The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-03-28
FIVE CHILDREN DIE IN FIRE
While Parents are Visiting House is
Destroyed and Children Burned

! The following account of the burn
Ing to death of five negro children in
family that recently moved from
Dillon to Marion county is taken
from the Mullins Enterprise:
News of the horrible burning of
nve negro children on Friday night
on the late Geo. Smith farm, two
miles north Of Mullins. attracted
many persons to the scene Saturday
The charred trunks Of the children
was all that remained and after the
house had burned down, these arm
less. headless and legless bodies
were pulled out of the ruins and
laid side by side on some pine
boughs under a shelter adjoining
the burned home, where hundreds
or persons viewed them before their
burial was orderd by the Coroner
The Enterprise reporter was
, among the early arrivals at the scene
and what he saw made an impression
he will never forget.
Walking over the ruins was a
young negro man. bright, intelli-
gent looking fellow, apparently alb
out 80 years old. AS the reporters
party walked up, the half crazed man
stopped down and picked up little
piece of white bone-a part Of a
child's skull. Holding it in his
quivering hand he said: This may
be my child's; my God! it is awful
Just yesterday was his birth day
he was six. And here is one of his
little birth day presents that he set
on the bureau" A little piece of
crumpled tin, evidently cup of
some description.
Continuing, Henry Mayes. the faith
er. said that early the night before
he and his wife LEFT the home
scarcely more than two hundred
yards distant. They left their little
boy and four other children in the
home. There was plenty OF wood in
the house, and as the weather was
cool. a good fire was burning in the
fire place. He said he felt no fear,
! as his sisterin-law, age about IA,
was old and experienced enough to
care for the smaller children, be-
! sides. there were two other large
children, all able to take care of the
house. He said that quite a number
of persons Of the neighborhood had
gathered at the sick neighbor's and
about ten o'clock he looked out Of
the window and saw his house com
pletely wrapped in flames. They
all ran in that direction. hoping to
| find the children in the yard, but
when they failed to respond to the
call. he knew that they were in the
burning house, which by that time
was falling in. AS soon as the flames
had died down, Henry said that
they commenced to search for the
bodies. The first little form to be
recovered was that one OF the small
er children. 1t had managed to get
over to window, but was over
come and succumbed to the flames.
Searching further, they saw the
springs of a bed. on which lay two
charred bodies and on another
spring were two other bodies, show
ing that the children probably never
awoke when the fire reached them.
When asked as to how he sup
| posed the fire started, Henry said
that he did not know, but that it
was possible that n large "chunk"
he had put on before leaving the
house had rolled out and set the
mating on fire, and the house be-
ing old and very dry, caught almost
instantly. and as the ch h.!d.cn were
tired. did not know what was hap
"a 80.
his wife saw the charrCd bodies, she
ran 10 the woods, and when they
found her she was several miles
away, in 4 half craZed state. Up to
the time the reporter was there, the
mother had not returned to the
scene
The family had only recently NOV
ed there, coming from Dillon coun-
kty. Henry Hayes is said to have a
nnmtation as a hard orking. honest
and was we'll liked by his
G. Wightman Smith, with
is running share crop
Ater he said: "If We had
Dillon county We
had this.
Ympathy was eX-
lortunate man ny
Saturday. Not
a his home.
ere those Of
ging to his
IA, and
Poth girls