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AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH
NEWS 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, 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. News Index Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |