The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-05-16
LITTLE GIRL DIES or BURNS
Son Of Dead Woman In Critical Condi-
ton Explosion of Gasoline Caused
Fire Which Resulted in Tragedy.
New Munster Men Rescue Children.

Munster in the western part Of Keno
sha county late Tuesday afternoon
heroic mother gave up her life in an
effort to save the lives of her children
and this afternoon the mother and one
of the children were buried at the lit
tie cemetery Of St. Alphonse church.
The woman was Mrs. Johanna Kretsch-
mer, aged 26 years, the wife of Will
liam Kretschmer, one of the best
known residents of the village and the
little girl buried with her was Anna
Kretschmer, aged Is months, her
youngest child. A little boy, William
Kretsc1>.er, Jr., five years old, is now
lowering between life and death as a
result of burns received and it is
feared that he can not survive.
The tragedy came as the result Of
an explosion of gasoline in the
Kretschmer home. Mrs. Kretschmer
had been busy with the family wash
ing and she had sent one Of the older
children of the family to the village
store to get gallon of gasoline. On
the way home the cork was lost out of
the gasoline can and the child took it
in the kitchen and placed it near the
gasoline stove which was burning. At
the time Mrs. Kretschmer was in the
back yard about the house hanging up
the cfothtng ana the little girl ran out
and told her she had placed the oil
in the house and then ran to the home
of neighbor to play. The two other
children were playing in one of the
rooms at the front of the house. A
few minutes later Mrs. Kretschmer
heard an explosion and saw the flames
bursting out Of the doors of the house.
with no thought of herself she rushed
through the flames to save the two
children. The flames had started in all
portions of the lower part of the house
and the mother found flames barring
her way in all directions. Neighbors
saw her rush through the flames until
she fell with her hand reaching toward
a door leading into a stairway leading
to the rooms in which the children had
been playing. In few minutes the
Ap4ira Iri1Iono uoS aro,,Sad ao1 +bo 6ro
was extinguished by the use of a
chemical engine and William Kerst-
ing, who showed great heroism, led a
party of rescuers into the building
They first found the body of Mrs.
Kretschmer. She had evidently died
almost instantly and portions of her
body were burned to crisp. Kersting
carried the dead body out into the
yard and then urged on by the crowd
he went back in the house to search
for the two children. BY this time
the fire had taken new start and was
rapidly spreading to the upper floor of
the house. Kersting searched in vain
on the lower floors for the two child
ren and then he started to the upper
rooms. AS he opened the door leading
to the stairway he stumbled over the
unconscious forms of the two child
rem The stairway was filled with
smoke and flames and the two children
were in each other S arms. 1t seems
evident that the little boy with the
view of saving his little sister had
attempted to take the child to the up
per floor of the house when they were
caught in the smoke and flames. both
of the children we've terribly burned
but both were alive when they were
carried from the burning building by
kersting amidst the cheers of the
great crowd of village people who had
gathered. Kersting S hands and face
were burned and he was blackened by
smoke.
The little children who made up
his burden were terribly burned. The
lower limbs of the little boy were
burned in such manner that he suf-
fercd great agony and the entire body
Of the baby was covered with great
burns. The hair had been burned from
the heads Of both the children. The
children were carried to the home of
Simon Bopp, a neighbor, and DR.. viii
liam Prouty was called to attend them.
In the meantime the father, Will
lem Kretschmer, who had been at
work on the farm Of his father, John
s>retschmer, some distance from the