The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-15
CHARRED REMAINS TAKEN
FROM SCENE FOUR HOURS
AFTER DESTROYING BLAZE
Horses Rescued but Wom-
an Not Missed Until
Mid-Afternoon.

: AtIA D. AAlAAAC L. W OAaA AAAAf "a saNA 'Nr
was burned to death and her body
charred almost beyond recogni-
/ ton yesterday afternoon in the
ruins of a barn that had been de-
stroyed in a fire that started at
1890 o'clock Sunday morning on
the premises on the Thirtieth street
road at Thirty-frst avenue. The
body was not found until o'clock
in the afternoon, nearly four hours
after the fire started.
Searching parties had sought her
since the time the fire started, aud
the horrible tragedy of the search
was that parties had passed her
body repeatedly, but after other
sights of the ruins no one believed.
that the dead form was that of Mrs.
Wolfrum.
The husband, Henry Wolfrum.
had gone to church in the morning,
and when he was called home the.
ed to the ground.
Persons passing along the road
discovered the blaze and had call
ed the fire department. Neighbors
| quickly arrived and took two horses
out of the barn and drove several
hogs out of a shed adjoining. Two
of the swine eluded their rescueTs
and their charred remains were
found among the ruins.
! Several fire companies respond
ed to the call. 1t was necessary
to lay $3.50 feet of hose from the
nearest hydrant on Twenty-irst
avenue. The fire had such a start
that little could be done with l
single stream of water.
Gossip Inspires Search.
L. K. EihI, 2215 Twenty-sixth
street. city inspector, was among
first of the neighbors to organize
searching parties for Mrs. Wolf
rum, when 1t was found that she
/ had not been seen since the time
| of the fire. Inquiry was made
/ through the neighborhood. but none
had seen her. No one suspected
( the horrible fate she had met un-
| til a report was started that she
had threatened to set fire to the
house unless the family attended
morning services. Her husband
! later denied that he had heard Duch
/ a threat. Mrs. Wolfrum at one
| time suffered a mental collapse and
| this recollection seemed to give
basis to the other rumor and the
search was renewed with yigor.
The fire had been eXtinguished
at noon ana searchers were soon
able to walk over the embers OF
the fire. The body was found in
northeast corner of the barn site,
q IL to h. Ia
The theory was advanced that
Mrs Wolfrum had been in the hay
NOW and that when the loft Of the
barn fell, her body dropped down
through the burned roof of a wagon
shed and lodged close to the foand-
alton on the outside of the barn.
t Another belief was that she hal
been huddled in a corner Of tle
open wagon shed near the barn
foundation and had been overcome
by smoke. Her body was charred
when the barn loft fell, caving in
the roof of the shed.
Jury Finds Accidental Death.
An inquest was conducted in the
Moeller undertaking parlors at
O'Clock this morning by Coroner
John F. Maberry and verdict was
given of accidental death after be-
ing overcome with smoke.
Joseph Burgart, Twenty-hrst ave
nue. and Twenty seventh street.
; testified at the inquest 10 finding
the body. Henry Raithel, Twentieth
avenue and Thirtieth street, and
Ernest Huber. Thirtieth street road.
we're the first to the scene Of the
) fire. They said that it broke out
> at the south end of the barn and
burned fercely from the start. The
loss on the barn, implements ami
grain in sheds was estimated at
5000
No one at the inquest had seen
Mrs. Wolfrum enter the barn, and
her husband said that when he had
started to church his wife was in
the house.
Native of Germany.
Mrs. WoIfrum. who was formerly
Miss Anna B. Wurzel, was born in
Germany May 8, 1871. and came TO
this country when a small girl.
She was married TO Henry Wolfrum
in Rock Island in 1896.
Surviving are the widoWer, a son.
Fred J., and two daughters. Mamie
and Anna, all at home. A sister,
Mrs. John Seitz of Rock Island,
also survives.
Funeral services will be held at
l10 O'Clock tomorrow morning in
the MoelIer funeral parlors. Rev.
Phi. wilhelm will conduct the serT-
/ ices. Burial will be in the German
Lutheran cemetery.
I