Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 December 1885 — A CRAZY WOMAN’S HEED. [ARTICLE]

A CRAZY WOMAN’S HEED.

She Fires Her House and Cremates Herself and Four Children. Olympia (Wash. Ter.) telegram. At Long Prairie, about eight miles from this place, a deplorable event occurred. Mrs. Miner, a relative of Mr. David Chambers, had for some time manifested symptoms of insanity, and, according to report, she last evening saturated papers with coal oil and distributed them around the honse, telling one of her children, on inquiry, that she was wetting them with, water. Early this morning she made the remark that she was about to destroy the whole family, and her husband, fearing that she was abont to, attempt his life, proceeded to put her out of the room, but on opening the door discovered the honse in flames. Reaching the front door with one of his children, he found it locked and the key removed; thereupon he ran to the back door and found it nailed np. -Finally he and his little daughter succeeded in escaping through a window, but were both badly burned. The unfortunate woman, with her four other children, was burned to death.