpreservation, and in
stead of seeking her own safety she went
towards the bed where her children
were lying, TO try to rescue them. But
her efforts we're vain, and she persisted in
the flames. When the boy went up stairs
he found his father had got out of bed,
and he called to him to jump out of the
window, which was open. The upper
room was then full of smoke, aud the
floor and the roof we're both on fire. The
boy jumped from the window himself,
and then looked for ladder to assist his
father, but the latter had meanwhile
jumped from the window, his feet being
burned by the fire coming through the
floor The boy then ran TO alarm the
nearest neighbor, and on his returning
found nothing but a heap Of burning
logs, the roof and upper aoor having
fallen in, and buried the poor woman and
her four helpless children in the blazing
mass. So speedily did the devouring
elements do its dreadful work, that not
a scream or a groan was heard from the
poor children or their devoted mother,
and soon their scarce distinguishable
remains we're mingled with the
smouldsring emhers which we're all that
we're left Of the humble home in which
but an hour before they quietly reposed,
all unconscious of the terrible fate that
was impending over them. The boy was
nearly naked and his father perfectly SO,
when they escaped from the house, and
they are said to have shown a remarka-
bic degree Of indifference regarding the
terrible calamity that. had suddenly
swept away all the family but them
selves.
The remains Of the little girl who
slept in the upper room with her father
alone bore any resemblance 70 a human
being. The legs and arms were burned
Of, the eyes burned out and the body
reduced TO a black, shapeless object
presenting q horrifying spectacle. The
remains Of the mother and the rest Of
the children we're a sickening mass OF
charred bones which IL was not easy 70
distinguish from the pieces OF blackeoed
wood and cinders with which they we're
mingled. They we're al gathered, after
much difficulty, aud kept Tor the insPeo-
ton Of the coroners jury. They we're
subsequently placed in one small colin
and buried IN the ground adjoining the
old Augusta ChapeL-Prssc0u &C. w.
Telegraph
b6rThs LeaFenS0sth fKsusssl TINES
says that some observaut local ont West
notices the delivery, a. one OF the ala-