The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1948-08-05
Summerfield Mother Dies
AS GAINESVILLE Home Burns

Mrs. Mary Belle khune, 28,
mother of three small children,
and native of Summerfield,
was burned to death Thursday
when flames swept the home on
Riverside drive, route s, Zanes-
vile.
It was thought that the blaze
started when Mrs. Khune threw
kerosene in the kitchen stove to
start fire. Her husband, Jasper,
and their three children were
aided in escaping from the house
by Earl Dunn, 66, former county
auditor Of Muskingum county
and owner of the house. Dunn,
who was repairing the roof of
the house was almost knocked
from the structure by the e.xplo-
sion. After reaching the ground,
he broke a window in the home
and unattached the screen door.
He rescued the three children,
Dolores, 8, Ronald, 6, and Law
renee, 4, by rushing into the in
ferno and hurrying the children
outside, after they had gone in
side apparently in search Of their
mother. They were later remov-
ed to the home of a neighbor,
Mrs. Harold Day.
Mr.. Khune. 80, an employee
of the, Ohio Power Company, on
the night shift. was sleeping in
an adjoining room and managed
to escape by way of window clad
in pair of shorts. He attempted
to rescue his wife but was pre-,
vented from doing so by the in
tense heat and Dunn's wife was
burned on the face and hands try
ing to open the dwellings, door.
She later collapsed, but was re-
vived at her home nearby.
Dunn stated that he saw Mrs.
Khune enter the house announc-
ing that she was going to get
dinner. AT the time the children
were playing in the yard.
The GAINESVILLE fire department
was called by Dunn but failed to
answer the call because of state
law forbidding firemen to attend
fires outside the city limits un-
less the owner has contracted for
the fire protection In advance.
No such contract had been made.
Neighbors formed bucket bri-l
gade and prevented the flames
spreading until the arrival of the
Duncan Falls volunteer fire de-
partment.
The firemen from Duncan Falls
put out the blaze by pumping
water from a nearby cistern and
some furniture was saved. The
property was covered by insur-
ance, according to the owner. At
ter the fire was brought under
control the body of Mrs. Khune
was found under the collapsed
chimney. The body was taken to
the Thompson funeral home in
GAINESVILLE.
Two Ohio Power Co. linemen,
Gerald McDaniels and James
Kinneer, saw the burning house
from about a half-mile away and
hurried to the scene to cut elec-
trio wires and prevent possible
shock to rescue workers and
firemen.
The deceased was the former
Mary Belle Wickham, the daugh-
ter of Iva Wickham and the late
Clarence Wickham. She gradu-
ated from Sarahsville high school
with honors and was a member
of the Evangelical United Breth-
rem church at Fredericksdale.
She was married to Jasper
Khune, March %, 1889, and they
moved to the Dunn farm seven
years ago. Besides her husband,
children and mother, she is sur
vived by sister, Mrs. Chester
England, of South GAINESVILLE,
and a paternal grandfather, Will
liam Wickham, of Fredericks-
dale.
The body was taken to the Earl
Dunn home on Riverside drive,
Friday afternoon, where it re-
manned until 1000 a. M, Satur-
day. Funeral services were held
Saturday at 200 p. m. at the
Clyde E. Thompson funeral
home, Duncan Falls, with Rev.
Floyd Gale, of South GAINESVILLE,
Interment was made
in the Duncan Falls cemetery.