The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-03-24
Christian Gutheil Suffered an
Exeruciating Death by Fire
Wednesday.
HE WAS II YEARS OF AGE.
Deceased Was the Father OF
MRS. James jackson, Of
This Village.

The following. from the Hough-
ton Gazette, will be Of local inter
est, as the unfortunate victim was
the father of Mrs. Bertha Jackson,
OF this village:
Christian Gutheil, for over 80 years
a resident of the village OF Hough-
ton, was burned to death at his
home on Nontezuna street at 500
O'Clock Wednesday afternoon.
Mr. Guthcil was II years OF age
and fer the past two years had been
in very poor health, suffering from
weakness incidental to extreme old
age. He and his aged wife lived
alone in small frame building ad-
joining larger dwelling occupied
by their son-in-law and daughter,
Mr.. and Mrs. George Enderick, The
old gentleman had been confined to
chair or couch for long time, be-
ing unable to walk without assist
ance.
Wednesday afternoon his wife left
the house for a few moments to visit
her daughter next door, leaving Mr.
Gutheil alone on q couch near the
stove. Some moments later smob e
was seen issuing from the building
An alara was turned in and the fire
department promptly responded,
but before it arrived Mrs. Gutheil
entered the building, The room was
filled with smoke from the burning
feather bed and bed clothes on which
the unfortunate man WAS repOsing.
Maurice Spring followed the aged
woman IN and with the assistance OF
others ile burning bedding was
scattered and the man was removed.
He expired as he was lifted from the
bed. His flesh was literally roasted
most of the clothing which he wore
being burned FROM his body. The
remains were taken into the resi-
deuce next door A physician was
summoned and made an examination
which brought out the fact that
death was not caused by suifocation,
but was directly attributable to the
burns received. His suffering must
have been intense, although death
came quickly,
The origin of the fire has not been
definitely ascer,ained, but the theory
is advanced that MIR. Guthcil was
smoking his pipe and he either fell
asleep, letting the pipe fall among
the bed clothes, or else a spark set
the inflammable clothes ablaze. II
is also possible that the bedding
caught fire from the stove near
which the couch was standing
After the fire was apparently ex-
tinguisLed remnants Of the bedding,
which had been carried out into the
street, were again taken into the
building. 1t was supposed that the
fire was entirely eXtinguished, but
an hour later another alarm was
sent in, the bed clothes having
burst into flames again. Tue fire
was extinguiShed Il second time with
little or no damage to the building.
Mr.. Gutheil came 10 Houghton over
30 years ago and until the last two
years he had been familiar figure
about the streets. He had "a tailor
shop in Mrs. Harrington's building
at one time, moving to the building
in which he died few years ago.
For the last year he has done no
work except little repairing. He
had been member of the local
Germania society for the past 2S
years. Mr.. and Mrs. Gutheil have
four children, two sons and two
daughters. The sons are Otto
Gutheil of Denver, Alex. Gutheil, of
Cheboygan, Wis, and the daughters
are Mrs. George Enderick, of Hough-
ton, and Mrs. Bertha Jackson, of
L'Ause. The funeral was held this
morning from the late residence.