The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-12-13
BURNING OF HOME AT TROY
DEATH OF MRS. WHITAKER
Shocking Catastrophe Appalls the
Whole Community.

One of the most shocking and dis
tressful incidents that has occurred
in many day took place at Troy
last Saturday night, Dec. Z, 1918,
when the residence of Mr.. and Mrs.
B. p. Moffctt was burned.
AS near as can be told the facts
are something like the following. In
the home were Mr. and Mrs. Brice
p. Moffatt and their little son, Rob-
ert Brice, and Mrs. Moffctt's parents,
Mr.. and Mrs. d. M. Whitaker. After
supper it was necessary for Mr.. Mof-
fatt, who has drug store in Troy,
to be at his place of business. That
left Mr.. and Mrs. Whitaker, Mrs.
Moffatt and the baby at home. The
house, formerly the residence OF Dr..
w. M. Bright, now located at Hick-
man, was a two-story frame, facing
north, with front porch also two
stories in height. The cast and west
rooms, like nearly all the old build
ings, were divided by hall, with
stairway in the hall. There were ad-
ditional ROOMS to the rear, but it is
necessary only, in order to relate the
tragic death of Mrs Whitaker, to
speak now of the two east rooms and
the hall. Mr.. Whitaker had gone
upstairs to retire in Mrs. Whitaker's
room directly over the family room,
and Mrs. Whitaker remained with
Mrs. Moffatt and the boy, to be with
them in. the family room, which is
the lower east room, until Mr.. Mof-
fatt returned from the store. Such
was the arrangement when the house
caught fire, no one suspecting dan
ger, much less the appalling fate of
Mrs. Whitaker. The time was be-
tween eight and nine o'clock and
Mr.. Whitaker was alarmed by
strange noise. He arose Immediately
and opened the door to the hall, and
then he discovered the house was on
fire. A lamp in the hall which was
kept on a table to light the way up
and downstairs, to all appearances
had exploded and the hall was full
of smoke and fire, SO much that be-
fore Mr.. Whitaker could close the
door he had opened his hair and
beard were badly burned. With the
door closed he rushed to the window
leading upon the porch, raised the
sash, kicked the screen out and made
his escape by climbing down the
front porch structure. He was al
most to the ground when help ar
rived and the alarm was given. By
that time the occupants of the family
room were awake. Mrs. Whitaker
got up and took the boy and handed
him to Mrs. Moffatt and then pushed
Mrs. Moffatt out thru the front hall
door, which is very close to the fami-
ly room door leading to the hall. All
was commotion, of course. Nobody
saw Mrs. Whitaker come out of the
building, but supposed she had done
so with the other occupants of the
room. Excited, Mrs. Moffatt carried
her boy to a neighbor's and came
back and then began to look for her
mother. She had not had time to
dress, so she was picked up by her
father-in-law, ]. r. Moffatt, and car
ried to his residence across the road
to the southeast. Every nearby house
was searched for Mrs. Whitaker, but
she could not be found, and
then Mr. Whitaker and the crowd
began to realize the fact that
Mrs. Whitaker had gone upstairs,
evidently looking for Mr. Whit
aker. She was going to his rescue.
From that time until the house burn
ed to the ground no trace of Mrs.
Whitaker was found. Mr.. Brice Mof-
fatt made one or two unsuccessful
attempts to enter the building, but |
he was forced back by those who saw
he was going into the jaws of death,
without hope of saving Mrs. Whit
aker.
Such was the indcscribably hor-
rible scene as the crowd stood
helpless, while the flames IN
fury leaped up and then wind
ward to tho north, gradually
forcing the people back from the
heat and endangering other buildings
across the way. The light was visible
in Union City and it was reported
that Troy was on fire.
In the early stages of the fire one
Jr two men had effected an entrance
to the family room thru the east
window, but few things only were
saved. Thus the crowd was held at
bay until the house was burned to
the ground. AS soon as it was pos
sible to approach the building an
(. -, .>..<,., al ct Tof char was made Then