Evening journal., 1910-02-04
FOUR CHILDREN
PERISH in FIRE
Ti44Ie nnac D~nna~oa ro-nea
AAetAO viaVS 1AOPuA Gu rUI DCu,
Die When Lamp Fires
Room
MOTHER BURNED
In RESCUE ATTEMPT

Special 10 THE EVENING JOURNAL.
DOVER. Del. Feb. 4.-Caught like rats
in trap. four children. the grandchildren
OF Ezekiel HacSett, a colored farmer.
were burned 10 a crisp shortly before uaid-
night last night
They were;
Mamie ratum. "A years old
Lewis Tatum, ie years old.
Stanford ratum. years old
Daisy Tatum. years old.
Tho children. who lived with their rnoEh.,
er. Mrs. Sarah Tatum. in the little farm
house by tho roadside ON the public high
way extending from Wyoming 10 Camden.
had gone 70 bed early in the evening ami.
II In supposed. IN some way left their
lighted lamp 80 that a burst Of air COM
ing I'm the ono little attic window. blew
over the oil light.
About 10 o'clock Mrs Tatuni len Hack
EFT who was liking his fire in the Kitchen
and she started 60 her bedroom Ia tho sec
ond story on opening door. she gave
draught 20 the fire which began to burn
furiously and choke of all efforts to reach
the children.
Imagining sho heard the outcries OF the
little family upstairs being tortured 20
death. the woman made n start through
the flames but was pulled back. badly
burned about the head and face. by
Iiackett who sounded a luEty alarm. Both
the Wyoming Fire Company and the
Camden Hose Company responded
Mother Frantic.
The firemen got their ladders and axes
TO work I'm an effort TO tear out a gable
end OF tho house and reach the human
pyre. but succeeded only after tho nous
was practically burned down
While the nromen worked the mother
was almost crazed by grief. She imagined
that she heard the cries of her helpless
children as they perished in the flames
but no one else could hear a sound and
were under the impression that tho chill
dren had been suffooated almost at the
start. The grief-strlcken mother, however,
was compelled to look helplessly on while
strong men battled with the fire and wer,
then compelled 20 give up IN despair
) by this time scores OF people had gath
! cred and everyone was anxious and will
ing 70 help. but nothing could be done
Those who stood helpless IA the heavy
rain and watched the flames enwrap their
victims and heard the cries Of the ago
nized mother viii never forget the scene
Men and women alike wept with the
mother.
The four bodies we're recovered. charred
but not unreoognizable. and were laid side
by side IN a woodshed to await the arrival
and the Investigation by Coroner Saxton.
Neighbors Care For Homeless.
Haokott and tho mother OF the dead
children we're taken 20 the home OF neigh
bors. where they VIII be cared for tenn
porarily. Both were nearly crazed by
grief. and It wis difficult to get tf.s rrrcth-
er 70 leave the bodies OF her four chill
dren. She wanted 10 remain beside them
IA the shed.
The loss on the burned building Is about
1850. as Il was practically destroyed Mr..
Hackett said there was an Insurance OF
$500 on the property but the aged man
was not interested in the loss or the in
suranoe. He was thinking OF tho death
Of his four grandchildren and his grief
stricken daughter
General grief overspreads both Cam
den and Wyoming. as the tragedy was
perhaps me worst IN its history.