Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1919-03-07
Widows 8 Home
Burns and Child
Dies in Flames
Charrcd Little Body Pulled From
Under Bed in Debris Where He
Had Sought Refuge From Flames

The three room house on Mulber-
ry and Katy occupied by Mrs. Mary
Morrison, a widow lady, was burned
to the ground at three o'clock on
Thursday afternoon. and James, the
four-year-old son of Mrs. Morrison,
perished in the flames. After the
fire was out, the charred little body,
burned beyond recognition as q hu-
man being, was dragged from under
the debris of bed. where the little
fellow had evidently sought refuge
from the flames. The legs were
both burned off to the knees, both
arms burned almost entirely away
and the face burned to a charred
mass.
The remains we're taken to the
Holmes Undertaking Shop and were
laid to rest in Highland cemetery
Friday morning officiated over by
the Rev. Herman Jones. ~. *
When the department reached
the scene of the fire, the house. a
three room frame shack was des-
troyed, the ceiling. had fallen In
and most of the walls. The heart
broken mother couldn't find her
baby and her grief touched the
crowd that had gathered, for she
said she knew that her. child was ia
the house. Willing hands aided the
firemen, and every vestige of walls
and timbers remaining were pulled
down and away with hooks, until
only mass of burned wood, a part
ly burned bed and a cook stove were
to be seen on the floor Of what had
been the house. Bob Thompson and
Asa Lynn were In the midst of the
debris cleaning 1t away in search
OF the body. A fireman and others
had just taken hold Of the frame
of the bed with a hook to drag IT
out. when Thompson told them to
wait moment, when he turned it
over with his hands and dragged
from beneath 1t the charred bundle
of flesh and bone that few mo-
ments before had been a child.
What remained OF the child was
wrapped in unburned but water
soaked pieces of bed clothes ! and
taken to the undertaken to be pre-
pared for burial.
At sight of the charred body of
her baby the mothers grief was un-
controllable. and tears we're seen
on the faces of strong men and
women alike who tried to console
the woman, who had lost not only
her home and all earthly posses
sions but her baby as well.
A collection was taken. up for the
woman among the few people that
remained with her after the fire
was all put out, that yielded about
fifteen dollars and relieved for q
moment the unfortunate. woman's
financial distress.
Mrs. Morrison. a widow, support.
ed herself and her children" age,
IL. 0. 7 and by washing, and toll
cd hours every day to make the
ends meet II seems from the. ,best
information available that Thurs.
day afternoon, she had stepped to
n neighbor's house on an errand
and left her baby boy playing Nou
the floor. While away neishbor $
child told others that he hasf seen
James playing with box of matches
and sitting on the bed hut this may
never be confirmed. The mothers
attention was first attracted when
she saw her home mass of flames
with her child nowhere In sight
The shell of house burned like
tinder, and was about consumed
when the department arrived. The
rest of the story has been told.
i The Goodfellow's organization
went the rounds Immediately after
the full significance of the fire was
presented to them and raised some
thing like $3.50 in cash for the des-
titute woman.
With this fund it is contemplated
to rent her a house, furnish II for
her, buy her and her children ne.
cessary clothing, and some fuel and
provisions.
We are requested to ask anyone
who has articles of furniture that
may not be longer needed, and who
are willing to contribute them. to
telephone A. B. Davis at 4S9.