----Source: Greenwood Gleaner 1/5/1939

THREE CHILDREN PARISH IN FIRE

The three children of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Benson lost their live in a fire which swept away the Benson farm home 4 miles northwest of Spencer, Clark County Sunday evening.

Mr. and Mrs. Benson had put the youngsters to bed and were in the barn doing the evening chores when the coal stove in the home exploded.

The Benson's were bus milking and were unaware that anything was wrong until they heard the voice of a neighbor, Ira Meacham, calling to them.

They ran from the barn to find their home a death chamber of gas and smoke. Benson sought to penetrate the deadly murk in a vain attempt to rescue the three tots, Patricia, who was 5 in June James, 4 in Sept. and Janice who would have been three in March. The charred bodies were found later.