The Millersburg Herald reported a tragic story about a fire that occurred in Lykens Township, about 4 miles east of Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday into Thursday, 9-10 November 1882:
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT. — Yesterday morning the upper end of the county was convulsed with excitement over the report of a heart-rending scene near Gratz. John D. Hepler, with his wife and five children lived happily together in a tenant house owned by Hillery B. Schriner, and located about four miles northeast of the borough of Gratz. Mr. Hepler is a miner by occupation and was away from home at his work in Bear Valley on Wednesday night. in the evening the family retired as usual. Some time during the night the faithful wife and mother was awakened by an unusual noise to discover her house in flames. Frantic with excitement, the horror-stricken woman at one went heroically to work to rescue her children from the burning building. She succeeded in removing four of them but when she returned for the fifth time she was overcome by the flames and she and a nine year-old daughter perished together in the fire. The building was burned to the ground with all its contents. The fire occurred about midnight and being remoted from other families, the unfortunate woman had to depend entirely upon herself to save her family. To do this she sacrificed her own life. The fire is supposed to have originated in the stove in which damp kindling wood had been placed in the evening before drying. The bodies were found in the debris next morning, charred and still burning.
The Harrisburg Telegraph of 11 November 1882, added the following:
When the fire had burned itself out, neighbors to whom the rescued children had gone found the charred remains of the little one hugged close to those of the mother, whose sacrifice cost her own life. Mrs. Hepler was forty years of age, and came from a wealthy family. While the escape of the five children is considered miraculous, the sad fate of the mother and youngest child has spread gloom over the whole valley.
The Intelligencer Journal of Lancaster, 11 November 1882, was more detailed in its discussion of the origins of the fire, the rescue, and the property loss:
One Wedneswday, Mr. hepler, who is stable boss at the Bear Valley wok of the Summit Branch Colliery with one of his sons, were at their accustomed employment….
Mrs. Hepler was placing some shavings in the kitchen stove with which to start the fire in the morning. At about 11 o’clock at night the oldest boy was awakened and found the house on fire. His mother was aroused, and the son, with her assistance was able to rescue two of the children, when Henry Reed, the nearest neighbor, living about a hundred yards distant, arrived at the scene. Mr. Reed caught two more of the little ones in his arms as they were passed from a second story window by the mother, but before she and her oldest daughter Mary Hepler, eight years of age, could effect their escape from the burning building, the timbers gave way and both were enveloped by the flames. The shrieks of the two unfortunates could plainly be hears as they met their death with no one able to save them. The smallest child was severely burned about the head, face and hands. The others were burned slightly. One of the sons was hurt in being thrown from the house. The charred remains of the victims were found yesterday noon. Mr. Hepler and his son were sent for, a distance of three miles, and when the husband and father reached the scene he was so much overcome that he became unconscious and remained in that state for some time.
The fire, is supposed to have been caused by the shavings in the stove igniting. The dwelling, and old two-story house, was burned to the ground, together with its contents and between $300 and $400 in money….
While the escape of the five children is considered miraculous, the sad fate of the mother and youngest child has spread a gloom over the whole valley.
Mrs. Hepler was the former Savilla Coleman, born 18 March 1848, daughter of Frederick Coleman (1807-1869) and his wife, Lydia [Shade] Coleman (1813-1873), pioneer settlers of the Lykens Valley. According to the 1880 Census, Mary M. Hepler, who died in the fire, was born about 1874. Both Mary and her mother are buried at St. Matthew’s (Coleman’s) United Church of Christ Cemetery in Lykens Township with one stone marking the grave of both.
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