The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-12-20
Mother Left Babies for Five
Minutes and Two Were
Burned
MOTHER COLLAPSED WHEN she
REALIZED The CHllDREN's FATE
Chicago Father Sought to Rescue His
Little Ones When He Returner to
Burning Home But Was Driven
Back by the Flames.

F, tragedy occurred in Fort Rouge yes
terday. when Ida and Thomas Mas
! ters, children of Mr.. and Mrs. Sydney
Masters, were burned to death in q
! fire which destroyed the little home
Of the family. at 296 Arnold avenue
The mother had left the house to call
on neighbor and after an absence
of only five minutes returned to find
the cottage. which was a story and
half structure, in flames. Realiz-
ing at once the danger to the child
rem she rushed madly toward the
front door, but collapsed from shock
on the sidewalk before she reached
the house. She is now in the hospi-
tai in critical condition. In addi-
tion to the shocking bereavement the
parents have experienced the family
loses all the home furnishings as
the interior of the house has been
entirely Quilted.
Origin of Fire Unknown.
The origin of the fire is unknown,
but is set down to overheated stove
pipes. The whole down stairs was
aflame when the department arrived
on the scene. The children were on
q cot up stairs when found and had
apparently rushed there when the
fire broke out down stairs. Lieut.
Cupiss and Foreman Mitchell OF the
fire department entered the house as
soon as the brigade arrived, but
found only the burned bodies of the.
children. Both were fully dressed
and their, hands and faces were bad
ly burned. ,.s.s ~.
~i,ss The childrenrsaIda, aged four, and
Thomas, aged twoMwere the sole oc-
cupants of the cottage when the -hre
broke out. The mother had gone to
visit neighbor and when returning.
she saw the flames issuing from the
windows, which caused her to col
lapse on the sidewalk. She was
picked up by Mn Armstrong, of
Heatherington avenue, and others
who gathered to the spot. A fire
alarm had already been turned in by
a neighbor, Mrs. William DoDson.
The police were notified Of the oc-
currence at 1850 and Constable
Algeo went to the scene ofsthe flre.
Shortly afterward the father of the
children arrived in company with
Rev. A. r. Cousins. His grief was
pitiful to behold. DIR ]. r. Jones and
W. A. Clark had already been called
and Mrs. Masters had been removed
to the hospital.
When the flremen arrived they
found the front door of the house
locked while the back door was open.
A Mothers Grief.
At the moment Mrs. Masters start
to return to the home the flames
burst through the roof of the mouse.
Neighbors had already made desper-
ate efforts to enter the burning house
from the rear, knowing the children
must be within. They saw Mrs. Mas
ters fall, recover herself and make
a bolt for the house. They restrain
Cd her from entering, knowing it
meant certain death to the mother
as we'll as the children IL she did SO.
In her desperation to save the Child
ron Mrs. Masters became hysterfcaf.
piunging forward and crying: Cali
is lost now. l may as we'll perish
with the little ones.' Then she
swooned. Mrs. Masters was In a
delicate condition of health previous
to the fire, and the catastrophe has
put her in very critical condition.
When ting father arrived on the
scene he was persuaded by Rev. Mr..
Cousins ana MT. ATmsIrOHs HOC 10 go
into the ruins. Half bewildered he
looked pleadingly from one to the
other of the men wringing his hands
and crying: ooh, my children, my
girl. my boy: are they dead? Yes.
they are dead; oh. what shall do"
He was later persuaded to go to a
neighbor's house, but his anguish
only increased as the day wore on
and a fuller realization of his loss
Impressed itself upon him.
Driven Back By Smoke.
Chicago, Dec. 2O.-John Corrodio,
aged Z. Charles Corrodio. aged 2 and
Mary Corrodio, aged 4. were burned
to death today in their home at South
Chicago The house caught fire. dur
ing the absence of the parents. From
a distance, the father saw the fire
bursting through a window and he
hurried to rescue the children, but
was driven back by the flames.
DANCED LIGHTLY CLAD.