The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-24
The Lives of Mrs. James and Six
WeeLs-OId Babe Sacrificed
i'm the Flames.
RECEIVE INJURIES
THE HUSBAND MI W OTHER
CHILDREN o BADLY BURNED.
1t Is Thought Mrs. James Used Oil in
Starting a F~ire-Details of
the Occurrence.

A fire which started yesterday morning
at 4:45 o'clock at Southport. seven miles
south of this city, resulted in the death Of
Mrs. John James. her six-weeks-old babe,
the serious injury by burning of her hus-
band and two other children and the total
destruction of their home and its contents.
The villagers were aroused by cries of
fire, and when the first of them arrived at
the house Mrs. James, with nearly all of
her clothing burned from her body, was
seen coming from the house, lighting for
her life.
A large number of the residents of the
village were soon on the scene and in the
excitement few took enough notice of
events to be able to tell anything like a
connected story. Mr.. James was badly
burned while trying TO put out the fire in
his wife's clothing, and while he was thus
engaged the fire spread so rapidly that the
baby was terribly burned and was suffo-
Gated before it could be rescued.
With the bed clothes upon which it lay.
it was pulled out through a window, but
too late. as the child was dead at that
time. Two other children, aged three and
five years, slept in the kitchen, and before
they could be rescued by being taken from
u NliAuO"s llcS were severely DuIncU, IL
though at a late hour last night both were
said TO be doing nicely and there was little
danger of the burns OF either proving fatal.
Mrs. James and the children were taken
to the home of Martin Hornbuckle, where
they were given every attention, but the
mother was unable to survive her in
juries and the shock and died at l p. m.
She was conscious to the time of her death.
hrtf NOS aba - to1lx I,,e IiffIa Che 1nEH Tho
fire started from an explosion resulting
from putting oil in the cooking stove. Her
husband is a helper at the Pennsylvania
freight house in this city and Monday
night he was late getting home. Mrs. James
arose early and undertook to build the fire
herself, allowing her husband to sleep UNI
til she had breakfast ready.
She gave no detailed account OF the ex-
plosion, but it was thought she used the
oil in order TO more quickly start the fre.
1t was said that oil was not habiIually
used for this purpose. Some OF the nelSn-
bors were of opinion that she made a mis-
take and poured gasoline instead cf @oal
oil into "A smoldering fire. Both were used
i'm the house. The complete destruction of
the house and contents Obliteratsd all eNi.
dence as TO what really caused the ex-
piosion.
Mr.. james said later that in his efforts to
assist his wife he forgot the children and
their danger until IL was too late. He then
tried to get into the room where the babe
was sleeping, but could not do SO on ac-
count of the flames. One OF the children in
the kitchen was dragged from under the
bed where Ii had crawled TO escape the fire.
Funeral services will be held this morn
ing, at $50 o'clock, and later in the day the
bodies of mother and child Will be taken TO
Palestine for burial.