Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1908-09-17
HORRIBLE ACCIDENT,
BY the Explosion OF Can OF Zero
sene Two Little lnnocents Are
Burned to Death.
Both OF the Babies Are Frlshtsull,
Burned and Die Within an
Hour of Each Other.

Since the Spicer murders, more than
ten years ago, the Record has not been
called upon tn chronicle happening
IN Emmons county SO pathetic In its
nature as the accident of Wednesday
by which two innocent little children
died by that most horrible OF AN
deaths burning.
Wednesday afternoon, Mrs. Peter
Dirk. living in the southeastern part
OF town, went to visit her neighbor,
Mrs. David Krieg, near by With her
were her two children, John and Am
brosc. During the afternoon the
children, with Katharine, IA little
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Krieg, went
over to the Dirk premises to play.
About 4 o'clock John Mohn, who
lives next door tn the Dirk home,
heard a loud noise louder than the
discharge OF a gun. He was doing
some lathing in Il back room. lie had
no idea that anything serious had
happened, but from curiosity started
to the front door of the house. AS he
passed "A window toward the Dirk
house he saw flames through the
screen of the window. but he
could not see what was burning. AS
he went out OF the door a sight such as
he never wishes TO again behold burst
upon his view.
Running tieetly toward the Nricg
house, where he knew his mother was
visiting, little John Dirk, five years
old. was a mass of flames. MIR. Mohn
pursued and caught him. lie tore the
clothes from the boy, gave him into
the hands of others who had arrived
and started for Or. IIogue. lie knew
nothing of what was happening inside
the Dirk house.
Flames were seen inside the kitchen
OF that house by others who came,
and those who rushed in To subdue
them found poor little Katharine
krieg, twenty-six months old, in the
midst of the fire.
The children were quickly taken
to the Office of Or. IIogue, who at
once gave an opinion that it would be
impossible for them TO survive.
The little girl, Katharine Krieg,
died about Go'clock p. m, and tile
little boy, John Dirk, about an hour
later.
AS nearly as can he asccrtained the
story of the sad affair is as follows:
The children, having left their
mothers at the krieg residence, went
over TO the Dirk house. They CON
cluded that they would build tire
and roast some unshelled corn. They
went outside and secured two
gallon kerosene can nearly full OF oil
that was under the porch. 1t must
have been that they had started the
tire and ii had failed to burn or they
thought it WASH t burning fast enough.
There were three of the children pres
ent: but one of them, Ambrose Dirk,
three years old, received only slight
injuries.
The little boy. John Dirk, was bur
led this forenoon in the Catholic Gem.
etery about eight miles south
west Of strasburg The little girl,
/ Katharine krieg, was buried this aft.
ernoon at O'Clock, in Linton Gene
terry
Strong men who saw the poor, dis
figured little bodies of the two babes
said that, were they to live hundred
years, they could never forget the pit
iful sight.
The flames we're extinguished be
fore much damage was done to the
room in which they originated