Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1913 — DEMENTED WOMAN BURNED AT WOLCOTT [ARTICLE]

DEMENTED WOMAN BURNED AT WOLCOTT

Mrs. Widener, 46 Years of Age, Will Die as Result of Terrible Accident Today. Mrs. Widener, 46 years of age, of Wolcott, lies at the point of death as the Tresult either'of an accident or of an intentional effort to kill herseir this Friday morning. The Republican procured the following story direct from Wolcott, where the terrible tragedy occurred. Mrs. Widener is 46 years of age and lived with her daughter, who is mentally deficient. Her husband is a brick mason and makes big wages, being employed at Hammond or Gary, but ha has not been at home for six years and is said to have contributed very meagerly toward the support of his wife and daughter. Mrs. Widener has supported herself and daughter by taking in washings and has been a very hard worker and broke down under the strain arid suffered a mental collapse’a-week ago. Since then she has been deranged to such an extent that neighbors have been watching her. This morning she had a very hot fire in the range and the stove became red all over the top. She tried to turn the damper, apparently, to shut off the draft, but ft would not work and she took the coaloil can and poured oil on the damper to loosen it. The fire at once set the pail blazing and her clothing caught fire. She threw open the reservoir of the stove and tried to put out the fire by pouring water over her. The water was almost scalding hot and its effect was almost as bad as the flames which seemed to at once surround her. A neighbor named Mrs. Davis glanced toward the Widener kitchen and saw the poor woman enveloped in flames. She called some men who were working near by and they rushed to the house, but too late to be of any -service. All of the woman’s clothing was burned from her body except the feet of her stockings, and thd flesh, was cooked. Small particles of clothing were .-found on the floor, but none larger than the palm of one’s hand. The physician who was called stated that the woman could not live but a few hours. She has a married son in New York City and a married daughter at Fairbury, 111., and word was sent to these, but an effort to reach the husband failed to locate him.