SAD FIRE TRAGEDY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16091, 3 April 1923, Page 2

SAD FIRE TRAGEDY.

FOUR CHILDREN BURNED.

PARENTS AWAY AT TIME

A shocking tragedy occurred near Mudgee, New South Wales, recently, when the three daughters and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Rendell, of Mount Frome, were burned to death. The children were asleep when tho house caught fire. A fifth child escaped, and gave the alarm, but in the meantime' the house collapsed. The brother who escaped was David Rendell, aged 13. He is a poorly-de-veloped lad of dull intellect. In a statement he said that his mother and father left him in charge of the four younger children when they went to the show in town and the pictures in the evening- They had tea early, and did not light the fire. It. was dark when they went to bed. He was awakened during tho night by hearing something crackling, and saw flames coming over the walls along the roof from the kitchen. When he got up, his sisters were standing on the floor in tho middle of the room. He took hold of tho little boy rind called to the others to follow him out. As he came out the little brother went inside again, and he tried to'follow him, but could not get through. When he left, the sisters were holding their hands to their heads. They did not move, but cried out- After escaping from the building he caught a horse to' ride to town to inform his mother The door of the room opened outward, arid it was opened when he passd through. He could not account for this, as it was closed when he went to bed. Tljo finding of Hie coroner was that the victims died through being burned, but whether the fire took place as a result. of an accident the evidence did not enable him to tell. Personally, he though the parents bad been unwise in leaving a boy like tho witness in charge, but having clone so before lie supposed they did not think it anv harm to do the same thing again. Now, however, they would see their mistake-