Eckstein, Miss Theresa (Died 1897)

ECKSTEIN

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 7/13/2013 at 14:23:05

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
April 12, 1897

BURNED ALIVE.
Miss Theresa Eckstein Burned to a Crisp With Gasoline Saturday Night.

One of the most horrible accidents that ever occurred in LeMars happened Saturday night about half past nine o’clock. The people in the Kaiser & Dier shoe store heard a scream upstairs and in a moment a bright blaze shone in at the back window. They rushed to the fire and saw a woman running down the outside stairway wrapped in flames, a living torch. The flames were so thick around her head that she could not inhale breath to scream, but merely moaned piteously as she ran into the alley with her arms held above her head.

Frank Dier pushed her over on the ground and Herman Dambrink and C. Lobbes with him extinguished the flames. Several others came in a few seconds and water was thrown on the burning woman to put out the fire in her clothes after the flame was extinguished. The fire alarm was sounded and a large crowd assembled. Drs. Cole, Brick, Somers, Prosser and McMahon were soon on the scene and everything possible was done to alleviate the sufferings of the poor woman, but from her waist up, her body was crisped and nearly all of the hair was burned off her head.

After her burns were treated she was able to walk up stairs and to explain how the accident happened. She was cleaning clothing with gasoline and went into another room to get some hot water. When she reached over the stove to take the dish of water, the gasoline ignited.

Miss Eckstein was taken to the home of John Cooper, where she died Sunday evening. Twice before she had narrow escapes from death by fire. She roomed in the Kluckhohn block when it burned and barely escaped with her life, and the other time she was over Frank Miller’s store when it burned and came near being consumed in the flames. She was about 38 years of age and came to LeMars thirteen or fourteen years ago from Webster City. Her father, the late John Eckstein, was for many years the Treasurer of Hamilton county, and at one time was very wealthy. Both her parents are now dead. Her stepmother lives at Webster City. Arrangements for the funeral have not yet been made.
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LeMars Globe
April 14, 1897

[This news story was repeated in the April 14th news issue, along with the following additional information.]

The funeral was held at the Cooper home at four o’clock on Monday afternoon, conducted by Rev. A. Z. Macgogney of the Presbyterian Church. The remains were sent to Webster City on Monday evening, accompanied by Mr. Cooper and a brother of the dead woman, John Eckstein.

This, we believe, is the second fatality from fire in LeMars, Mrs. Nemeyer and three children being burned to death in the southwest part of town in 1875.
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Alton Democrat
April 17, 1897

A LE MARS LADY BURNED TO DEATH.
From the Remsen Bell.

Miss Theresa Eckstein, for many years a Gateway seamstress, was the unfortunate victim of a fire accident from which she received such injuries that caused her death. Miss Eckstein had for many years occupied rooms over Kaiser & Dier’s boot and shoe store as dressmaking parlors. On last Saturday evening she was engaged in cleaning a garment with the use of benzene fluids. She had occasion to go near the stove and in her errand, the fluid ignited and all in the space of a moment’s time Miss Eckstein was enwrapped in flames. She ran down the back stairway and in a loud, piteous moan attracted a few men to her assistance who soon extinguished the fire. Several doctors were immediately summoned and all that medical aid could do was done to relieve the poor woman’s suffering. Her garments from the waist up were completely burned from her. The scene was a pitiful one. She expired on Sunday evening. Her remains were taken to Webster City for burial. Miss Eckstein had a large acquaintance in Remsen who will be grieved to learn of her unfortunate end.