Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-03-26
Three Children burned to Death.

"A mOoO GOIIlUlO dCCluOuG, ICoulCAHS Ill
the burning to dearh of three little chill
dren, occurred yesterday Tuesday,
morning, at z O'Clock, one and hall
miles west of this place, on the bank OF
the Medicine river. The place, now the
property of the Missouri Valley Land
Co., was rented and occupied by Linus
B. Root, aged % years, a farmer, who
moved there from Aetna township, last
summer, together with his wife, Mrs.
Sarah Root, aged % years, and their
three children, girls, Bertha M, Mary
Belle and Emma Agnes aged respective
ly six, five and two years. The family
was happy one, the parents being in
dustrious, frugal people, devoted to the
happy little ones growing up around
them. On Monday the father started
to Aetna township, on business, kissing
his wife and dear ones goOd-by, promis-
ing to return Tuesday. Monday night
the wife. unaccustOmed to being alone,
barricaded the doors and windows as a
matter of safety, and no harm came to
the happy home.
Yesterday morning Mrs. Root arose,
lighted the kitchen fire, and went to the
corral to milk the cows. The stable was
between her and the house. She heard
roaring noise, but supposed 1t was
train or cars but the noise becoming
louder, she started to the house, and
was horrlhed to discover that it was
mass of flames. the frame kitchen be-
ing then almost burned down, and the
main building, of logs, being entirely
enveloped in flames. The now frantic
mother ran to the east door and endeav-
ored to break in, but the barbados she
had placed there the night before, held
the door but after almost superhuman
efforts she opened the door, only to be
met by the cruel flames, that even then
had destroyed the lives of her three
dear ones, and which appeared as if de-
termined to claim the mother also as
victim, for she was quite severely burn
ed about the face, and almost suffoca-
ted by the hot smoke. To enter the
house was suicide, and she knew it.
BY this time Arthur Moore, neigh
Dor, Moss Hamilton and Harvey Utter
back, who CHANGED to be south of the
place, half mile, ran to the scene, and
learned from the distracted mother,
who was then frantically screaming for
help, that the children were in the
! burning house. They at once common
ced the work of tearing down the north
west corner of the house. where the bed
was located, but too late TO do any good
Green Harris, DR.. Moore, Thos. Best
and dozen others had then arrived,
and all that could be done was to take
the bodies of the three innocents from
the mass of Goals on which they had
died.
The limbs Of the two older children
we're burned of; the heads and faces
of all three were burned to crisp the
trunks of all were burned; but the
limbs, hands and feet of the youngest
child were left whole, and its little baby
arms and hands were raised in defen
sive position, as natural as in life. They
remained in that position when the
INDEX reporter saw the bodies. He
never witnessed sadder sight.
The mother was induced by friends
to go to Mr.. WarwIck's half a mile
away, before the bodies were recovered.
She was almost crazed with grief.
The bodies were placed in neat collins,
by direction of Coroner Moore, and
brought to town and deposited in the
Sherlock block. Watchers remained in
charge of the bodies last night. This
morning the funeral occurred, services
being conducted at the Presbyterian
church by ReY. North, assisted by Rey.
Cain.
The father of the children returned
from Aetna last night and did not learn
of his great misfortune until he arriv-
ed at the place where the house st""d
and saw the smouldering ruins.
1t is believed that the fire caught in
the roof from the kitchen stove pipe.