River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-04-11
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Spontaneous Combustion.

+ Cases OF human beings who have sud
d My died from the effects of internal
combustion are very singular. The fol-
lowing case is very remarkable one. II
is that of Grace Pitt, the wife of fish
monger in the parish OF st Clement,
| Ipswich. She wa. aged about sixty. and
had contracted habit of coming down
from her bedroom every night, half
| dressed, to smoke pipe. On the night
Of the 9th of April. 1144, she got up from
bed as usual, and her daughter,who slept
with her. did not notice her absence until
next morning, when on going down into
the kitchen, she found her stretched out
on her right side, with her head toward
the CRATE; the body extended on the
hearth, with the legs Oh the floor, which
was of deal, and it had the appearance OF
log of wood which had been consumed
by fire without apparent flame. The
girl, on noticing her mothers body, ran
and got a couple of vessels ofwater which
she poured upon the body, and immedi-
atey a fntid oder and smoke was given
off which very nearly smothered the
neighbors who had come to the girls
assistance. The trunk was in some meas
ure incinerated and resembled heap of
Goals covered with white ashes. The
head, the arms, and lower portions of the
body had also been partially burned.
The woman it was said had drank a large
quantity of spirituous liquor the night
before in consequence of being over joy
ed, at hearing of the return of one OF her
daughters iIom Gibralter. There was no
fire in the CRATE from which the cotton
gown she wore could have been ignited
and the candle had been burned entirely
out IN the socket, while near the con-
sumed body were found several articles
of clothing and paper screen, which
had sustai ed no injury by the fire.
And still another case is found in that
of Madam Millet, who kept lodging
house at Rheims, France, and who got
intoxicated very nearly every day. This
woman was found consumed at a disran-
lance of foot and half from her hearth,
on the morning of the Goth of February,
1925. Only part of the head, little
of the extremities and three or four verte
bre were left of the body. The flooring
under the body was consumed, but arti-
cles of clothing and wood near the body
were still intact. Jean Millet, the hus-
Ddllu VI tlic dGCtdSCh, oldbCtt lilo wiz
had been unable TO sleep the preceding
night, and had gone into the kitchen 10
warm herself; at about two o'clock in
the morning he was awakened by a
strong and infectious edor. and having
run to the place found the remains of his
wife in the condition described. Inquiry
into the cause of Madam Milets death
was prosecuted with the most unuiring
diligence 1t was unfortunate for NJ
Millet that he had handsome servant
girl in the establishment, for he was
charged by his prosecutors with having
concerted with the girl TO put Madam
MilIet out of the way, and had studiously
arranged the above details to avert sus
picioa from the real cause of his lady's
death. He was convicted, but a superior
court, to which he appealed, declared
the combustion to have been the result of
natural causes, ,ud have been spotane
Gus, SO that the male Millet came off vic
ferrous.
1t is a notable fact that in nearly all
cases of spontaneous combustion men as
victims are conspicuous by their absence;
a case, however, is given by DIR. MacNish.
st Louis Post.