The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-10-14
BURNED TO DEATH.
The Little Niece OF nartin Vargo Burned TO a
Crisp and Her Aunt Painfully Injured
A Shocking Occurrence.


mile south of lola was burned to the
ground A young girl aged nine
years persisted in the flames and
several people came near suffering "a
similar fate in their heroic attempts
to save her.
Tue destroyed house was a one story
five room structure and has been
occupied since last spring by Mr.. and
Mrs. Martin Vargo, and the little girl,
a niece of Mrs. Vargas. Martin
works at the LsHarpe smelter and
was absent at his work Sunday morn
ing, his wife and niece being left alone
at the farm. Shortly after ii O'Clock,
Mrs. Vargo lett the house and went
to the barn. She had been gone only
few minutes when loud explosion
at the house drew her attention. She
hurried back and found the doors all
closed and smoke issuing from the
kitchen which stands at the north of
the house. Fearing that harm had
SOhiW W hiOCC, ollO III
the flames and reached the farther
side of the room. The young girl was
staggering around, her clothing in
flames, vainly struggling to tear off
the burning, scorching garments, Mrs
Nargo seized her husbands coat hang
ing nearby and endeavor to smother
the flames in the child's clothing and
failing in this, she became excited aud
the idea entered her head that 1t was
necessary to get outside to extinguish
the fire.
The door where she had entered
was now in flames and the other doors
had been pushed tight shut by the ex-
ploslon Her inability to open any
of these doors added to her terror aud
dropping the girl whom she had clung
to up to this time, she sprang ut the
window. She tore out the sash with
her fingers, cutting the flesh on her
hand, and sprang outside. She ran
out in the road and ran up and down
screaming at the top of her voice.
Fortunately George Apple and a
young boy were out driving from lola
and were not far away and they i'm
mediately fastened to the house
Mrs. NargO kept repeating, "My niece
She burn up" MY niece. She burn
up," in a crazed, heart-broken way.
Mr.. Apple sprang quickly from the
buggy and ran 10 the north side of
the house. Smoke was issuing from
the cracks and the south wind whirl-
ed 1t about him in sitting clouds. He
kicked in the window. hut the draft
thus created sucked the flames and
smoke out in his face. AS he turned
away to catch his breath he thought
he heard groan vt his left and then
noticed a screen door at the north cor
ner of the house. He made dive for
1t and succeeded in opening the screen
and the door. AS he did 80 a body
Tell partly outside the doorway. He
seized and bore what proved to he the
black, burned remains of the unfortu-
nate girl away from the house. The
child was dead when he found her.
From the appearance of the stove
aud the way the flames were scatter
ed over the room, both Mrs. Nargo
and Mr.. Apple believed that the fire
had started from the explosion of the
kerosene or gasolene which the girl
was pouring in the stove. There was
IA can of each in the room and low
fire in the stove and the child, doubt
less improving on the instruction and
examples of her elders, thought to
have the fire roaring for her aunt Or
her return.
BY this time the house burst into
a gleeful, triumphant tower of fire
and burned flercely and quickly.
Neigh bOrs began to gather, but moth
ing could be done DR.. Fulton was
summoned from lola and hurrying 10
the scene dressed the wounds and
burns of Mrs. Nargo. Her hair was
singed, her dress had great holes
burned in IL. her feet we're bllstered
and her hands torn and bruised. The
nail on the ring finger of her right
hand was curled up and the flesh so
badly burned that she will probably
lose it. She moaned with the pain
and seemed to think only OF the girl
and the mother, far away, who would
ask about her daughter and must he
told, Martin was summoned from
his work and stood stunned before
the ruin of his house.
Mr.. Port, kind neighbor, took in
the homeless couple, and Culbertson
a. Son, of lola, prepared the charred
remains of the child for burial. She
was burned so badly that she was
unrecoR nizable and in the last wild
agony her limbs had drawn up out of
shape. Wrapped in sheet and
placed in coffin, the poor little bun
"A 10 nfH 4, ID,