Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1918 — LOST LIFE IN HOTEL FIRE [ARTICLE]

LOST LIFE IN HOTEL FIRE

GLOSTER HOTEL BURNS AND WIFE OF PROMINENT DOCTOR LOSES LIFE. The Gloster, Miss., Hotel, in which ‘the writer made his home while in (the south, and in which prospectors from here put up while in Mississippi looking for land, burned at an early hour Saturday morning. A letter received from Harve J. Robinson, former linotype operator of the Republican, and now located in that county, is the first news of the fire received here. He says: “I don’t know whether you have heard about the fire at Gloster or not. At five o’clock Saturday morning Mrs. Anders (the landlady) was awakened by some noise and discovered that, the hotel was on fire. She went to her door and called -- to Mrs. Dr. F. C. Smith to let her out and she heard Mrs.'' Smith say, “I can’t.” Finally a traveling man broke down the door to Mrs. Ander’s room and she got out with nothing on but a bath robe and slippers. She supposed for some time that Mrs. Smith had escaped, but found she had not. Men tried to get to Mrs. Smith’s room but failed and she was burned-bo death. We were in Gloster today and talked to Mrs. Anders, Who is staying at Mr. Barney’s. She saved nothing. The hotel and the building next to it were both destroyed. Mrs. Anders had no insurance.”

Mrs. Smith, who lost her life, was the wife of a* prominent doctor, who left Gloster a few months ago to join the medical corps of the army. He was located in Texas, but received notice in March to leave for France and his wife went to Texas at that time to bid him farewell and had some thoughts at that time of joining the Red Cross and enlisting for service as a nurse in France, as previous to her marriage she had been a nurse in a hospital where she met her husband. Mrs. Smith was only twenty-seven years of age, was well educated and an athlete, having devoted much of her life to riding horses and other out-door pursuits, and almost always drove her husband’s car when he made his professional calls in the country, and inclement weather never kept her from, accompanying him day or night. Dr. Smith is probably in France at thi stime serving his country.