New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1907-11-13
Aged Invalid and Three Small
Children Lose Lives in
Building
Mother of Little Ones Almost Be
side Herself Because of Act
Of Folly.
Left Children Alone With Helpless
Grandfather and Went
on Errand.
Dwelling in Flames When She Re.
turned and Rescue Inn
possible.
Firemen Reached Scene Too Late
to be of Any Assistance.
Bodies When Taken From Smok-
ing Debris Were Burned AL
most to Cremation.
Firemen Reached Scene Too Late
to be of Any Assistance.

saturday noon tne IRE signal SCUM
ded.
At first it was thought to be false
alarm, but little later it was discov-
cred that the home Of Louis Guemmer
was on fire and still later the city was
shocked to learn of one of the most
distressing tragedies that has occurred
here in years.
Four people had been burned to
death and that too almost beyond rec
ognition.
One of them was Louis Guemmer's
father, aged seventy three, and the
other three were his children, Louis,
Mary and Charles.
learned from the many conflicting
stories, are as follows:
About half past eleven o'clock Mrs.
Guemmer left her home to go to her
sisters to get some milk. Her sister
lives nearly half a mile away, far out
of sight of her home, and when she
left she locked the door, leaving her
three small children and her father
in-law at home alone. Her father-in-
law, Henry Guemmer, was helpless
invalid who had not been able to leave
was only four years of age and the
others two and one respectively. That
she was in the habit Of leaving her lit
tie ones at home alone is known to
many of the neighbors, but whether
she was accustomed to lock the door
on them no one can say. On this oc-
casion one of the neighbors claims to
have seen her return to the house al
ter lie aving it short distance to see
nat it was securely locked. She left
the key in the door, however, SO that
anyone could have easily entered it
from the outside There is no charge
against her, therefore, except that of
pure carelessness.
After she had been gone twenty or
thirty minutes Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph
Karl, the nearest neighbors, noticed
that the building was on fire. Karl
Immediately teiephoned an alarm and
then FASTENED to the scene of danger.
z He had seen Mrs. Guemmer leave the
place and he knew that the helpless
inmates must be burned to death I'M
less quickly rescued. He tried the
door, but found it impossible to enter
on account Of the dense smoke. Then
he made for the windows on the south
side There he found Andrew Hill
burger already at work, but wherever
they attempted to enter they were
driven back by the intensity Of the
heat and the great clouds Of smoke
that issued from every opening.
The building was a story and hall
frame structule and in the heavy wind
was consumed almost like SO much
paper. By the time the fire depart
ment arrived on the scene only the
north wall was left standing and all
that remained to be done was tC
uuench the burning embers and search
for the bodies of the victims.
When found by Fireman Fred Brust
the body of the old man and the two
year-old girl were lying in the bed, the
Oldest child was on the floor beneath
the bed and the infant baby in an
other part of the room unoer the
charred remains of a cupboard. Al
of the bodies were burned to crisp
and with the exception of the baby
all were beyond recognition. They
were Immediately taken to Buenger's
mo-gue and on Monday afternoon
funeral services were held from the
Lutheran church.
While the fire was in progress Mrs
Guemmer was seen coming over TIT
hill to her home, but before she coulf
reach the place she was thoughtfully
taken to the residence OF Mr.. Kari ane
& tenderly cared for by the iaJter's wife,
Throughout the day, and In TACT evel
since. she has been almost beside her.
self with grief and remorse.
Mr.. Guemmer was not at nome Wher
the tragedy occurred and first received
4 ) ~