The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-05-18
FARM HOUSE FELL
PREY TO FLAMES
Property of August Fethke
Was Destroyed
MOST TRAGICEVENT
Building Collapsed, Buryins
Sleeping Children
In Debris
VICTIMS OF BLAZE
THAI SWEPT HOME

|
old, Williams sister.
Leroy soetner, seven, grand
| son OF Aunust Fethke.
| Lee BoeIner, five, grandson.
Richard Boetner, three, anoth-
| err grandson.
THE INJURED
August Fethke, severely burn
ed about the feet.
Mrs. August Fethke, in a criti-
cal condition from heart disease
| aggravated by shock.
Mrs. Henry soetnsr, critically
i'll from shock, exposure and
burns.
Her thirteen day old infant,
severely burned.
| Four nephews of Charles Fethke
of this city were burned to death
early Sunday morning, when their
home situated Ave miles west of AL
den, was destroyed by fire. In addi
ton to those burned to death, August
Fethke. a brother of Charles Fethke
| OF Fuller street, this city, is in q
critical condition from burns re-
lceived in an attempt to rescue his
children with the aid Of a ladder
| family. is also in critical eondi-
ton from shock and exposure, which
aggravated the heart trouble from
which she had been suffering. Mrs
Henry Boetner, daughter OF the
| family, is also in a critical condi
ttion from shock and exposure, and
her thirteen day old infant is severe
ly burned.
Frank Fethke, bread maker at the
Mankato Bread company. in a state
ment to The Free Press, said that
his uncle made the statement yes
terday that he was in the act OF
| scaling a ladder to second story
window in an attempt to rescue
children on that floor, when the
walls to the building collapsed, pre-
cipitating the elder Mr.. Fethke into
the flames, but he managed to extri
cate himself after receiving burns
which may prove fatal. He stated
that an instant before, the collapse
he called to his son William, who
he shouted: Where are you, father
The falling in of the house prevent
ed the SON from reaching the win
dow.
The Fethke family of MankatG
have completed preparations for at
TENDING the funeral which will be
held Wednesday in Alden.
| Alden, Mimi. May A man anC
four children are dead, two womer
are critically ill from shock burns
and exposure, and a, baby and mar
destroyed the farm home OF Angus
Fethke. sixty years old, Ave miles
west OF here, early yesterday.
The cause Of the fire is undeter-
mined.
Mrs. Henry Boetner, daughter oil
August Fethke, and mother of the
three dead children, rescued two
younger children, one an infant bOrr
May /, before the flames cut of
communication with the sleeping
rooms. Oscar and Mamie Fethke
children of MIR. and Mrs. Fethke, al.
so escaped before the stairs fell.
The fire was discovered by Mrs
called her father. He investigated
and found fire which he was un.
able to extinguish.
Rushing to the stairs he sounded
the alarm, and Mrs. Boetner' will
the baby and next youngest child
and Mamie and Oscar Fethke will
their mother. rushed down.
Attempt At Rescue Failed.
| August Fethke started up the
stairs in his nightshirt to rescue the
flour children, calling meanwhile t
William, his older son, TO hurr,
down.
Before August could mount tn,
stairs, however, they burst Int
fame and almost instantly collapsed
I He then rushed to the barn, got &
ladder and mounted to a window o.
the sleeping room, calling to tn,
imprisoned children to come to him
He had reached the window or tn,
sleeping room when the house col
1apsed. the walls falling In. Angus
ider, over the middle of the FAM s
and scrambled back only after hi!
bare feet had been burned severely
Following his father in heroic ef
forts to save life, William Fethk,
died trying to rescue his sister. Hell
len. the location of the bodies show
ed. When August Fethke had 60
his ladder against the burning walls
and was climbing 1t In heat so in
tense that the ladder and his night
gown caught fire, William. in tn,
heart Of the blaze, was struggling
to carry his sister to the window.
He reached the window just a!
the ladder and wall fell, and Will,
the father fell outside the house, thu
son and his sister fell into the fier.
cellar. When found, Williams bod.
was clasping that of his little sister
Mrs. Fethke was carried to tn
home Of 4 neighbor where a nurse
and a physician are attending hel
She is not Considered strong enough
to remove to a hospital.
Funeral On Wednesday.
The bodies OF all 1--WE victims wer'
removed from the ashes of the HON,
today, almost completely consumed
They will be buried in one grav'
Wednesday. :,
| The value Of the house was placed
at $1,000, and IL with the furnishing
were destroyed. The sum Of 5000 il
bills, which August Fethke had OBJ
tanned from his bank Saturday {,
pay a well digger also was burned.
Henry Boetner was not in tn,
home when the FIRE started, living a
his own farm about two miles ava.
while his wife visited her parent
for few weeks.
Last night the BODY of William
Fethke, with those of his sister an,
three nephews lies in his own new
led tosSuperiorSnatiOnal forest head