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HMMNG TUB LAST B()I)Y- At this spot the KreateHt Iohs of life occurred. The atairway wjTh over the ashen which are being searched for bodiea. (Cut used by pefmia?ion of Columbia SUte.) PRINCIPAL TELLS OF GREAT LOSS Miss Ina Mae Stephens Gives Vivid Account of Destruc tion of Her School. (By Staff CorrespofVient of -the Co lumbia State.) Cleveland School, May 19. ? ."I feel as if 1 could never again enter a school room, the horrible disaster of Thursday night weighs so, heavily upon mc and the faces of the 28 pu pils of my school who perished in the flames look so pitiful that 1 can hardly bear to look across the, field to the spot where the school once* stood," said Miss ina Mae Stephens, principal of the school that once. was, but is no more, as she forced herserf to talk this afternoon. Miss Stephens was completely ex hausted and heartbroken over the fire and she spoke under great emo tion as she sat in a rocking- chair of the little home where she boards, about 500 yards from the school house. She could see the little hill where' the. house once stood as shu* sat down to talk. Miss Stephens told of how she was perhaps the last person to leave the 'building alive. "I don't know exact ly how I escaped the tlames. I was caught in 'the jam near the cloakroorfi door and someone picked me up by my feet and threw me on top of rhe~ crowd. Someone else pulled me out and threw me out of the door," Miss Stephens said. "Yes, we had all planned a big pic nic for the next day, to celebrate the closing of the school," Miss Stephens said in answer to a question. "We had fried chicken, baked cakes and cooked the usual good things to eat for the next day," she continued. "And to think that the day was turned into the most horrible _in the history of South Carolina instead of our nice, quiet little picnic." Miss Stephens, in a coherent story of the great disaster, attributed the fall of a lamp to its own beat, this having melted the soldering from the holder. "I was op the stage when the Jamp fell," she continued, "We Were near the close of the play, "Topsy Turvey," when all of a sudden, the lamp fell, We had two lamps on the stage, one to each side: As the lamp fell the stage seemed to catch afire all at once and I thought of some rugs near one of the dressing room sides, but upon attempting to go for these 1 was stopped by the fire. . "By the time I looked around t ra^v everybody leaving J he room and 1 started toward the door in a walk, The room was dark near the back as there ?were no lumps there. As I stepped from the stage 1 picked up a violin dropped by a member of the orchestra and handed it to him. He thanked me and seemed not to be in the least excited. "1 then started down aVfatele and placed my hand on a little girl's head, one of the McLeod girls, I think. AH of those on the stage were the las: to leave and I cannot understand why the crowd in front jammed. "I got to (he stairway and saw t\he crowd jamming near the bottom. Tom Humphries, one of those to die from burns, was standing by ni(* and 1 still had my hand on the little girl's head. Coroner Dixon was close to me as we started dowp the steps. As we got near the botom tfe'rarf into the jam and could not move. The fire Was -gaining headway ' and I told Tom Humphries and Comncr Dixon that 1 could riot understand why the crowd did not. go out of the door. "Don't let them push as that will cause a panic," I told several stand ing near me. 1 'ooked back over my head and saw the flames getting lar ger and larger, and then I begged the crowd to go on, not yet fully realizing t lit* "massi^r humanity at. the foot of the steps. 1 tried to push the crowd, finding that nothing else could be done, *but my efforts along with oth ers besides me amounted to nothing. "My left shoulder began to burn and' about this time Tom Humphries caught 'me by my feet and raised me on top of the crowd. He threw .me toward the door and somebody pulled me out into the yard. After 1 got into the yard I urged" several men to go back into the building and see if they could not get the crowd out. I know that a number of men on the out side at; one time went back to meet death in the flames. "Imu Arants, one of my pupils, called out from the door to be pulled .tut. It was horrible to hear the cries of those trapped in the building. The jam was at the foot of the stair way, just at the turn to go into7 the cloak room. Three small steps were ahead of the erow<t and it seemed to me that the entire crowd was packed around the little platform just before three steps were reached. I could f.ee hands raised in the air. I do not ihink the stairway fell. It had not fal len when I escaped and the crowd had reached the bottom then. "Before I was helped out, I assis ted in getting May Hush out of a win dow to the ground, and safety. There wag no covering on any of the second story windows and all could have easily escaped by this route if they had retained, their senses. "About 300 people were at the play. The little auditorium was packed. I had reserved the right of the audito rium near the stage, for the school children, thinking this would giv?? them a point of vantage and now I see that this arrangement was their destruction. To think that 28 of mv pupils are gone, O God, it's too much! "If somebody had not held me after I got out I would have rushed back into the building. I just couldn't stand there and see ttoije children bui n to death. 1 don't rei4ralbfcr much after I fought to get back and was held. I seemed to lose my senses. "It was our last affair for the school house, as wehave consolidated for next year. It'srfcir last now, and what a last!". Miss Zula Prosser, of Hyman, an other of the teachers, left prior to, Miss Stephens, going down the stair way. Miss Esther Garvin of Kitchings Mills, the third teacher, was brought td safety from a window. Miss Stephen is from Dillon. Sh" is a graduate of Coker College. Miss Stephens had carried all her school iecords home Wednesday night and these were saved. Sends Check to Thorn pn'on Davis. After reading an account of where Thompson Davis, the surviving son of Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Davis, who is left to care for several orphan chil dren, Max T. Payne, general agent of -the National Surety Co., mailed a check for $25 to Mr. C. P. DuBose, their Camden representative, with the request that he place it in the hands of Thompson Davis. His letter to Mr. DuBose is as follows: "Will you be good enough to see that the enclosed check is. delivered to Thompson Davis, who seems to have suffered considerably in the fire at Cleveland school. He seems to be built of the right principles and evi dently had a good Mother, who in stilled a courage that is worth while." WILL REMOVE TRACES OF FIRE ? 55- -v. , '?? ? ? v ?. =?v' v'P ? ? Tender Gr?u Will Grow Over Blackened Earth. CLEARING AWAY DEBRIS Guardta Protect Ruinu ?hd Great (?rave From Hand* of Memento SeekerH. ( By Staff Correspondent of The Co lumbia State.) Camden, May 21. ? Of the Cleveland school house, tne terrible funeral pyre thi( Thursday night claimed 77 of Kershaw's men, women and children, there will remain not a trace. The three scarred oaks, the wounds of which time will heal, in days to come will look down upon h little expanse of sand and grass ? for grass will grow to cover the how blackened and mourning earth? that none may know in passing that here stood and was burned the little frame school house, which carried so many to their grave. The catastrophe has left its scars. "What deep wounds, ever closed with out a scar?" The people of Beulah section will never forget. They could not if they would. To ease the poign anjcy of the grief of the bereaved ones that survive and to protect from desecration at the hands of thought less curio seekers the ashes of the burned building ? hallowed at such a , fearful price ? the relief committee has decided to wipe out forever all trace of the ruined building] Pract ically every family in the vicinity of the burned school suffered loss in the (Ire. Their suffering is terrible enough and memories of the horrible night viVid enough, the committee felt, without the grim reminder of the pile of ashes, twisted tilt and charred tim bers ever there to bring back to them the ghastly remembrance of the trag edy. Within sight of the spot where the school house stood ate two be reaved homes and the daily sight of the blackened ruins is enough almost to occasion eternal despair. When, however, the grass has grown to shut out from pained eyes the scene, then perhaps those who ? live ? and must live ? may be able in # sense to re member and yet to forget. Early this morning workmen began their labors of clearing away the de bris of the ruined building and all day they worked as gradually signs of the catastrophe were. wiped out.j On the sp^ has been dug a huge grave like pit nT which will be interr ed the ashes of the building contain ing as they do the ashes of many of the dead. All day as the work of .mercy went on the men came upon grue*orqe finds among the now cold dead ashes?human heart, bones, bits of charred flesh. These safe from the prying hands and eyes of the swarm of morbidly curious will also be interred in the pit with the ashes of the building that all may be cov ered and kept sacred while the earth to which they will return shall last. Since yesterday afternoon both the one great grave in Beulah churchyard and the site of the school house have been guarded from Visitors that the already sorely wounded feelings of tbe bereaved might not be torn anew. Sunday afternoon areas around both the school house and the grave ? cov ered with fresh flowers ? were roped in and all persons save those who suf fered loss in the terrible tragedy pro hibited from coming near them. Hun dreds of persons from nerif^and far continued to invade the county to see the ruins and visit the grave until action was taken to prevent it. Many, of them, forgetful of the fact that these spots had been made sacred to ^hundreds by appalling sorrow, spent hours in morbid searching for memen toes of the disaster. There are in Cleveland district men, women and children who need no mementoes to remember as long arf they live the scenes and events of last Thursday. Tomorrow the work of clearing away the last remains of the jllfated WHERE THE BODIES WERE BURIED ? In thi?? ffrave, 40 feet Ion* awl 12 t he bo<He? of the vktims of rh? CT#v#lan<! 8^h?ol How*e tragedy were interred. (Cut used by permission of The Columbia State.) . Thompson Davis who i? left at he ad of Family (Gut by The "State) school will go forward and soon all will have been safely In id away in the huge pit. In time on the spot there will re main not a. sign of the terrible trag edy. In the hearts of those that knew the loss, however, the scars will en dure forever. Knights Were One of The First. One of the first donations coming to the relief of the Cleveland school sufferers was that of a check for $10Q from the Knights of Columbus from Sumter. Many ?f the Catholic men of Camden are members of. the Sum ter Council. ' ONE HUGE CfRAVE (Continued From , Page One) Bragg, of Camden, the Rev. "E. L. McCoy, of Sumter, and the Rev. E. V. Dibble, of Sumter, read the texts for the funeral. Following the reading the choir sang, "Abide with Me." The Rev. W. H. Hodges, Methodist, of Camden, offered a most touching prayer. Governor McLeod was present and spoke of the great grief the tragedy had caused him and the people of the state. "As I looked at the paper this morning and read the news of the fearful disaster I was afraid to read the names of those who had perished I was afraid some one dear to me had been lost," the governor said. "And my fear was justified. Some of those j who were burned to death I have I known all my life. They were my best friends and their death causes me untold grief. I wish I could say something to convey you my sympa thy," the governor continued. "The people from the mountains to the sea board are praying with you in your terrible losses. Mothers, are sympa thizing with mothers, fathers are praying with fathers and on every hand the people are saddened because j of this terrible tragedy," the gover nor said. The governor spoke with a great deal of emotion and his words were heard in almost breathless si lence. The chief executive's last words were for God's blessing upon the be reaved people of the county. Bishop Kirkman G. Finlay of the Upper South Carolina diocese and the Rev. T. W. Law, pastor of the little church made addresses. The Rev. F. H. Hammond, of St. Charles, pronounced the benediction. Just as the sun's rays were fading away behind the little wooden church with its stained glass windows, the great throng slowly walked away from the grave of at least 50 of the best people in the community. The% bodies were placed in a tre- i mendous box, all being wrapped in 1 sheeting. Xo ra?kets were used. ANOTHER STORY <>F FIRE (.Continued From One) In ner chaired and stiiT'-ned aims wa.< found the child \\h?>m -he died t trying to shield to the I was told! tha* 1 Truesdale had :<>ird the body, of a new h im babe in *h?- debris. Carl Hin-<>n. a Camdi :> boy, is tied- I ited with having saved the lives of ' seventeen pel sons, lu- :<>ok the cast j iron Hag pole, leaned ? under a win- j dow and advised the how to: use it. to safety. One -;i -h was an el-* dei ly lady seventy-two cars of age.. ' There was an unconfirmed rumor that the first news of the holocaust to reach Camden was brought by a youth who had jumped 9ut of a win dow and had broken his leg. In this condition he cranked his car and came to town, the repqrt says. Nobody could give his name and some stig. gest that the story is confused with that of a young man from Bishop ville, who got out of the building and saved the lives of some young ladies with him, but a heavy man jumping out of the window, fell upon one of J the young ladies and broke her leg. | The Rev. J. Jeter Johnson, pastor ; of the leading Baptist church in the city, ?was to deliver the closing ad j dret>$. He had been a resident but a year. Three children accompanied him.- He threw his - coat over "the bursting lamp and tried to smother * its flames. Seeing that such efforts < were futile, he made for the door with his children. Two of them he rescued Just at the threshold he lost his bo^, J Jeter, aged eleven. The boy wejjt down under the weight of a heavy man who fell. Mr. Johnson pulled at his boy's hands until he heard the joints give way and the little fellow begged piteously to be let alone. Mr. ; Johnson could reach into the doomed j building1 and stroke his boy's head un ( til the flames became too hot. Heartbroken he takes the little boy to Louisville, Ky. S. J. West was the president of the : Wateree Farm Loan Bank Associa tion, an outstanding man in the com | munity. Some of his relatives called ! to him to forsake the doomed build | ing, but he would not leave until he had tried to save others, and perish ed. Tom Humphries, cashier of the Bank of Camden, sat in window pass ing rescued persons out until he was nearly burned to death. He died later at the Camden Hospital. Stoney Campbell, of Capiden, got his little girl, to the door of the au ditorium and saw her go down in the collapse of the stairs. There were acts of heroism, that will never be known, There were deeds of chivalry that rival the choicest bon ?moth of sistery. These may come to the sur face some day. For the present sur vivors are too dazed to know what did happen. It was all so swift. "A whole community has been wip ed out," said one business man of Camden. "It was a good community, successful men working good lands. In the list of the dead is not a name of one whom we could spare." There were some bodies identified by belt buckles or bits of clothing. One lady by her fur neck, piece. The features of none were recognizable. A mile away at Beulah church the poor charred bodies were assembled, cxcept ? for a few that had been claimed. A great oblong pit was dug and floored ? and sided with heavy timbers. The l? ?x thus made was partitioned off with timbers, to give the semblance or separateness to the sepulchre. On the ground by the side of the great grave iay I he lamentable objects which yes terday were buoyant with life. W rap perd in winding sheets, they awaited ? the completion x>{ the preparations. Those wee shapes shrouded in grave cloths. Those were yesterday the children. Kershaw County is desolate today. A^Beulah Church where Bodie? Were Buried. 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