The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-04-30
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.
Four Houses DestrOyed-Only One
Man Saved Some OF His House
hold Effects.

Again the fire alarm sounded in
} Newberry after midnight, waking the
, citizens from their deep slumbers and
, calling them out to see where the fire
was. When several pistol shots were
: fired, followed quickly by the ringing
, of the bell, it was about 12.40 o'clock
: Saturday morning. The bell and
few shots are not loud enough to
arouse people generally, but the ever
wide-awake and active firemen of this
city, some of whom seem to sleep with
one eye open, were on their way to
the scene before the louder noise Of the
siren whistle pierced the air. Even
that shrek is not sufficient to arouse
everybody, but it does the work and
it looks like it ought to be enough to
awaken every one who is not stone
deaf. 1t generally sounds on time.
When the fremen reached the place
the house where the fire started was
burning all around from the outside
and completely enveloped in flames,
seeming to indicate to many that the
fire was of incendiary origin. 1t was
too far gone to be saved. The house
was owned and occupied by DR.. c. E.
Stephenson. He and his mother were
the only occupants of the house at the
time of the fire, his wife having gone
away on a visit to her relatives. He
had lust Friday afternoon returned
from the meeting in Sumter of the
State Colored Medical association,
spending Wednesday and Thursday at
the meeting. He says that when he
was awakened Saturday morning his
room was full of smoke and fire. He
had barely time to have his trunk and
a small one belonging to his mother.
They lost their wearing apparel and
everything else. He happened to have
suit of clothes in the pressing cluD'
which came in handy.
DR.. Stephenson had his house insur-
ed for $1,000 and his furniture, etc.,
for $500. He was well fixed. Besides
his fine furniture, he had valuable
books in his library, jewelry, silver
ware, cutglass pieces, etc., that were
highly priced as heirlooms, all OF
which were lost, including his supply
of physicians instruments that he kept
at home for emergency calls.
! The house, practically destroyed by
the time the firemen arrived, was one
of a row of four houses in close proxi-
nifty at a locality near the premises
of Mrs. H. F. Cline on the main Helena
road at a little distance from the base
of Blue Ruin hill. The other three
houses were. also burned. They were
all owned and occupied by colored peo-
pie. Two of them, however, were rent
ed.
Nose Collins, who owned and occu-
pied one of the houses, saved about
one half of his household goods. He
claims his loss at $1,65O-about one
half of which is covered by insurance,
his household goods being insured in
the agency of John H. Baxter.
One of the other two houses was
occupied by Lewis Richards and one
bv Cornelius Robertson. Both lost
their all, with no insurance. AS one
colored fellow expressed it, Lewis
didn't have thing to put on his foot.
The house occupied by Richards be-
longed to G. C. Williams. That occu-
pied by Robertson was the property
of T. A. Williams. Each of these lat
ter houses was insured for $500.
The fire company worked under
great disadvantage.
Mr.. James L. Aull was badly burned
on the hand and face while driving
the hose wagon in the vicinity of the
fire, and the horse was blistered about
the head. Mr.. Donald White also re-
ceived burns about the arm, and sew
eral others were blistered a little.
The fremen fought hard and sue
ceeGed in saving Mrs. Cline's resi-
darcn, which was threatened seriously
b. the flames.
Preliminary Contest.
Az tho nrnliminarv contest among