Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1893-11-15
HEROIC MISS PORTER.
She Died Trying to Rescue Her
Scholars From Fire.
NOBLE SACRIFICE OF A TEACHER.

She Might Have Escaped From the Burn
Ing sci,"ihousr, but Ran Back Into the
PLANES .ifiera Little Roy, and Both Per-
ished-Iiriped All the Rest to Get Out.
NuNDA. n. Y, Nov l5.-Heroine May
Porter, the daughter Of a widow, paid the
penalty Of bravery with her life in the lit
tie country schoolhouse nc Cooperville,
two miles from here Her blackened,
charred remains now lie In her aunt's
house Little Willard johnson, son Ct
Conrad johnson OF Cooperville, Is mass
Of blackcned hesh-arins, head and leg
gone. He was left in the teachers care by
his father, who was going away for the
day. The Cooperyille schoolhouse shelters
ench day about 80 pupils Of all sizes and all
degrees, sons and daughters OF farmers and
railroad men who live near by.
Il was built so years ago and is a one
story frame structure, with three windows
on each side Built out from the only en-
trance Is a woodshed, in which are stored
oak logs for the stove in the schoolroom.
The ashes piled outside the woodshed were
added to by boy who built the fire. Miss
Porter noticed smoke floating by one OF
the windows and sent small boy TO open
the door into the woodshed TO see what the
matter was.
AS he did so the flames, which had en-
veloped the shed, rushed out into the
schoolroom, driving the boy, the other
pupils and the teacher into the farther cor
ner. Two older boys Melvin and Charles
Chambers, stationed themselves at the
window aud passed the smaller children
through.
Back Into the Flames.
Miss Porter aided in handing up her pu-
pills, the flames meanwhile rolling through
the room above their heads. All the chill
dren had been passed ont except little VIII
lard johnson, and when he was sent up he
did not understand the situation and ran
back into the flames. The teacher darted
back after him, and the clothing OF both
caught FIRE while the flames began to lap
the window where the Chambers boys were
aiding In the rescue. They made one heroic
effort to pull she teacher through, then
| jumped through themselves
Outside they could see the teacher strug-
Cling TO save the child by pulling him TO
| the window, but the roaring caldron was
too hot, and they stood back just as the
two succumbed and fell into the flames
embrace.
The fire soon burned itself out in the dry,
seasoned timhers. Then the bodies were
taken out Miss purer's clothing
completely gone She was almost UNI
equitable, while the boy had no semblancs
left TO "a human being
Miss porter's father and stepmother
lived in Wisconsin She lived with her
aunt, Mrs. Green, in Nunda She was q
years old, pretty and popular among her
associates. She had been here about a year
The whole thing was over so quickly that
people could hardly believe H. No fire
company could get there from Nunda be
cause the fire lasted only few minutes
Very few people arrived on the scene until
all was over, aud these were helpless.
Miss Porter made no sound, but unflinch
ingly stuck TO her duty until her awful
death came. The johnson boy was not
regular pupil Of the school, He was not
old enough. He was only left temporarily
in the teachers care.