Mrs. Edward Pauli

PAULI, OTTAWAY

Posted By: Anne Hermann (email)
Date: 4/9/2008 at 20:40:58

Jackson Sentinel
February 10, 1920

Burned to Death.

Saturday evening, Jan. 31st, the untimely and tragic death of Mrs. Edward Pauli of Green Island and her two small children, a little girl of six and a baby boy one year old, who was asleep in an adjoining room when the fatal catastrophe occurred. According to reports by eye witnesses it was a most heart ending scene and cast a gloom over the entire community. The accident was caused by the explosion of kerosene, or gasoline, as the case may be, used by the unfortunate woman in trying to hurry up the kitchen fire for supper. Both little bodies of the children were burned almost beyond recognition. The mother with nearly all her clothing burned from her body, was rescued by a switchman who was working near the home at the time, but died in mortal agony about midnight at the Moulton hospital in Bellevue, where she had been taken. The husband and father is employed by the Milwaukee Co., as Supt. of the Signal system between Browns and Green Island. The poor man, who happened to be working in the vicinity of Green Island that afternoon appeared on the terrible scene about the time the home was consumed. It was a frame building and burned so very rapidly which led to the belief that the fluid used must have been gasoline put into the oil can by mistake,

The funeral of the unfortunate victims was held Tuesday morning at the Catholic church in Green Island, conducted by the Father O’Dowd of Sabula. On Tuesday of the same week, little Vincent Ottaway, six year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ottaway, was run down and instantly killed by an automobile, while coasting near his home. Thus Green Island has been the scene of two terrible tragedies within a week, that has stirred the hearts of the people, who all express their deepest sympathy for the sorrowing relatives and friends. How true the saying, “How little we know what a day may bring forth.”