The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-04-11
Spontaneous Combustion.

NASco VI uuulAli OClASS VIII nave SUD-
denly died from the effects Of internal
combustion are very singular. The fol-
lowing case is very remarkable one. It
is that of Grace Pitt, the wife of fish
mongcr in the parish of st Clement,
Ipswich. She wa. aged about sixty, and
had contracted habit of coming down
from her bedroom every night, halt
dressed, to smoke pipe On the night
Of the 9th of April. l744, 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 on the floor, which
was Of deal, and it had the appearance OF
log of wood which had been consumed
by a fire without apparent flame. The
girl, on noticing her mothers body, ran
and got couple Of vessels ofwater which
she poured upon the body, and immedi-
atcly f9tid oder and smoke was given
oft which very nearly smothered the
neighbors who had come to the girls
assistance. The trunk was in some meas
ure incineratod and resemblcd a 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 from Gibralter. There was no
fire in the CRATE from which the cotton
gown she wore could have been ignitcd
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 sustained 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 neari y every day. This
woman was found consumed at distan-
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 vertc-
brn 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-
band of the deceased, stated that his wife
had been unable to sleep the preceding
night, and had gone into the kitchen to
warm herself; at about two O'Clock in
the morning he was awakened by a
strong and infectious edor, aud having
run to the place found the remains OF his
wife in the condition described. Inquiry
into the cause of Madam Millct's death
was prosecuted with the most un1irine
diligence. It was unfortunate for NJ
Millct 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
Millct out OF the way. and had stuaiously
arranged the above details to avert sus-
picioa from the real cause of his lady's
death. He was convicted, but s,Derio,
court, to which he appealed, declared
the combustion to have been the result OF
natural causes, and have been spotanc,
Gus, SO that the male Nlillct came off vic
ferrous.
1t is notable fact that in nearly all
cases of spontaneous combustion men a:
victims are conspicuous by their absence
a case, however, is given by DR.. MacNish
st. Louis Post.