Baby Payne
BABY BURNED TO DEATH WHEN OIL STOVE EXPLODES
HOME OF JAMES PAYNE NEAR FLATTOP IS TOTALLY DESTROYED
One-Year-Old Child's Body Almost Cremated While Others are Away from Home
Untold sorrow was brought to the members of the James Payne family, of near Flattop yesterday (Wednesday)morning when fire took the life of the one-year-old baby of that household and totally destroyed the house in which they lived.
Mr. Payne had gone out to the field in the early hours of the morning, leaving Mrs. Payne in the house with the three children, ages one, three and five years. Mrs. Payne sent the two older youngsters out in the yard to play and placed the baby in the crib prior to taking a jug of water to her husband.
She had left the oil stove burning in the kitchen and when she reached the place where Mr. Payne was at work, she turned toward the house and saw it in flames. Both rushed to the burning structure, but when they arrived there the house was a seething mass and the walls already falling.
Entrance was impossible and hopes for saving the baby were given up. The little body when taken from the ruins, was found to be badly charred. Both arms were burned off at the elbows, and both limbs at the knees.
Funeral services were held today (Thursday) at Glendo and interment made in the cemetery at that place.