| From Streator Free Press, July 31, 1880:
Burned to Death.
----------
Thursday afternoon about four o'clock three
little boys, Tommy Peters, Grant Murry and ----- Richardson aged from ten
to twelve years got hold of a can of powder in the shanty of Peter's shaft,
near No. 3, and were making flashes of it, in small quantities, in boyish
sport. In doing this they accidently scattered enough between the
can and their fire to make a train by which the can was fired. In
the explosion all three of the boys were burned in a horrible manner.
Their clothing were also set on fire and that added to their terrible injuries.
Mrs. Martin, a near neighbor, was the first to see them and threw water
on them putting out the fire. The Murry boy died about one o'clock
that night, and Tommy Peters yesterday morning, while the Richardson boy
was not expected to recover. Drs. Williams & Dicus and Dr. Finley
had the cases in charge. They describe the injuries as horrible,
the skin in some places being literally burned off them. It is one
of the most horrible cases that has ever occurred in this community.
From Streator Free Press, Aug. 7, 1880:
The Richardson boy, so badly burned in
the explosion of powder at Peter's shaft, as mentioned last week, died
Friday night. Thus all three of the boys who were hurt are dead.
It will be a terrible warning to boys not to play with powder.
8 year old John Richardson was also buried
in Moon Point but his stone is missing/ unreadable. Tommy Peters
was buried in St. Steven's. |
