The Huttig News

FOUR BURNED TO DEATH

When Home of G.W. Howell at Old Landing is Destroyed by Fire

John Q. Barlow, aged 66 years, 8 months and 19 days, his wife, Rhoda, aged 54 years, 4 months and 10 days, and their daughter, Arcola, aged 17 years, 9 months and 24 days, were burned to death and G.W. Howell fatally burned in the fire that destroyed the home of Mr. Howell at Old Landing on the Ouachita river five miles east of here at 6 o'clock Saturday morning, March 24, 1917.

Mr. and Mrs. Barlow who are Mrs. Howell's parents arrived here just one week before from their home at Glancy, Mississippi, on a visit with their daughter and are survived by four other children, Homer, Wayne, Lucian and Katie.

Mr. Howell had arisen to start a fire in the stove in the room occupied by the Barlows and was using gasoline out of a can which exploded throwing burning oil all over the bed clothing on the beds on which they were sleeping and himself, causing the room to become a roaring furnace in a moment. Mr. Howell rushed from the house and jumped into the river about thirty yards distance from the house but he was so badly burned about the face and lower limbs that he died at 6 o'clock Sunday morning. Mrs. Howell and their two small children were in an adjoining room and escaped without injury in their night clothes.

The limbs and arms of all those who perished in the fire were entirely burned off and their bodies burned to a crisp and all three buried in one grave in the Huttig cemetery late Saturday afternoon. The remains of Mr. Howell were laid to rest at 10 o'clock Monday morning.
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