Beckham County, OK - Deaths: Flora King, 1913 25 August 2008 Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell) ********************************************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ********************************************************************* KING, FLORA (18 Sep 1913, Elk City Record, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK): M. Z. and R. A. King returned a few days ago from southwest Texas, where they were called by the sudden death of their mother by fire, last week. The accident occurred in the burning of the home and business house during the night. The origin of the fire is unknown but was thought to have started from a sack of lime that had been slightly wet by a shower and put in the building for safer keeping. The building was just completed and was used, the lower floor for a general merchandise store and the upper floor by two families and an old man as a roomer. The fire was discovered by Mr. King who attempted to put it out by throwing water on it, which caused an explosion, this ignited the whole building, that had recently been painted and varnished and all very dry. Mr. King ran back up stairs to get his wife and they returned to an outside door but that being locked and the keys in their bed room. Mrs. King returned to get them, Mr. King not knowing that she had gone broke the glass in the door. Missing his wife, Mr. King returned to the bed room, but was overcome with the heat and smoke and was rescued by his son who also carried out another man who lived in the house, he died the next day. Mrs. King was suffocated by the smoke and the heat was so intense that saving her was impossible. The old man burned too, it is thought he never awoke. Mr. King and his son were neither badly burned. (Census, 1910, Texas, Nueces Co, Corpus Christi Wd 3, ED 100, pg 1A, #2/2 (T624-1582): Z. S. King, age 61, b Tx; fb Mo; mb Il; Hotel keeper; married 1 time 40 years; Flora King, age 60, b Ga; fb Ga; mb Tn; married 40 years; 6 children born, 5 living; Joseph F. King, son, age 16, b Ok; fb Tx; mb Ga; Allina Bena, Cook, age 43, b Moravia; Hotel cook; D. F. Worley, boarder, age 37, b Il; fb Pa; mb Vt; House carpenter; E. R. Chattley, boarder, age 23, b England; f/m England; Engineer.) --------------------------------------------------- Return to Beckham County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/beckham/beckham.html