Tragedy Thursday - A Frightful Death

Must warn you that some of the details contained in this post may be a bit hard to handle.

Newspapers in the late 1800's and into the early 1900's sometimes got a bit carried away with details. 

 Same Old Story 

 Fostoria, O., Nov. 26, --Mrs.C.F. Krugman was fatally burned as a result of trying to start a fire in the kitchen stove with gasoline.  There were some live coals concealed in the ashes  and the flame jumped from them to the can, causing its contents to explode and cover her with the burning fluid.      

HORRIBLE 

 Mrs. Charles Krugman Fatally Burned at Noon Tuesday  Kindling a Fire with Gasoline and the Can and Contents Exploded     At this writing, two o'clock this afternoon, Mrs. Charles J. Krugman lies at her home on South Union Street, awaiting the summons of death, burned to a crisp and moaning, directing to her husband the care of their three small children.   Mr. and Mrs. Krugman and family moved here from Hammond, indiana, two months ago, and he has been employed by Mohler, the tailor, since that time.  Both parties lived here about six years ago, he marrying her, Miss Kritzer, in this city, she being a sister to Mrs. George O'Brien.  

Mr. Krugman said this afternoon that he went home to dinner, and hs wife thought she would get a quick dinner.  There was a little fire in the kitchen stove and both he and she and a little child were standing beside the stove when she picked up what she thought was a coal oil can, but which may have contained gasoline, and taking off a stove lid began pouring the fluid onto the coals, when instantly the contents exploded, throwing now burning fluid in all directions and wrapping the body of the unfortunate woman in a sheet of flame.  The glass in the stove was blown out, and the ignited fluid was distributed over the floor and table and blackened the walls of the room wherever it struck.  Mrs. Krugman screamed in pain while her husband tried to extinguish the flames which enveloped her; in doing so he severely burned both of his hands while the little daughter is also slightly injured.    An alarm of fire was turned in, but the services of the department were not needed, though medical assitance, in the persons of Drs Hale, Leonard and Hoege, was hurried to the scene.   Mail carrier Lovett, who lives in the adjoining house, was the first person outside of the family to hear the cries of the woman and to rush in.  He grabbed a lot of carpet and wrapped it about the woman, who was nothing more than a pillar of fire, and shortly had the flames extinguished, but the cruel flames had done their work.  Most of the clothes were burned off her body, the hair was scorched and singed, the lips, nose, ears and eyebrows were burned to a crisp, and it is just possible for her to see.   The doctors state that there is not a spot on her body as large as one's palm which is not horribly burned.  The physicians have done everything that can be done to ease the awful pain, but express no hope that she will live, and death is but a few hours off at best.  Father Griss is with the poor woman to give spitirual comfort in her last hour.      The daughter who was burned is about three years old and her left hand is badly blistered.
 **The Star,(Seneca County, Ohio, 26 NOV 1898 __________________________      

A Frightful Death  

 Mr. George Krugman received a dispatch from his son Charles, who lives in Fostoria, that the latter's wife had been terribly burned.  Mr. Krugman left at once for Fostoria, but at ten o'clock last night another dispatch was received, stating that Mrs. Krugman was dead, and her three year old daughter was fatally burned.  No further information has been received, as to how the accident occurred.    Mr. Krugman formerly conducted a tailor shop in this city, and both he and his wife have a large circle of friends who are horrified at the dreadful news.   Later-- Mrs. Krugman attempted to start the fire with gasoline.  The can exploded, and she was fatally burned.  He was severely burned in trying to put out the fire, the baby was severely burned, and the house cot[sic] on fire.

 **The Elyria Reporter (Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio), 2 DEC 1898, Pg 7 _____________________________________________ **Fostoria Review Dispatch (Seneca County, Ohio), 29 NOV 1898

 Mrs. Krugman Dies  

 Mrs. Charles Krugman, who was fataly burned yesterday noon by an explosion of gasoline, died at seven o'clock last night.  The funeral services will be held at St. Wendeline's church Monday morning at seven thirty o'clock and the body will be taken to Elyria, where Mr. Krugman's parents live, for burial.  Mrs. Krugman had hundreds of friends here who know her best as Anna Kritzer and who feel her loss most painfully.  Mr. Krugman has the sympathy of the entire community in this hour of his bereavement.