The Tulsa Times

$1.50

september4th1950

HoodsTurnedHeros
Two teenage boys save five
children from a church caught on fire,
these two selfless teens Ponyboy
Curtis 14 and Johnny Cade 16 risked
their own lives to save five children
caught in a church atop Jay Mountain
in Windrixville, Oklahoma that was
engulfedinflames.
These two brave teens ran to
the church and climbed into the inferno
through a window near the backside
of the church, they found the children
seconds after. Ponyboy and Johnny
began to lift the children out of the
window and out of harms way,
ignoring the fact that the church was
about to give way. The church then
crumbles on top of the heros, then in
another act of heroism Johnny Cade
pushes Ponyboy out of the church
saving

his life before a burning wooden beam

landedonhislowerback.
Dallas Winston, Another
hood at the scene jumps into the
church window from which the
children escaped through, grabbing
Johnny and bringing him to safety.
Emergency ambulances arrived at the
site a few minutes after the church
collapsed.The ambulances took
Johnny Cade who was in critical
condition, Dallas winston who suffered
a burn to one of his arms, and
Ponyboy Curtis who was spared with
somecutsandbruisestothehospital.
Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny
Cade were later identified by police as
wanted criminals, they had been
charged with the murder of Robert
Sheldon 18, a spoiled teenager who
had a drinking problem. Ponyboy
Curtis states in an interview that Bob
RobertSheldon)andhis

gang attacked Him and Johnny at a

park in tulsa Oklahoma. Bob and his
gang chased the two around the park
and
when the group caught them,
they tried to drown Ponyboy in a
fountain near the center of the park
and threatened to beat Johnny up
afterwards. Johnny then stabbed
Robert with a switchblade in an
attempt to save Ponyboy. After
Johnny did this Roberts gang fled the
park.
Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny
Cade fled to Windrixville and hid
the abandoned church for a week
surviving off of baloney sandwiches
for a week. Dallas Winston drove to
the church and took the two to dairy
queens for lunch but when they came
back to the church to get their
belongings the church was ablaze and
Ponyboy over heard a teacher say
childrenweremissing.