The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-01
Mrs. Bridget stapleton Mis-
takes Gasoline for Kero-
sene and Is Fatally Burned
Her Daughter Fights
Flames Until She Is Over
come-May Be Crippled
f.; Life.

Bridget StapletOn, wife OF John "A
Stapleton, and mother of seven chill
dren, who survive her, was burned to
death early yesterday morning at her
home, 260 Maria avenue, as result of
attempting to light a fire by using
gasoline, supposed to have been mis-
taken for kerosene.
May A. Stapleton, a twenty three
year old daughter, who heroically eX-
tinguished the fire, was also severely
burned about the arms, face and feet,
but is not in a dangerous condition,
though she will be crippled for long
time and possibly marked for life.
Just how the accident occurred no
one will ever know. The boys who
usually light the fire in the morning
had been out late the night before.
Mrs Stapleton rose early to prepare
fire in the kitchen stove and then evil
IDENTIFY poured gasoline on the kind
ling to assist in starting it.
There was an explosion and the I'M
fortunate woman, ablaze from head to
foot, ran screaming into the dining
room adjoining the kitchen.
Body a BIackened Mass.
Her frenzied shrielzs aroused the
daughter, May, who was sleeping in
room downstairs off the dining room.
The girl rushed out in her night cloth
ing and beat the fire off her mother.
leaving only a blackened body, burned
to a crisp on the surface from head
to foot, not a vestige of clothing re-
naming, but the charred remnants of
some flannel apparel, and unrecogniz-
able save by the general shape.
In putting out the fire May Saple-
ton was burned very badly about the
face. Her left hand had the fingers
burned into almost a solid mass, while
her left foot was burned until the flesh
left the bones upon the sole.
DR.. Cavanaugh was called promptly
and gave immediate attention to the
injured. From the first there was no
hope for Mrs. Stapleton. She main
tanned consciousness until about 2
o'clock in the afternoon, when she
passed away in the greatest agony.
The husband, John A. Stapleton, is
assistant yardmaster for the Northern
Pacific railway at Duluth, but at the
time of the accident was lying i'll with
pneumonia at the Brainerd hospital.
He was summoned home, arriving in
st. Paul last might. The eldest son.
]. r. Stapleton, is twenty four years
of age and a brakeman in st. Paul
for the Northern Pacific railway. The
other five children are all boys, the
youngest seven years of age. No fu-
uneral arrangements have yet been
made.
Had $1,000 Insurance.
Mrs. Stapleton was forty years Of
age, a native of Ireland, and had been
a resident of ST. Paul for the past
thirty years. She married here and
has a large number of friends. She
was a member of the Daughters of
Erin and the Ladies' Auxiliary and had
$1,000 insurance on her life in the
Daughters of Erin.
Miss May Stapleton, though terribly
burned, was still able to be sitting
up yesterday and tell the story of the
fire as far as she knows it. Lying on
a couch in the kitchen where the fatal
fire was started her appearance told
only too well how terrible her suffer-
ings must be. Her face is burned
red, but not otherwise disfgured, but
she was bearing the eXcruciating pain
heroically as she told T h G b e
what had happened.
Daughter Tells of Explosion.
II was asleep in my bedroom" she
said, when heard mother scream and
I at once jumped up and ran out to-
wards the kitchen, meeting her in
flame from head to foot l don't know
exactly what I did more than to put
out the fire. 1t was the work of a
minute, but by that time my poor
mother was burned black from head
to foot. How she remained conscious
with her terrible injuries no one can
tell The doctor and priest We're call
ed Immediately, and mother died about
o'clock. We were all there then ex-
cept father"
The gasoline was not usually kept in
the kitchen, but on Wednesday Mrs.
Stapleton was using 1t to clean her
daughters dress and left it alongside
the coal oil can by the fire. There
was about pint of the fluid, which
burned out quickly. There was no
damage done to the premises.