Shocking Calamity at Walton, Ky.

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Shocking Calamity at Walton, Ky. - A Hotel and Store Burned - Three Persons Perish in the Flames

A terrible calamity occurred night before last at Walton, Boone Co., Ky., on the Short Line Railroad, in which three persons were burned to death, and a hotel and store were destroyed by fire.  The hotel belonged to Ira Percival, and was valued at $8,000.  The store was the property of B. S. Johnson & Co., whose loss will be about $7,000.  The fire broke out about 1 1/2 o'clock at night, and is supposed to have originated in the kitchen.  One report state that it started from the explosion of a coal oil lamp, but this appears doubtful.

The shocking feature of the disaster is the perishing of three human beings in the flames - the young son of Mr. Percival, a young girl living with the family of the latter, and a colored woman.  The wife of Mr. Percival was also severely burned.  The wells and cisterns were nearly dry, so that water had to be carried from the river [!?].  This was a tedious process. The three persons who were burned were sleeping over the kitchen.  Their partially consumed bodies were recovered from the ruins after the the fire had subsided.  Mr. Percival had insurance on his hotel amounting to $1,500.  Messrs. Johnson & Co. were uninsured.

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from the New York Times of January 15, 1871, which cites the source of the item as the Cincinnati Gazette of January 12.