The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-04-20
BURNED IN THEIR BEDS.
Dreadful Death of Four Negro Children
In Their Home Northeast of Town
Last Night


Last Night
OF the many tragedies this paper has
been called on to describe that have
happened in this section during the
sixteen years of its existence. We do
not recall a more terrible or pathetic
one than that of last night. when four
small negro children were burned to
crisp, when their home was destroyed
by fire.
BETWEEN and 10 o'clock the fire de-
partment took notice of a bright blaze
beyond the city limits in q northwest
erly direction. II was so far out that
the department made no attempt 10
go TO the scene. \ few automobiles
and carriages went out and reported
that a house with several small child
rem of James and Mary Braddock. The
ing a Star reporter visited the scene
and learned the gruesome particulars.
There lay in a small heap in what
had been the front yard of their home.
the four charred bodies of the child
rem of James and Barry Braddock. The
entire remains, just the blackened and
charred portions of the trunks, were
placed in one coffin which was only
half filled There was no semblance 10
4 human being in what remained of
the four children. even the heads We're
burned.
| Mr.. d. +. McIver went out this morn
| ing and took charge of the remains of
the children and they were buried this
afternoon in the New Zion cemetery.
on the northwest side of the city. 1t
was not deemed necessary TO hold an
| inquest as it was evident the children
| had set the house on fire through their
| careless handling of a lamp.
! The children were David, aged a year
and a few months: Ruth. aged five
years, Johnnie, aged ten. and Albertus.
aged twelve, and constituted the entire
| family of James and Mary Braddock.
| The mother went to the home of
! Cora Webster in the early part of the
evening, where d festival was being
given and the father was away at his
work. He is night foreman at the
Ocala manufacturing COmpanys plant;
| his brother. Charles Braddock, is night
engineer. Neither of them knew of the
tragedy until near midnight.
Charles Braddock, the uncle. lived
with his mother, Caroline Braddock,
about $50 yards from James home. The
| children's mother when she left to at
tend the festival left the children with
their grandmother and told her to take
them over and put them TO bed when
they became sleepy. The grandmother
took them home before o'clock and
put the three smaller ones in bed, tell
ing the oldest boy To be very careful
with the lamp.
Charles Braddock's boy. about fifteen
years old, saw E\lbertus in the kitchen
of the neighboring house with the lamp
about $50 o'clock, Naging the time by
the passing of the Jacksonville train
the house being only about nifty yards
from the track.
An hour later. when the Sunny
Jim train came in, the grandmother
was awakened by the firing of a gun
and few seconds later second re-
port. She got up and looked out and
Saw that her sons house was wrapped
in flames She ran to the fire and q
small child of her other sons accom-
panied her. She tried TO wake the old
est boy. but could not rouse him. She
said when she reached the house, the
kitchen and shed room, where the old
est boys body. was afterwards found
was falling in. being nearly consumed
} The other corner of the house, where
the three smaller children were in bed
had not yet burned TO any extent. Sh,
which was the farthest from the fir,
and best protected from the heat. Sh.
beat frantically upon the window blu
could not raise il and says she never
heard the children cry out and that sh'
thinks they were sound asleep tina
/ they went from their sleep into Suffo
cation without being conscious of thu
fire. She finally managed TO open thu
| door, but it was near or adjoining thu
: burning portion and the flames rush
: ed in and filled the room Immediately
She could not enter and ii was only ;
few minutes before the room was con
sumed and the floor and walls begaI
falling.
The gunShotS the grandmother heard
were from a double barrel shotgun il
/ the house, the heat discharging thu
l weapon 1t was not long after tina
I neighbors began TO arrive. Some o
these took the bodies from the ashe
later on and kept vigil over them til
D $50 this morning. when they were TAX
, en- away.
;, The BraddOcks are among the old
I est and best known colored familie
of this section. They each own thei
homes parts of the old homeStea
: which was located by their father il
1855. the second entry made in tina
section, the boys say. The. old MAJ
lived there till his death and the widoy
. still occupies the place. The tw
y brothers are hard working men. re
. spected by all who know them an
have made many friends among bot
white and colored who will be grieve
over the terrible tragedy that depriv
ed them at one fell swoop of four mem
berS of their family.