Edward Tolston
Edward Tolston was 15 years old and one of 21 Black boys who died when a fire swept their dormitory at the state's reform school for Black boys near Wrightsville, Arkansas, on March 5, 1959. LEVEL reports that padlocks secured the dormitory from the outside and that no adult supervisor was on duty that night. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas says the doors were reportedly locked from outside, and another account says the boys had no way out except the window screens. The exact cause of the fire was never established. The Arkansas Department of Correction dedicated a 2019 memorial at the Wrightsville unit with each boy's name, and he is listed among those buried at Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (neglect alleged). News reports say padlocks secured the dormitory from outside and no adult was on duty when the fire started, and the cause of the fire was never established.
Reported by: news reporting on the 1959 Wrightsville fire (reporters).