Tragic Fire

The Weekly Republican (Jackson, Co, IL)

donated by Stephen Cutler

When the Marion McCormick home burned at Herrin, Wednesday at about 12 o'clock noon (on 19 May 1909), Mr. and Mrs. McCormick's 2 year old son was incinerated, a 4 year old son died one hour later as a result of his horrible burns, a 5 year old daughter was burned almost beyond recognition and now clutches at a frail thread of life and the two older McCormick children received serious burns to hands and faces while vainly endeavoring to save the little ones from the relentless flames.

It has been learned that the conflagration found its origin in a cook stove in which the little children were trying to light a fire.  The children used kerosene and it is the general opinion that when a lighted match was touched to the highly combustible oil, an explosion resulted and the children were enveloped by the flames the next instant.  The two eldest children of the three most seriously burned were taken from the home still alive.  The little boy died about one hour later and as stated above there is little hope for the five year old daughter.  The youngest child was burned to a crisp and when taken from the building, the little body hardly resembled that of a human being.  Mr. & Mrs. McCormick, formerly of Murphysboro, located at Herrin some time ago.

At the time the fire broke out Wednesday, Mrs. McCormick was not at her home, having gone out to visit a neighbor two hours before.  Mr. McCormick, formerly a miner at Herrin, is at present time employed as a section hand on the Illinois Central railroad and at the time his children met their horrible death, he was at work on the railroad. 

The fire was just a short distance from the Methodist Episcopal church where the quarterly convention of the Mt Vernon district Methodist churches was in convention and Rev M.H. Lear of this city, who was in attendance speaks of the terrible felicity as follows, "We could plainly see the small house burning and when we heard the shrieks of the children the place of the convention was the scene of what one might almost term a panic.  All present made a rush for the doors and ran to the burning house in the hope of saving the little ones.  Many attempts were made to get the children out but before the rescue was accomplished, one child was beyond all earthly pain and two were fatally burned.  I saw the little ones as they were carried from the home and it was a horrible sight."  The distracted parents are the recipients of many acts of kindness and charity at the hands of the citizens of Herrin.  A purse was made up for their benefit and was presented to them late Wednesday afternoon.

Addition: Children were as follows.  The 3 children which died were buried at North County Line, in Jackson Co, IL.

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