Jones Co. TX - Newspapers - The Stamford American: January 2, 1925 *********************************************************** Submitted by: Dorman Holub Date: 28 December 2019 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/jones/jonestoc.htm *********************************************************** The Stamford American Friday, January 2, 1925 Volume 1, Number 37 The Stamford Inn was built by the Swenson Interests in 1900 and opened to the public in February in 1901. The Rotary Club had their own private dining room there and met every Thursday for lunch. The Club lost its charter and the pictures of the past International presidents of Rotary. A.C. Cooper, owner of the Inn, has announced that he has already started his plans to rebuild with a larger hotel and one that will be as nearly fireproof as possible. The Inn grounds were the prettiest in the state, perhaps several states, and will be retained in the new scheme. The burned building was insured for $35,000 but with the furnishings the loss was perhaps above $75,000. The Rotary Club will meet in the Mason Banquet room on Tuesday. Oliver Crump is head chef and Bob McDonald and Lucian Larch as head waiters. Stamford Inn to be rebuilt fire proof W.B. Winters and wife and two small children were in room 22 on the second floor. The two children remained in the building and their charred bodies were removed after the building was burned down. Mr. and Mrs. Winters were badly burned and injured. Mrs. Winters died an hour after being taken to the Stamford Sanitarium by Dr. A.D. McReynolds, who lived across the street. Mr. Winters is a one-leg man and broke his other leg getting out of the hotel. The bodies of Mrs. Winters and her two children were shipped by Penick-Hughes Undertaking Department Christmas Day to Dublin for burial, all three bodies in one casket. They had been living at Ralls and were on their way to Stephenville for the holidays to visit relatives. They stopped in Stamford for the night and bought a small Christmas tree and put it in their room at the hotel and placed their presents on it for the children and were getting in bed when the fire broke out and consumed them all except the father. Ernest D. Lotspeich was the other victim. He was a bachelor and lived at the Inn, having a room on the third floor. He had gone up to his room some 10 to 15 minutes before the fire. He had lived in Stamford for some years and was a cotton buyer and well liked. Prior to coming to Stamford, he had been a teacher in Simmons College in Abilene and his body was shipped there for burial by Penick-Hughes Co. Funeral services were held from the Episcopal church there. His brother, a cotton buyer at Hamlin arrived a few hours after the tragedy. C.L. Meeker, night clerk at the Inn gives his statement. He is probably the oldest fireman in West Texas and has had enough training as a hotel clerk to have acquired the habit of knowing who has gone to bed and who has not at any time of night. He says that a man by the name of Scott was registered in room 9, on the ground floor, other roomers on that floor were: Mrs. Rockmore, mother of Mrs. Cooper, Mrs. Nettie Cooper, sister of the proprietor, Mr. Sikes, Ben Ray and wife, and a Mr. Eaton, all escape. On the second floor, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman were in room 47, J.H. Forsgard in 23, Mr. Fox in 26, and J.L. Henritzy, and the Winters family, above mentioned were in room 22. Mr. and Mrs. Coleman climbed out the window and down a rain pipe or fire escape. Mr. Forsgard broke out a window. His brother, C.O. Forsgard, of Waco, came out to be with him while he is getting over the burns at the Sanitarium. Mr. Eaton, was in the lobby when the fire broke out. On the third floor were Mr. Lotspeich and the two Bosticks. In the lobby at the time the fire was discovered were: Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Cooper, owners of the hotel, Mrs. Wheeler, sister of Mrs. Cooper and her daughter, Sarah Wheeler, Mr. Eaton, Arnold Douthit, Mr. Meeker and the negro porter. The register was lost as well as all records of the hotel and the contents of the safe, as the door to the safe was open and everything in it burned. How did it start? Uncle Charlie Meeker, the night clerk, an old fire fighter holds to the theory of a gas fire. A traveling man by the name of Cohen had just checked to and had been up to get his grips and did not detect any odor of fire. Miss Hazel Macon and Mr. Jack Fuqua were married at the home of the brideís parents, Mr. and Mrs. I.E. Macon, south of Stamford at 3:00 Christmas Day with Rev. J.D Harvey, of Haskell officiating. The groom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Fuqua of Stamford. Miss Verna Williamson and Mr. Willie (William Jennings Bryan) Ferguson of the Swans Chapel community were united in marriage. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Williamson and the groom is the son of J.E. Ferguson. Mrs. Mat Pinkston died last Wednesday the 17th in Stamford. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Roberts and was born in Oklahoma. She married Mr. Pinkston September 6, 1898 and to this union were born six children, five of which are still living. She was converted to the Christian faith at the age of 14 and joined the Methodist church and died in the faith. Mrs. Pinkston was 47 years old the second day of November and her bereaved husband and children survive her. She was a charter member of the Rebecca Lodge in Lueders.