The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1927-12-16

George and Dorothy Gross, in
the peaceful stiffness of death, lie
in little white caskets at the NOR
que. The touch of skilled and
loving hands have impaired to the
little faces and forms the neat
ness and the sweetness of child
ish charm. An unexpected charm
that swells the throats and fills
the eyes of all those who look up
on them. A flinty heart, indeed,
that would not over flow with
sympathy for the hapless little
brother and sister, of four and
three, who were such familiar
figures on the streets, and whose
fate was almost prophetic.
The Room in Flames
Tuesday afternoon around 800
o'clock the little tots were safe
with their mother in their North
side home. Less than an hour
later they lay on the couch where
they were accustomed to take
their maps, suffocating in the fire
created gas that filled the room
and excluded the oxygen. The
mother, chatting with neighbor
half a block away was warned by
the driver of a coal wagon just
too late. In desperate courage she
braved the heat and smoke and
gas, searched the clouded room,
found them on the couch ana,
scooping them up in her arms
carried them into the pure ar,
but too late. The skill OF nurses
and doctors was unavailing. me
father. Lester Gross, busy at MS
forge, says he seemed to sense
the truth when the siren blew
and raced in a car for the nome.
The Cause
The surrounding circumstances,
and the objects in the charred and
smoky room, point to matches anu
Christmas candles in the hanus
of the little boy as the cause OIL
the fire. Such was the view taken
by the coronor's jury. EXACTLY
what happened, or how it happen
ed can never be known to GER
tainty. In this particular instance
by absenting herself from her
home for 20 to 80 minutes, Mrs.
Gross did nothing more imam
many mothers do. But this Time
luck and fate broke against her.
The funeral services Will be
held at the Catholic church sat
urday morning at 10:3O O'Clock.
Who can say that their brlet
lives have not served a great pur-
nose in standing as a community
warning and guarding other prec-
ions little lives from the dangers
they knew and a fate similar TO
theirs. If so, little George ana
Dorothy did not live in vain.
The grim details of the sad day
are related in the testimony given
at the coroner's investigation.
Inquest Held
Owing to the fact that there
were several rumors on the street
relative to the starting OF the nre
and possible cause of death OF the
children. County Attorney Marion
considered it best to call con-
oner's inquest before Judge COR
don. acting coroner. wednesday
afternoon the jury viewed the pou-
;es of the children at the Clayton
undertaking parlors, and then
went to the Gross house on the
Northside and viewed the condl'
tion of that. Inasmuch as there
were a good many witnesses TO De
called the remainder OF the IN
ouest was postponed until Thurs
day. It occupied the greater par'
of the day Thursday as the VIII
nesses were questioned at length
and minutely about the occur
ances at about the time OF the
fire and afterward. Those Who
testified were William Rygg, whc
told at Ferguson's of the smoke
coming out of the Gross mousse
Ole Olson, who rooms at Gross $
Mrs Minerva C. Kirk, mother o.
r. G. Ferguson, Mrs. 4. u. FER
guson: Charlie Howe, fire chlet
Mabel Nichol, Lester Gross
Claude Nichol, Joseph Knorr, Mrs
Gross, DR.. ]. c. DeWane and Or
c. B. Larson.
Ryqq Testimony
Mr.. Rygg said that he was haul
ing a load of Ignite coal to tn'
Gross home on the afternoon o