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Note: VINCENNES SUN
MILLIE A. STROUD HOUSE FIRE IN VINCENNES, INDIANA
EVENING EDITION
SUN, VOL. 70 NO. 114
COMMERCIAL VOL. 64, NO. 105
SUN-COMMERICAL, VOL. 17, NO. 232
AGED MOTHER, SON BURN TO DEATH
TWO TRAPPED AS FIRE AT 4 A.M. DESTROYS HOME.
GUS EVANS, 44 PAINTER, AND MRS. MILLIE EVANS VICTIMS.
A 4-ROOM MODEST FRAME HOME AT 163 EAST MINNEAPOLIS AVE. WITH THE EXTERIOR COVERED WITH IMITATION BRICK SIDING. BUT THE INTERIOR COVERED WITH PAPER, PROVED THE FUNERAL PYRE FOR MRS. MILLIE EVANS, 79 AND SON AUGUST ( GUS ) EVANS, 44. LOCAL PAINTER, WHOSE CHARRED BODIES WERE CARRIED FROM THE BURNING HOME BY CITY FIREMEN SHORTLY AFTER 4 O' CLOCK FRIDAY MORNING.
BOTH BODIES WERE BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE SON WAS ESTABLISH BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION WHICH DISCLOSED THE FACT ANOTHER SON, CLEM EVANS, 41. WHO WAS ALSO BELIVED IN THE HOME HAD BEEN ABSENT FOR THE NIGHT.
A SMALL SON OF GEORAGE BAXLEY, LIVING NEXT DOOR TO THE EVANS HOME DISCOVERED THE FIRE AT 4:05 O'CLOCK. THE CHILD WAS AWAKENED BY THE LIGHT FROM THE BLAZING BUILDING REFLECTING AGAINST THE WINDOW OF HIS BEDROOOM.
HE CALLED HIS FATHER, WHO RAN ACROSS THE STREET TO ELSWORTH MOYES, 166 EAST MINNEAPOLIS AVE. MR. MOYES TELEPHONED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
MOYES AND BAXLEY RUSHED BACK ACROSS THE STREET AND FORCED THE FRONT DOOR OF THE BURNING EVANS HOME. BUT THE HEAT FROM THE FIRE WAS SO INTENSE THAT THEY WERE DRIVEN BACK.
WHEN THE FIREMEN ARRIVED UPON THE SCENE FLAMES WERE SHOOTING HIGHER THAN THE SURROUNDING TREETOPS. WATER WAS QUICKLY TURNED ON THE BURNING MASS AND WITHIN A SHORT TIME THE FLAMES HAD BEEN PARTIALLY SUBDUED AND IT WAS POSSIBLE TO LOOK INSIDE THE______________________________________________________FIRE CHIEF__________SAID THE MOTHER AND SON WAS FOUND IN THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE FRONT BEDROOM. MRS EVANS WITH HER HEAD TOWARDS THE DOOR ONLY ABOUT 10 FEET FROM THE WINDOW AND HER SON WITH HIS HEAD AND SHOULDERS BETWEEN THE BACK OF THE DAY BED AND THE OUTSIDE WALL OF THE BUILDING.
THE BODIES WERE REMOVED AFTER BEING VIEWED BY CORONER M.B. GOSARD. THE CLOTHING HAD BEEN BURNED FROM BOTH BODIES AND THE FLESH OF EACH WAS BLACKENED AND CHARRED ALMOST TO A CRISP.
NEIGHBORS TOLD FIREMEN THAT THE OTHER SON CLEM, WAS IN THE HOUSE BUT A SEARCH FAILED TO LOCATE HIM, AND IT WAS LEARNED THAT HE HAD BEEN ABSENT FROM THE HOME OVER NIGHT.
NEIGHBORS AND POLICE CAPTAIN JAMES MALLORY, REPORTED SEEING GUS EVANS GO HOME ABOUT MIDNIGHT. HE HAD BEEN SEEN ON THE STREET FREQUENTLY DURING THE DAY, AND WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITOL AFTER APPARENTLY SUFFERING A HEART ATTACK, BUT WAS RELEASED WITHOUT NEED FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT.
FROM THE LOCATION OF THE BODIES, IT WAS BELIVED THAT THE SON, WHOSE BEDROOM WAS TO THE REAR ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOUSE WHERE THE FIRE STARTED, WAS AWAKENED BY THE SMOKE AND ATTEMPTED TO RESCUE HIS AGED MOTHER, WHO WAS SLEEPING IN THE FRONT BEDROOM ON THE WESTSIDE. THEY APPARENTLY WERE NEAR SUFFOCATION BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM THE BURNING BUILDING.
CONT. NEXT PAGE
MILLIE EVANS HOUSE FIRE CONT
GUS EVANS HAD BEEN WORKING OF LATE, BUT IT WAS BELIVED TO HAVE STARTED IN THE BED WHERE THE SON WAS SLEEPING PROBABLY FROM A LIGHTED CIGARRETTE. THE PARTITION WALLS WERE COVERED WITH TARPAPER, AND AFTER THE FIRE HAD GAINED SOME HEADWAY, THE ENTIRE INTERIOR WAS SOON A ROARING FURNACE. THE CHARRED ROOF OF THE BUILDING DID NOT COLLAPSE, AND THE OUTSIDE WALLS WERE INTACT.
THE DAMAGED WAS ESTIMATED AT ABOUT $2000.00. MRS. EVANS WAS WEARING AROUND HER NECK A SMALL SACK IN WHICH WAS FOUND SOME BILLS. THESE WERE TURNED OVER TO ANOTHER SON WITH THE ADVICE THAT HE TAKE THE MONEY TO THE BANK, AND IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE THERE TO IDENTIFY THE DENOMINATION OF THE BILLS.
IN ADDITION TO THE SON, CLEM EVANS. MRS. EVANS IS SURVIVED BY THE FOLLOWING CHILDREN:
OTTO R. EVANS, OF ROAD 50
CLELL EVANS, OF VINCENNES
MRS. ROSIE MERDER, OF JASPER
MRS. CLEO GREEN, OF FORT THOMAS
MRS. CLARA PLASS, OF INDIANAPOLIS
AND A HALF BROTHER,
THOMAS SIMMONS, OF VINCENNES.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BUT INTERMENT WILL BE AT THE SHILOH CEMETERY NEAR JASPER, INDIANA.
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