Person Page 3,147

The Almena, Kansas Plaindealer; Thursday, June 23, 1910; page 1:

TWO YOUNG LADIES BURNED TO DEATH LAST SATURDAY

COAL OIL CAN EXPLODED FROM LIVE COALS

Mrs. Frank Brethour And Miss Alice Eli Die From The Burns They Received

One of the saddest accidents we have ever recorded happened last Saturday at the home of Frank Brethour on the Com Hoy place, three miles this side of Long Island. The accident resulted in the death of Mrs. Brethour and her sister, Alice Eli, besides burning Mr. Brethour's hands very badly and the young baby.

Mr. and Mrs. Brethour and Miss Alice Eli arose Saturday morning and had breakfast quite early, and after the meal they let the fire die down. Mr. Brethour went to the stable to harness his team and Mrs. Brethour started to rekindle the fire. She scraped the ashes from the stove and put in some fuel and poured some coal oil on the fire in order to make it burn faster. There was not very much oil in the can. Gas formed in the can rapidly and suddenly it exploded, throwing oil all over Mrs. Brethour and her sister, who was standing by her side. The baby buggy was standing a short distance from the stove and the baby in it was burned about the face, but in rushing outside Mrs. Brethour knocked the buggy over and the baby saved from further burning. Mrs. Brethour ran to her husband, who was just starting to the field close to the house.

Alice ran for the water tank and jumped in, extinguishing the flames, but as she ran she screamed and inhaled the flames and the result was she died about three o'clock in the afternoon. The wind was blowing quite strong and this gave the flames considerable headway. By the time Mrs. Brethour reach(ed) her husband she was all ablaze, and in tearing her clothes from her body Mr. Brethour's hands were badly burned. Mrs. Brethour's body was burned all over, and while it was not thought she inhaled any of the flames, yet her surface burns were so bad that she died about midnight, Sunday.

Mrs. Brethour was formerly Miss Ethel Eli. She was married to Mr. Brethour about a year ago. Miss Alice Eli was about eleven years old and was visiting her sister when the accident occurred. The funeral of Miss Alice was held on Sunday from the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Eli, conducted by Rev. Miller. Mrs. Brethour's funeral was held on Monday from the home of her parents also. Both were buried in the Birkville cemetery.

Another chapter to this bad catastrophe was enacted south of town. Miss Maud Eli, a younger sister, and Miss Mary Eli, an aunt, started for the scene of the accident, and their horses became frightened shortly after they had left their home, and ran away. All three of the ladies were thrown from the buggy and the two elder ones hurt quite severely.

In the runaway Miss Maud Eli was injured by being kicked in the breast by the horse. Miss Mary had her back strained considerable, but was not hurt seriously.

Both the funerals were very large, showing to some small extent the sympathy the community extended to the bereaved family. It is nearly beyond the power of human endurance to have a catastrophe such as this one was happen in the family. To have one member of the family taken in such a manner seems to be almost all a person could stand, and when the sorrow is increased a hundred fold it requires all the sympathy and brotherly love that a community can give to make it possible for the parents, brothers and sisters to bear up under it.

In the 1920 Census, living with Henry and Gertrude is Gertrude's daughte Rosalie von Stiers, from a previous marriage, born about 1906.

Prior to her marriage to Henry, Gertrude was married to an unknown Stout and later to Vanetta Samuel Von Stiers, with whom she had five children. After her short marriage to Henry she was married to James Franklin Hill.