Litchfield enquirer., 1872-01-25
From the Hartford Post. HoRRlBLE OCCURRENCE.
ALady Burned to Death.

About II o'clock this CThursday) fore noon, there was sad and terrible occur renee at the house of Mrs. Ripley, No. 96 Church street, the same being the burn ing to death of Mrs. Cordelia Burke, wife of Captain Thomas F. Burke of this city. Mir. and Mrs. Burke had been for some time boarding with Mrs. Ripley, occupy
 ing large front apartment on the second floor. Mrs Burke had been in poor health for several weeks and had mainly been confined to her room, though not to her bed Her husband left her as usual about o'clock this morning, proceeding to, o,,Glazier's art gallery, where he was em- ployed, and she remained in her room. The first intimation that Mrs. Ripley or any of the servants had of any trouble was shriek from above, and directly af- ter Mrs. Burke came running down stairs, all in flames. She ran through a short hallway, across the dining-room, and into the kitchen where she dropped dead. The mortified servants threw blanket about the body and extinguished the flames, but the fire had done it's work, and a charred and scorched corpse was all that remain ed of the delicate, fair-faced woman of a few minutes before.
 A physician was instantly summoned, but life was extinct, and the body, which was charred from the feet up to the fore head, was covered from sight where it lay. Captain Burke, for whom messenger had been sent, arrived, but alas l! the wife whom he had left three hours before, was gone. His grief was pitiful to witness, and the tears fell like rain from eyes un- used to weeping. ''It can't be so," he cried, in agonizing tones. "I'll not be- lieve it. I must see her," but strong hands kept him away from the ldreadful sight, until the undertaken had arrived and washed and dressed the body, and then he was permitted to look upon all that remained of his dead wife,
 Mrs. Burke was an exceedingly lady like, well-educated, accomplished woman, and had many warm friends. She was a pianist and vocalist of far more than or dinary ability, and several years ago was l one of the soprano singers in the Center I church choir, under Dr. Barnett He1 maiden name was Hardwick, and she l formerly lived in Boston, where she has ( brother to whom word of the sad occur. renee was sent Her father and mother were both dead, the latter dying last l spring and leaving her considerable sun of money. Indeed, it is stated that she would have come into possession of seve
 ral thousand dollars if she had lived til
 spring. She had been married about twelve years and had no children. The news of her sad and sudden death will be received with mortified regret by host oi 1 friends, while her husband will have the 1 heartfelt sympathy of all in his dreadful bereavement. a
 The theory advanced in regard to the accident, and justified by the appearance of the room, is that the fire caught in some way in the closet, that Mrs. Burke l discovered the smoke and opened the | door, and that the flames burst suddenly upon her, igniting her clothing She was dressed in light morning wrapper, and must have been instantly enveloped il flames. Losing her presence of mind sht rushed out into the hall and down tht stairs, flaming the blaze and inhaling tn. l flames us she went, and dropped dead il | the kitchen as stated. 1 The discovery of box of a charred parlor matches on the floor of the closet would lead to the more probable suppo. sition that Mrs. Burke went to the closet for something, and stepped upon the matches, (which, as is well known, ignite very easily) and by the sudden Rpressure caused their ignition, and that from theil flames her clothing was set on fire. The exact cause of the affair must, however, remain mystery.