THREE PERSONS BURNED TO DEATH.

Evening Star, Issue 4028, 25 January 1876, Page 3

THREE PERSONS BURNED TO DEATH.

A mote terrible calamity than that which overtook a farmer named Patrick Land, living at the Upper Sheepwash, near Castlemaine, on New Year’s Day, can scarcely be conceived. lauul left his home cm that day, with two of his children, to go to the St. Andrew’s vSociety sports, in the Camp Reserve, Sandhurst. His wife had only two days previously been confined, and was of course almost helpless. There were also two little children left behind—a boy arid girl, aged eighteen mouths and three years respectively. No house was nearer to their dwelling than half a mile, namely, Collie’s Hotel, and Mr Land’s brother-in-law —Mr O’Hallaran—lived on a farm about a mile distant. A log fire was burning in an adjoining room to that which Mrs Land occupied, and the children were enjoined not to go near it; but whether through disobedience or mere accident the house caught fire unknown to Mrs Land. Before she was aware of the fact the whole place was in flames, and she awoke to find the two children severely burned and crying in agony. In terror the poor woman rose from her bed, in her fright and haste leaving her infant behind, and, seizing the older children, she rushed outside just as the building was wrapped in flames. Stunned and bewildered by the awful situation in which she was placed, without a soul near her to tender any help, she forgot that her newly-bom babe was in deadly peril, and, before she recollected the fact, all hope of rescue was over. The dry weatherboards gave way, the roof fell in, and the child was burned to ashes. Close upon midnight, Mr Land returned, and found to his horror that his house was razed to the ground, and nothing but smouldering fragments left to mark the spot. His wife and children terrorstricken, were cowering near the embers more dead than alive, and the poor woman was raving deliriously. It was some time before the husband could bring himself to realise the full extent of his calamitous loss, and he then took his houseless suffering wife and children to his brother-in-law’s house, a mile distant from the scene of death and ruin. The surviving children were found to have sustained grievous injury, their legs and arms being almost roasted, and Mrs Land herself, in addition to the great shock she had received, was found to be severely burned. The children died the next day, and the medical men who were called in gave no hopes of the mother’s recovery. One of the doctors went afterwards to the scene of the fire, and found amongst the debris the charred remains of the infant yet smoking from the heat. Little was left to identify them ; only a blackened skull, part of the ribs, and the thigh bones. The news has produced feelings of dismay throughout the entire district.