Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-05-11
Young Mother, Husband is
Badly Burned When Bolt
Skaters Home.
House is Shattered by Bolt
Which Claimed Mrs.
Schmidt.

Lightning brought tragedy to
Hinckley home Sunday when it struck
the residence of Mr.. and Mrs. Herman
Schmidt and injured and burned Mrs.
Schmidt to the extent that she passed
away in a Minneapolis hospital early
the following morning. Mr.. Schmidt
was stunned momentarily and suf-
fered burns on his hands and arms.
A high school girl, Ethel Anderson,
staying at the place was uninjured
except from shock, while bed In
another room from the one in which
she was lying was torn to pieces.
1t was about 4:30 o'clock in the aft
ernOon that the electric storm oc-
Cured and Mr.. Schmidt had just gone
into the kitchen where Mrs. Schmidt
was working. The children, boy
and girl aged about 10 and 9, had a
short time before asked permission
to go to neighbOrs and with reluc-
lance, because of the rain, the par
ents had allowed them to go. This
fact possibly saved them from injury
and death. Mr.. Schmidt relates that
he had not been in the kitchen very
long when a sudden flash blinded and
stunned him for a period of only
moment but which seemed to him
like an hour during which time he
saw his wife burning and was not
able to save her. At last he regained
consciousness enough that he was
able to carry her out of the house
and extinguish the blaze in her cloth
ing but not until she had been burned
considerably. She was taken to
neighbor's house across the street
and later was taken with Mr.. Schmidt
to ST. Joseph's hospital in Minneapo-
lis where she died the. following
morning from shock. Mr.. Schmidt is
somewhat recovered from the terrible
ordeal but the sudden loss which he
mentally and physically for some
time. Miss Anderson. who was stay
ing at the Schmidt home also suf-
fered from shock being in very close
proximity of the bolt as it entered
the house, but she suffered no other
injuries. The house is badly torn
to pieces and was burning in two or
more places when the fire depart
ment arrived and eXtinguished the
blaze. One hundred little chicks
were in box in the room and only
! five could be found in the debris
Immediately afterwards.
MIR. Schmidt i'm Business.
! Mr. Schmidt just recently purchased
! the equipment of the cooperative oil
station in Hinckley and had made
several trips to Askov in the course
of his duties. He, as we'll as Mrs.
Schmidt, is in the prime of life and
the tragedy seems all the more ap-
palling when such a young mother
was taken from her home and chill
dren without warning.
Only 35 Years Old.
/! Myrtle Olson was born December l,
1898 in Minneapolis, the daughter of
Mr.. and Mrs. Andrew Olson who now
reside in the Pine City community
and grew to womanhood in the Fries.
land community when her parents
farmed there at one time. She was
married in the Kroschel church to
Herman Schmidt and had lived in
Hinckley most of the time since. Two
children, boy, Lester, 10 years old.
and a girl, Elaine, 9, survive her
with her husband, parents and other
relatives. Words cannot seem to ex-
press the good qualities of this young
mother taken in the full bloom OF
womanhood from her loved ones
whom she mothered so dearly. She
was always doing something for 9TH
ers and asked nothing in return. Her
smile and CHEEKY disposition will be
missed by host of friends who ex-
tend deep sympathy to the bereaved
family.
The funeral will be held from the
} Hinckley school auditorium Friday
afternoon at 2 p. m. at which the
Rev. H. J. Molotky of the Kroschel
German Lutheran church of which
Mr.. Schmidt is member, will off1ci-
!, ate. Burial will be made in the
Swedish Lutheran cemetery at Hinck-
ley with Frank Mclaughlin, Ed
Burke, Allen Thorne. Henry Gimpl.
John Hurley and George Goltz acting
} as pallbearers.