228. Fatal Fires: Clark (1907) And Sanders (1863)

RCHS Blog Post Number 228. 

Fatal Fires, Clark and Sanders

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Spartanburg, Randolph County

October, 1907.

  As the result of an explosion of gasoline, Mrs. Daniel CLARK, of Spartanburg, was so badly burned about the breast, abdomen and limbs that she died four hours later.

  She was thinning some stove black in a saucer on a hot stove with some gasoline. While in the act of pouring the fluid from a bottle, she looked to see if someone was entering and some of the gasoline fell on the stove. The explosion followed and in an instant her person was enveloped in flames.

  Her screams attracted Samuel LORTEN, James MENDENHALL and John BAKER. The latter used a quilt to stifle the flames while Mendenhall helped. Before the flames could be extinguished, she was so badly burned that to save her life was impossible.

  Mrs. Clark was twenty-one years old and the daughter of James JACKSON, of Greensfork township. She was married to Daniel Clark about two years ago. Mr. Clark owns a store in Spartanburg and is well known in that part of the county.

Cabin fire, stock photo. 

North Of Union City, Randolph County, February, 1863.

  Mrs. Mitchell SANDERS, (whose husband is serving in the Union Army) living 5 miles north of Union City was engaged in dressing flax and the weather being damp, she carried several bundles into the house, which was a log cabin, and set them up around the fireplace to dry. She then went out leaving her infant in the house asleep, but took her two older children with her, both less than five years old.

  The children with her soon complained of being cold, when she sent them to the house to warm. Soon after they had entered the cabin and closed the door she discovered a great cloud of smoke coming from the chimney and on opening the door the flames verily exploded filling the house so that it was impossible to enter.

  One of the children was close to the door and was pulled out of the fire alive although dreadfully burned and Mrs. Sanders, in her efforts to save this child exposed her cloths which took fire, and she only saved her life by tearing them off.

 The charred remains of the oldest child were recovered but the baby was entirely consumed by the flames.

Postcard of Main Street of Spartanbug, Indiana; undated. 

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Randolph County, Indiana 1818-1990
Commonly referred to as "The Red History Book"
Compiled by the Randolph County Historical Society, 1991, Second reprint 2003.

Read page 129-140 to read "Death Records And Cemetery History." Page 131article titled "Franklin Township Cemeteries: 1. Race Street" has a very brief description.

Read page 446 to read the family history of Joab Addington which was submitted by Joanne Moulton.

To obtain your own copy of "The Red History Book" stop in at The RCHS Museum Shop or send an email to arrange placing a mail order.

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227. Winchester's West End Grocery Closes, 1967.

Winchester Journal-Herald, May 27, 1967.

By Anna Marie Gibbons

  The corner of Western Ave. and West South St. in Winchester has been unusually quiet these past few weeks, and even now that school is out, the usual groups of small children and half grown boys are not gathered on the paving or sitting on the bench in front of the West End Grocery there. It seems odd to west-enders to pass the grocery during store hours and see no children playing and no bicycles parked on the walk by the small building.

  Signs in the front window and on the back door read "Closed. West End Grocery Has Quit Business."

  The signs have been read with sorrow by many school children and stared at with puzzlement by children too young to read, as they rattled the handles of the locked doors.

  And no wonder.

  Since 1920, for 47 years, the West End Grocery (formerly known as "Shires'") has been in operation. During most of that time the proprietor has been one or another member of the same family.

  The last proprietor, John IRISH, who closed the grocery's doors this spring, says merely that "operations of this type and size are a thing of the past." Irish explains that he is unable to buy in large enough quantities to secure sufficient discount to meet competitive prices of the large grocery concerns.

  He points to the numbers of small credit groceries, neighborhood stores in Winchester which have gone out of business in the past few years. Included are at least ten neighborhood groceries in addition to this one. Those remaining are two filling stations which also sell groceries, a produce and grocery business, and one north side neighborhood store, as far as Irish can determine.

  Irish says that his grandfather, William SHIRES, built the frame building and started the grocery in 1920. William Shires' son, the late Ervin Shires, operated the store later, as did another son, Martin Shires. The grocery was also operated by Irene Shires Irish, John's mother. The only proprietor not a member of the Shires family was the late Herb ROBBINS , who operated the grocery for approximately 12 years, before Irish took the business over.

  Although the small grocery has always sold the usual staples, canned goods, bread meat and produce, it's chief attraction for the younger set has from the beginning been the "penny" candy case.

  Back in the days when all fifth, sixth and seventh graders in the Winchester school district attended Willard elementary school, children from all over the city as well as Willard elementary students stopped at Shires' as a matter of course, to buy, or just to look or perhaps beg a piece of candy from a wealthier friend.

  The penny candy case will be remembered with fondness by many grown men and women in Winchester who spent long minutes gazing into it, as children. A child with a penny could make a respectable purchase: a child with a nickle had quite a bit of shopping ahead and a child with a dime could march out with a paper sack stuffed with delightful treasures.

   There were tiny licorice drops molded into various shapes; chocolate cream-filled candies which just might hide a prize; vast round balls of sweetness so hard they could be sucked for hours; intriguing small paraffin mugs filled with a sweet colored liquid (the paraffin to be chewed later, of course), and literally dozens of other choices. The Shires family must have had infinite patience to stand by while some small child teetered from one foot to the other, trying to make up his mind what vital penny's worth he would choose.

  Even when the days of the variegated penny candy were over, the West End Grocery still had many small items of interest to the young-bubble gum, candy bars, licorice whips, ice cream bars and soft drinks.

  The Irishes, with two children of their own (Debbie, now 15, and Bill, 18, who graduated from high school this year) were especially tolerant of the younger generation, and the West End Grocery became a rendezvous for both the bicycle and tricycle set. Debbie, who was two when the Irishes took over the store, centers most of her childhood around the grocery.

  "It's the little kids who really complain," Mrs. Irish said recently. "They just can't begin to believe we've closed and get quite upset about it."

  A very understandable reaction.

  John Irish has taken a position with Anchor Hocking Glass company, where hours are more regular than those of a small neighborhood grocery.

  The little frame building is being used as a branch office for the Federal Credit Union of which Irish is treasurer, and John himself works there in the midst of empty shelves and display cases from 3:30 to 5 p.m. each weekday.

  But once in awhile a small child still comes up the steps with a nickel in his fist, and hopefully rattles the door.