Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1875-12-20

fearful going on in his room, the per-

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fearful going on in his room, the per-
son said. The kcepcr,,~Mr. O'Neill,
has,ened to the spot, and found lying
in the middle, Of the floor burning
human body, which was all over of the
color of u red.h coal. In the cell
ing just above was a large hole, on
fire around ,heredges, through which
it appeared that the fiery, redhot
body had burned through its way and
dropped down into the room Of the
inmate below. The person occupying
the room above was an old woman
named Mrs. Peacocke, WHO was not
only hardened sinner, but an inl ct
crate drunkard besides. Mr.. O'Neill
rushed up and burst open this harden
cd old sinners door. In this room he
found to his CONSERVATION no, Mrs.
Peacocke, but only hole in the floor
through which Mrs. Peacocke had
burned her way to the neither regions.
What only added -te-lis-horror was
that in Peacocke's room there was
found no sign Of candle, candlestick,
or fire, except few Goals which had
been taken together and covered with
ashes, to keep in through the night,
and which had remained undisturbed
and uncovered in the CRATE. 1t was
clear as daylight that the fire could
not have communicated from these
Goals. What was it them There
was but one explanation. In the
morning the mayor of the city, several
ministers, and other honorable stand
ing and veracious gentlemen visited
the scene aud decided to the complete
satisfaction Of all parties, That since
there was no sign Of her having
caught fire from anything in the room,
and s'the extraordinary circumstance
of no part Of the room being burnt
except theNcenter 1T, through which
she had fallen, added to the well au-
thenticated Circumstance Of her recent
diabolical imprecations and lies, oblig-
ed every observer to, resolve SO awful
an event into the visitation Of Gods
judgment in the punishment Of a
daring and preseverlng singer"
When any flame is observed about
these spontaneously burning human
bodies it appears like the flame OF
alcohol, blue, Aickering, very diffieplt
to extinguish by water, and does not
readily communicate to other bodies,
even when they are inaamable. OF.
ten, indeed, extraordinary, to relate,
the persons clothing has been found
wholly uninjured, while the person
inside the clothing was burned to a
cinder. The body itself is usually
entirely consumed, while the head
and portions Of the limbs are some
times left untouched. The maid o
Cornelia Bandit, an elderly Italian
Countess, went into her mistress
room to wake her up, one morning
She found no mistress, but upon the
floor, little distance from the bed
!, lay heap Of ashes, and in this dread
full heap Of ashes some little parts o
the head, eyes and arms Of the unhap
by Countess. This lady had bcel
! constantly the habit Of bathin!
f her body with camphorated spirit 0
2 wine.
$ All over the room and furnitur
t where the Countess had been consum
!, ed, there was greasy, sooty deposit
. This moist, disagrceble deposit {
i SCOT, and an offensive odor Of burn
e meat, always attend and result fror
e the spontaneous combustion Of a h,
4 man body. An examination Of tn
S blood of these unfortunates-that j
n where there is any blood left to e,
amine-shows that a considerab
e quantity Of acloho! is mingled wit
= the watery part Of the blood.
E, The Rev. Mr.. Ferguson, of Dubli
n relates that IN the family Of one
&c his parishioners, resided an old woma
Ii who, " ith her daughter, was in Il
y habit OF going to bed in a state
E. intoxication every night, The tN
III Eslcpt- In the same bed. The old W,
d, man, for some days, had been drin
m ing much more ardent spirits thu
'g usual, when one morning the fami
werc awakened by horrible smellil
ID smoke. They hastened to the apa1
DO ment Of the two women, and fou
C. the body Of the old woman black
as a cindcr, and smoking all'ovcr. S
on was quite dead when they reach
ly her, and almost entirely consume
ng while neither her daughter, who "
re beside her, nor any Of the bed clo
:ly ing was injured in tho slightest !,
as gree.
'ot One poor lady was awfully ov
ne taken in the midst Of matrimon
squabblc. One night her husba
~ came home late from party, and
ng two quarreled violently, both be
ex- in state Of intoxication, The "
IDS insisted upon citing w, the husb;
nd upon going to bed. The lady 7
ple sisted in her determination, who