, 1888-11-15
CRAZED BY GRIEF.
The Widow Of one Of The Lost
Kansas Miners
Sets Fire to Her Oil Saturated
Dwelling.
Herself and Four Children
Burned to Death.

P%ITTsBURG Kan, Nov. I2.-Friday's
mine disaster had a terrible sequel Sun
day night. Among the sixty victims who
persisted in the deadly shaft was Louis
Berthune, a brawny Frenchman. Sun
day morning his remains we're brought to
the surface in the cage, and as the rough
rescuers were laying them on the ground
his wife, Maria, burst through the line of
spectators with a shrek, and fell PROSTATE
beside the bleeding and mangled corpse.
Tender hands bore her to the little hut
like home over the hill, and when she
awoke she was sullen and silent. Kindly
neighbors tried to solace her, but their
words of sympathy fell on unappreciative
ears. She neither evinced sorrow nor
made reply to anybody. Then the neigh
bors noticed hat Mrs. B~erthune's eyes
were strangely dilated, and that there was
a suggestive darkness in them. The
doctor said her reason was gone But as
she was not violent and did not evince a
disposition to harm anybody, she was left
in the hut with her five little children,
Mrs. Berthune sat for hours staring
blankly at the floor. Her little ones
tugged frantically at the skirt other dress,
repeatedly called her name and tried other
childish expedients to attract her aUten-
ton, She did not seem to notice them.
Her bereavement was so intense that she
could think OF nothing but the mangled
body, which was lying in the improvised
morgue that was hastily erected Saturday
to shelter the victims of the mine. To-
orI Iarly hpurauar shn coo,,ol
cover from the trance. Jumping from
her chair she walked over to a rude bed,
and, taking a sleeping infant in her arms
she pressed it close to her breast. Mrs.
Berthune then approached her other
children and kissed them one by one, and
in return they c~aressed her fondly.
Come with me-" she commanded,
bre aking her self-enforced silence for the
first time.
She passed through the narrow door
and the children toddled on behind. Up
the side of the hill they all climbed. The
younger of the four was helped by his
mother and eldest sister, a pretty miss of
9 years. When they reached the brow of
the hill Mrs. Berthune struck off to the
right, following a path which led direct to
to the morgue. The place was surrounded
by grlm-looking miners, who were carry
ing lighted lanterns, and weeping and
hysterical women and children, who were
searching vainly for the remains of loved
ones.
Such a picture of human misery as was
presented to the poor woman and her
children was calculated to make stouter
hearts quail, but Mrs. Buthule was APP.
parently unmoved by it. Commanding
her four elder children TO remain near the
narrow entrance, she went inside and
picked her way cautiously among the life
less bodies until she reached that of her
husband. She knelt down beside it, re
moved 4 gunny sack that covered the
blood besmeared face, and then poised the
infant so its innocent blue eyes could take
i'll the whole revolving sight. The baby
cooed and waved its little arms delight
eddy.
Then the mother returned to her wait
ing children outside the dead house. She
led them one by one into the grewsome
place until all had seen the bloody features
of their father, and then she led them
home again. The first thing she did after
she had marshaled them into the hut was
to put them abed, the next to start a roar
ing fire in the stove.
The infant and the three next Oldest,
tired by their exertions, quickly went to
sleep. But the eldest girl could not sleep.
Her mothers strange behavior had fright
ened her, and in a vague way she was SEN
sible Of the fact that the poor, dementcd
woman contemplated some fearful crime.
Aside from her fear on that score, how
ever, the sight she had witnessed at the
morgue-her dead fathers mangled body,
the rows of corpses that lay stretched in
the mud on either side of it, and the
heartrending anguish Of women and child.
ren-had left such an impression on her
mind that sleep was out Of the question.
SO she lay perfectly still and watched her
mother, who was sitting close beside the
stove.
Mrs. Berthume scarcely moved for
three hours, and only once during that
time did she avert her eyes from the floor.
The first evidence of life she evinced was
when she passed her hand over her face
in a dazed fashion. The motion seemed
to arouse her, for she jumped to her feet
and began to g~estlculate wildly, The
girls alarm increased, but she remained
perfectly quiet, believing hat her moth
er's frenzy would soon pass away and
that she would relapse into her trance
like condition again But the woman
mOuleDtarlly SeemGu 10 grow WIlueT anu
uncomfortable, aud instead Of ceasing the
motion OF her rms Increased. She con-
tinued the pantomime for several minutes
before she finally stopped, and then she
walked over to the corner nearest the
stove and picked mp a coal oil can part OF
the contents Of which she deliberately
poured over th" skirt OF her dress. The
remainder Of the oil she emptied upon
the bed where her children were sleeping
peacefully, unconscious of threatened