Dallas Morning
News
19 February 1898
SHERMAN SIFTINGS
Colored Boy's
Heroism
Sherman,
Tex.,
Feb. 18. - Grayson county has a 7-year-old
colored hero whose
name the correspondent unfortunately could
not learn to-day. The
story of his heroism was told to-day by
Mr. W. O. O'Neil of Whitesboro,
who came in to-day from Whitesboro (they
probably meant Whitewright), in substance
as follows:
"As
Mr. O'Neil late yesterday afternoon was
driving by the residence of Mr.
John E. Everhart, five miles west of
Whitewright, he was astonished to
see a little Negro boy rush out of the
house with a little child in his
arms, and in a moment more Mr. O'Neil
perceived the clothing of both
was in a blaze. The boy seemed
perfectly oblivious to his own
danger, but manfully succeeded in
extinguishing the blazing dress of
the child, which proved to be Mattie, the
2-year-old daughter of Mr.
Everhart, whom he had been left to
watch. Mr. O'Neil went to his
rescue and found the little girl
practically uninjured, but before the
boy's clothing could be put out he was
very painfully burned about the
sides and breast. During the
momentary absence of her nurse, the
little one tipped over a bottle of
gunpowder into the fire and her
dress was ignited in the flash.
Hearing the child scream, the boy
ran in, and clasping her in his arms, ran
toward Mr. O'Neil for
assistance, all the time fighting the
blaze vigorously.