Died in a house fire along with two other young girls, Christina Shlemmer and Amelia Shlemmer.
THREE CHILDREN
LOSE THEIR LIVES
_______
Home of August Schultz in East
Brainerd Burned With
Three Little Children.
_______
PARENTS LOCKED THEM IN HOUSE
_______
And Went to the Fireman's Dance
At Gardner's Hall—a Pitiable
Sight to Behold.
It would seem as though human sympathy and feeling is a mere speck as weighed in the balance with the dreadfulness and horror in which grim death clothed himself last night, lurking in the form of an unsurmountable monster, and finally lowering down on so innocent a prey as three little children, ages eight, three and one year old, and snuffing their little lives out in a manner that was heartrending.
The forms of eight year old Amelia, three year old Minnie Schlimmer and one year old Beatrice [sic - Augusta] Schultz, lie at the morgue of Losey & Dean cold in death. They are clothed in their little night robes, and they look as though asleep, the poor little ones not even showing an expression of having suffered the slightest pain. Tears could not be kept back by those who witnessed the pitiable sight.
Last night about 11:30 o'clock a fire alarm was sent in from East Brainerd and the department responded quickly to the little one story frame building at 412 First Ave. Mr. and Mrs. August Schultz lived here, and also Mr. and Mrs. Frank Schlimmer, uncle and aunt of Mr. Schultz.
As soon as the firemen arrived on the scene it was supposed that there was no one at home, the folks having gone to the firemen's dance at Walker [sic] hall. The flames had gained considerable headway and it was given up as a hopeless task to even try and quench them and save the tiny structure. The firemen turned their attention to the house near by, but when a shrill voice yelled out in the midnight air that there were three children inside the house, all attention was turned to the rescuing of human life.
It was learned that Mr. and Mrs. Schultz and Mr. and Mrs. Schlimmer had gone to the dance, leaving three small children alone, locked up in the house. Amelia Schlimmer, the oldest, only eight years of age was a particularly bright child, and no danger was feared with her at home, although the youngest babe was but one year old. The giddy whirl of the dance went on and on, and there was not a presentiment in the minds of those who had locked their children at home, that any danger would come to them.
Emil Gose [sic], of East Brainerd, was the first to try and rescue the children. The little house was by this time full of smoke and water and the structure had been about completely gutted. Mr. Goes [sic] got on his hands and knees and crept in through the dusk and smoke, groping about trying to locate the bed where the children were. He finally found the bed and feeling his way beneath the quilts, felt the warm form of the children. He clasped one of them and made for the door. This was the second child, aged three years. She was already dead when taken to the open.
The second trip back to the bed was even more difficult than the first as Mr. Grose [sic] himself was nearly prostrated. He made his way back, however, and picked the other two children up in his arms and reached the outside, but it was too late. While in his arms, the oldest girl, Amelia, breathed her last, and the baby of Mr. and Mrs. Schultz had died before he reached the bedside. The three year old girl was alive when he reached the bed but she died before she was carried to the outside door.
The three bodies were taken to the home of a neighbor near by and the parents at the dance were notified of what had happened.
The scene at Gardner hall when Mrs. Schultz was informed of the affair was an affecting one. She became hysterical and could not be controlled The Schultz and Schlimmer families hastened home and found the reports to be only too true.
No one seems to know exactly how the fire started, but it is presumed that a lamp which was left lighted in the bedroom where the children were, exploded. Mr. Schultz states that it would have been impossible for it to have started from either one of the stoves. One strange thing about the fire was the fact that it seemed to burn all over except around the bed where the little folks were quietly sleeping. The bed was not touched by the flames although the roof and walls around it were ablaze. It is thought, however, had the fire department not arrived when it did that the little folks would have been burned to a crisp. As it was they were not burned at all and it is doubtful if they ever knew that there was a fire.
Mr. Schultz stated this morning that he did not intend to leave their baby in the house at first. He had taken the child to a neighbors, but she started to cry so he took her back home again and put her to bed with the two other children.
Coroner Osterlund was notified of the accident and he accompanied Undertaker Losey to the scene. The bodies of the children were ordered removed to the morgue and this afternoon jurors were summoned to hold an inquest.
The loss of the house and its contents has faded into nothingness as compared with the sacrifice of human life. (Brainerd Dispatch, 24 February 1903, p. 3, c. 1) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
GUILTY OF GROSS
CARELESSNESS
_____
Coroner's Jury Returns a Verdict
Arraigning Parents of Child-
ren Suffocated
_____
DEATH PURELY ACCIDENTAL.
_____
And there was no Criminal Intent
--Funeral of Little ones
Tomorrow.
As announced yesterday Coroner Osterlund summoned a coroners jury to ascertain and fix the responsibility [for the death] of the three children who lost their lives in the East Brainerd fire Monday night. The hearing was in Losey & Dean's undertaking room and after the evidence was all submitted, the jury returned the following verdict:
Cause of death, purely accidental by suffocation in absence of all other members of the family except said deceased children. We find no criminal intent whatever on the part of said parents, but think that said parents are chargeable with gross carelessness in leaving said deceased children alone in the house with lamps left burning.
But three witnesses testified before the jury, August Schultz and Frank Slemmer [sic], the parents of the children, and Emil Guse [sic], who so bravely went into the charred building and brought out their bodies. Both Schultz and Slemmer [sic] are Germans and hard to understand when speaking English, in fact the latter could only testify through an interpreter. Their testimony was substantially as follows:
AUGUST SCHULTZ.
My name is August Schultz. Live at 412 1st Ave. N. E. Am married, have one child, Augusta, aged 13 months. Saw her last at 9 o'clock last night. We intended to leave our baby at Behme's. I was getting ready to go to firemen's dance. The baby woke up and my wife stayed from 15 to 20 minutes and brought her back. I told my wife we could not keep her there so put her in our bed. She went sound asleep and we put Amelia Slemmer in bed to sleep with her. They were both soon sound asleep and my wife said they would both sleep better than in strange house. Thought they would be all right for a couple of hours. Mrs. Slemmer did not intend to go out at all. I went around and looked at the stoves. It was not cold and I put the fire out in the heating stoves, and fire was out in the cook stoves. I scratched the coals off and put in the ash pan. This was the big stove in the front room. Must have been after 9 o'clock when my wife went around and looked after things. The house is frame, has 5 rooms, one story high four rooms are end to end, with kitchen to the right side of the second room. The cook stove was in the kitchen. Room occupied by Slemmer was in the rear of kitchen. Big stove was in sitting room. Slemmer's cook stove was in summer kitchen in rear, and is only stove they have. Left one lamp burning on kitchen table, am not sure but my wife left lamp burning on bureau in bedroom. Lamp was common standing lamp with no shade, flat burner. Never had any trouble with burner. Mr. Slemmer and wife went ahead of us to dance. When we left all the children were asleep in bed in bedroom. Never left a child in the house except this time. We left at 9 o'clock and got back a little before 12 o'clock. Generally leave light burning all night. We left hall at 12 o'clock. Stopped at Mike Remmel's and got glass of beer. Man on bicycle notified me of fire at my house, and I went there as fast as I could. They told me to go to the corner where the children were all right. When I got there they were dead. The fire seems to have started in Slemmer's room. There was no scorching of bed clothes. The furniture in the front rooms was all right. Back rooms were charred. There was a door by the bed. The wall of back room was not burned through. I had not been drinking during the day. My wife wanted to go home she said, "well are we going now?" Slemmer and I went ahead and stopped at Mike Remmel's. After we went in my wife and Mrs. Slemmer went in back room. Slemmer was to stay at home. I think they got mad because I took my baby to Behme's. I didn't like to leave children alone, always took them with us. Think that Slemmer either set lamp too close to wall or clothes or that it exploded. The stuff that burned was in Slemmer's rooms and my kitchen and the bed room. All the lamps were cracked to pieces.
Mr. Slemmer testified substantially as above through J. H. Koop, interpreter.
Emil Guse, the man who rescued the bodies, testified as follows:
Heard the alarm about 11:30. Ran down to see what I could do. Someone said there were three little children in the house, so I started to search and found them and brought them out. The hose was not turned on when I went in. It was pretty dark in the room. The fire broke through in the northeast corner. I went in the front door. Happened to put my hand on the bed. Went in on my knees. Took one out and went back after the others. There were signs of life in the two largest children. They struggled some. Did not run across any glass. The fourth room was all ablaze. The most fire was in the two back rooms. Mrs. Behme, I think told me there were children in the house. Was right at the front door when told. Took the oldest one out first. Took two last trip. Boarded with Schultz' years ago. They are honest and respectable, never knew them to leave children before. Found the children in bed. Did not notice lamp burning on bureau.
The jury was composed of the six following well known citizens: F. E. Kenny, A. M. Opsahl, J. Carlson, J. H. Koop, J. Martin and P. M. Zakariasen.
The funeral of the children, Amelia and Christina Slemmer, aged 8 and 4 years respectively, and Augusta Schultz, aged 13 months, will take place tomorrow morning from the Catholic church at 10:30. The little ones are lying in [the] morgue at Losey & Deans, and a large number of people have gone to see them. It is a pitiful sight and brings the tears to the eyes of every one viewing them. (Brainerd Dispatch, 25 February 1903, p. 3, c. 2) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
THREE CHILDREN
LOSE THEIR LIVES
_______
Home of August Schultz in East
Brainerd Burned With
Three Little Children.
_______
PARENTS LOCKED THEM IN HOUSE
_______
And Went to the Fireman's Dance
At Gardner's Hall—a Pitiable
Sight to Behold.
It would seem as though human sympathy and feeling is a mere speck as weighed in the balance with the dreadfulness and horror in which grim death clothed himself last night, lurking in the form of an unsurmountable monster, and finally lowering down on so innocent a prey as three little children, ages eight, three and one year old, and snuffing their little lives out in a manner that was heartrending.
The forms of eight year old Amelia, three year old Minnie Schlimmer and one year old Beatrice [sic - Augusta] Schultz, lie at the morgue of Losey & Dean cold in death. They are clothed in their little night robes, and they look as though asleep, the poor little ones not even showing an expression of having suffered the slightest pain. Tears could not be kept back by those who witnessed the pitiable sight.
Last night about 11:30 o'clock a fire alarm was sent in from East Brainerd and the department responded quickly to the little one story frame building at 412 First Ave. Mr. and Mrs. August Schultz lived here, and also Mr. and Mrs. Frank Schlimmer, uncle and aunt of Mr. Schultz.
As soon as the firemen arrived on the scene it was supposed that there was no one at home, the folks having gone to the firemen's dance at Walker [sic] hall. The flames had gained considerable headway and it was given up as a hopeless task to even try and quench them and save the tiny structure. The firemen turned their attention to the house near by, but when a shrill voice yelled out in the midnight air that there were three children inside the house, all attention was turned to the rescuing of human life.
It was learned that Mr. and Mrs. Schultz and Mr. and Mrs. Schlimmer had gone to the dance, leaving three small children alone, locked up in the house. Amelia Schlimmer, the oldest, only eight years of age was a particularly bright child, and no danger was feared with her at home, although the youngest babe was but one year old. The giddy whirl of the dance went on and on, and there was not a presentiment in the minds of those who had locked their children at home, that any danger would come to them.
Emil Gose [sic], of East Brainerd, was the first to try and rescue the children. The little house was by this time full of smoke and water and the structure had been about completely gutted. Mr. Goes [sic] got on his hands and knees and crept in through the dusk and smoke, groping about trying to locate the bed where the children were. He finally found the bed and feeling his way beneath the quilts, felt the warm form of the children. He clasped one of them and made for the door. This was the second child, aged three years. She was already dead when taken to the open.
The second trip back to the bed was even more difficult than the first as Mr. Grose [sic] himself was nearly prostrated. He made his way back, however, and picked the other two children up in his arms and reached the outside, but it was too late. While in his arms, the oldest girl, Amelia, breathed her last, and the baby of Mr. and Mrs. Schultz had died before he reached the bedside. The three year old girl was alive when he reached the bed but she died before she was carried to the outside door.
The three bodies were taken to the home of a neighbor near by and the parents at the dance were notified of what had happened.
The scene at Gardner hall when Mrs. Schultz was informed of the affair was an affecting one. She became hysterical and could not be controlled The Schultz and Schlimmer families hastened home and found the reports to be only too true.
No one seems to know exactly how the fire started, but it is presumed that a lamp which was left lighted in the bedroom where the children were, exploded. Mr. Schultz states that it would have been impossible for it to have started from either one of the stoves. One strange thing about the fire was the fact that it seemed to burn all over except around the bed where the little folks were quietly sleeping. The bed was not touched by the flames although the roof and walls around it were ablaze. It is thought, however, had the fire department not arrived when it did that the little folks would have been burned to a crisp. As it was they were not burned at all and it is doubtful if they ever knew that there was a fire.
Mr. Schultz stated this morning that he did not intend to leave their baby in the house at first. He had taken the child to a neighbors, but she started to cry so he took her back home again and put her to bed with the two other children.
Coroner Osterlund was notified of the accident and he accompanied Undertaker Losey to the scene. The bodies of the children were ordered removed to the morgue and this afternoon jurors were summoned to hold an inquest.
The loss of the house and its contents has faded into nothingness as compared with the sacrifice of human life. (Brainerd Dispatch, 24 February 1903, p. 3, c. 1) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
GUILTY OF GROSS
CARELESSNESS
_____
Coroner's Jury Returns a Verdict
Arraigning Parents of Child-
ren Suffocated
_____
DEATH PURELY ACCIDENTAL.
_____
And there was no Criminal Intent
--Funeral of Little ones
Tomorrow.
As announced yesterday Coroner Osterlund summoned a coroners jury to ascertain and fix the responsibility [for the death] of the three children who lost their lives in the East Brainerd fire Monday night. The hearing was in Losey & Dean's undertaking room and after the evidence was all submitted, the jury returned the following verdict:
Cause of death, purely accidental by suffocation in absence of all other members of the family except said deceased children. We find no criminal intent whatever on the part of said parents, but think that said parents are chargeable with gross carelessness in leaving said deceased children alone in the house with lamps left burning.
But three witnesses testified before the jury, August Schultz and Frank Slemmer [sic], the parents of the children, and Emil Guse [sic], who so bravely went into the charred building and brought out their bodies. Both Schultz and Slemmer [sic] are Germans and hard to understand when speaking English, in fact the latter could only testify through an interpreter. Their testimony was substantially as follows:
AUGUST SCHULTZ.
My name is August Schultz. Live at 412 1st Ave. N. E. Am married, have one child, Augusta, aged 13 months. Saw her last at 9 o'clock last night. We intended to leave our baby at Behme's. I was getting ready to go to firemen's dance. The baby woke up and my wife stayed from 15 to 20 minutes and brought her back. I told my wife we could not keep her there so put her in our bed. She went sound asleep and we put Amelia Slemmer in bed to sleep with her. They were both soon sound asleep and my wife said they would both sleep better than in strange house. Thought they would be all right for a couple of hours. Mrs. Slemmer did not intend to go out at all. I went around and looked at the stoves. It was not cold and I put the fire out in the heating stoves, and fire was out in the cook stoves. I scratched the coals off and put in the ash pan. This was the big stove in the front room. Must have been after 9 o'clock when my wife went around and looked after things. The house is frame, has 5 rooms, one story high four rooms are end to end, with kitchen to the right side of the second room. The cook stove was in the kitchen. Room occupied by Slemmer was in the rear of kitchen. Big stove was in sitting room. Slemmer's cook stove was in summer kitchen in rear, and is only stove they have. Left one lamp burning on kitchen table, am not sure but my wife left lamp burning on bureau in bedroom. Lamp was common standing lamp with no shade, flat burner. Never had any trouble with burner. Mr. Slemmer and wife went ahead of us to dance. When we left all the children were asleep in bed in bedroom. Never left a child in the house except this time. We left at 9 o'clock and got back a little before 12 o'clock. Generally leave light burning all night. We left hall at 12 o'clock. Stopped at Mike Remmel's and got glass of beer. Man on bicycle notified me of fire at my house, and I went there as fast as I could. They told me to go to the corner where the children were all right. When I got there they were dead. The fire seems to have started in Slemmer's room. There was no scorching of bed clothes. The furniture in the front rooms was all right. Back rooms were charred. There was a door by the bed. The wall of back room was not burned through. I had not been drinking during the day. My wife wanted to go home she said, "well are we going now?" Slemmer and I went ahead and stopped at Mike Remmel's. After we went in my wife and Mrs. Slemmer went in back room. Slemmer was to stay at home. I think they got mad because I took my baby to Behme's. I didn't like to leave children alone, always took them with us. Think that Slemmer either set lamp too close to wall or clothes or that it exploded. The stuff that burned was in Slemmer's rooms and my kitchen and the bed room. All the lamps were cracked to pieces.
Mr. Slemmer testified substantially as above through J. H. Koop, interpreter.
Emil Guse, the man who rescued the bodies, testified as follows:
Heard the alarm about 11:30. Ran down to see what I could do. Someone said there were three little children in the house, so I started to search and found them and brought them out. The hose was not turned on when I went in. It was pretty dark in the room. The fire broke through in the northeast corner. I went in the front door. Happened to put my hand on the bed. Went in on my knees. Took one out and went back after the others. There were signs of life in the two largest children. They struggled some. Did not run across any glass. The fourth room was all ablaze. The most fire was in the two back rooms. Mrs. Behme, I think told me there were children in the house. Was right at the front door when told. Took the oldest one out first. Took two last trip. Boarded with Schultz' years ago. They are honest and respectable, never knew them to leave children before. Found the children in bed. Did not notice lamp burning on bureau.
The jury was composed of the six following well known citizens: F. E. Kenny, A. M. Opsahl, J. Carlson, J. H. Koop, J. Martin and P. M. Zakariasen.
The funeral of the children, Amelia and Christina Slemmer, aged 8 and 4 years respectively, and Augusta Schultz, aged 13 months, will take place tomorrow morning from the Catholic church at 10:30. The little ones are lying in [the] morgue at Losey & Deans, and a large number of people have gone to see them. It is a pitiful sight and brings the tears to the eyes of every one viewing them. (Brainerd Dispatch, 25 February 1903, p. 3, c. 2) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
Died in a house fire along with two other young girls, Christina Shlemmer and Amelia Shlemmer.
THREE CHILDREN
LOSE THEIR LIVES
_______
Home of August Schultz in East
Brainerd Burned With
Three Little Children.
_______
PARENTS LOCKED THEM IN HOUSE
_______
And Went to the Fireman's Dance
At Gardner's Hall—a Pitiable
Sight to Behold.
It would seem as though human sympathy and feeling is a mere speck as weighed in the balance with the dreadfulness and horror in which grim death clothed himself last night, lurking in the form of an unsurmountable monster, and finally lowering down on so innocent a prey as three little children, ages eight, three and one year old, and snuffing their little lives out in a manner that was heartrending.
The forms of eight year old Amelia, three year old Minnie Schlimmer and one year old Beatrice [sic - Augusta] Schultz, lie at the morgue of Losey & Dean cold in death. They are clothed in their little night robes, and they look as though asleep, the poor little ones not even showing an expression of having suffered the slightest pain. Tears could not be kept back by those who witnessed the pitiable sight.
Last night about 11:30 o'clock a fire alarm was sent in from East Brainerd and the department responded quickly to the little one story frame building at 412 First Ave. Mr. and Mrs. August Schultz lived here, and also Mr. and Mrs. Frank Schlimmer, uncle and aunt of Mr. Schultz.
As soon as the firemen arrived on the scene it was supposed that there was no one at home, the folks having gone to the firemen's dance at Walker [sic] hall. The flames had gained considerable headway and it was given up as a hopeless task to even try and quench them and save the tiny structure. The firemen turned their attention to the house near by, but when a shrill voice yelled out in the midnight air that there were three children inside the house, all attention was turned to the rescuing of human life.
It was learned that Mr. and Mrs. Schultz and Mr. and Mrs. Schlimmer had gone to the dance, leaving three small children alone, locked up in the house. Amelia Schlimmer, the oldest, only eight years of age was a particularly bright child, and no danger was feared with her at home, although the youngest babe was but one year old. The giddy whirl of the dance went on and on, and there was not a presentiment in the minds of those who had locked their children at home, that any danger would come to them.
Emil Gose [sic], of East Brainerd, was the first to try and rescue the children. The little house was by this time full of smoke and water and the structure had been about completely gutted. Mr. Goes [sic] got on his hands and knees and crept in through the dusk and smoke, groping about trying to locate the bed where the children were. He finally found the bed and feeling his way beneath the quilts, felt the warm form of the children. He clasped one of them and made for the door. This was the second child, aged three years. She was already dead when taken to the open.
The second trip back to the bed was even more difficult than the first as Mr. Grose [sic] himself was nearly prostrated. He made his way back, however, and picked the other two children up in his arms and reached the outside, but it was too late. While in his arms, the oldest girl, Amelia, breathed her last, and the baby of Mr. and Mrs. Schultz had died before he reached the bedside. The three year old girl was alive when he reached the bed but she died before she was carried to the outside door.
The three bodies were taken to the home of a neighbor near by and the parents at the dance were notified of what had happened.
The scene at Gardner hall when Mrs. Schultz was informed of the affair was an affecting one. She became hysterical and could not be controlled The Schultz and Schlimmer families hastened home and found the reports to be only too true.
No one seems to know exactly how the fire started, but it is presumed that a lamp which was left lighted in the bedroom where the children were, exploded. Mr. Schultz states that it would have been impossible for it to have started from either one of the stoves. One strange thing about the fire was the fact that it seemed to burn all over except around the bed where the little folks were quietly sleeping. The bed was not touched by the flames although the roof and walls around it were ablaze. It is thought, however, had the fire department not arrived when it did that the little folks would have been burned to a crisp. As it was they were not burned at all and it is doubtful if they ever knew that there was a fire.
Mr. Schultz stated this morning that he did not intend to leave their baby in the house at first. He had taken the child to a neighbors, but she started to cry so he took her back home again and put her to bed with the two other children.
Coroner Osterlund was notified of the accident and he accompanied Undertaker Losey to the scene. The bodies of the children were ordered removed to the morgue and this afternoon jurors were summoned to hold an inquest.
The loss of the house and its contents has faded into nothingness as compared with the sacrifice of human life. (Brainerd Dispatch, 24 February 1903, p. 3, c. 1) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
GUILTY OF GROSS
CARELESSNESS
_____
Coroner's Jury Returns a Verdict
Arraigning Parents of Child-
ren Suffocated
_____
DEATH PURELY ACCIDENTAL.
_____
And there was no Criminal Intent
--Funeral of Little ones
Tomorrow.
As announced yesterday Coroner Osterlund summoned a coroners jury to ascertain and fix the responsibility [for the death] of the three children who lost their lives in the East Brainerd fire Monday night. The hearing was in Losey & Dean's undertaking room and after the evidence was all submitted, the jury returned the following verdict:
Cause of death, purely accidental by suffocation in absence of all other members of the family except said deceased children. We find no criminal intent whatever on the part of said parents, but think that said parents are chargeable with gross carelessness in leaving said deceased children alone in the house with lamps left burning.
But three witnesses testified before the jury, August Schultz and Frank Slemmer [sic], the parents of the children, and Emil Guse [sic], who so bravely went into the charred building and brought out their bodies. Both Schultz and Slemmer [sic] are Germans and hard to understand when speaking English, in fact the latter could only testify through an interpreter. Their testimony was substantially as follows:
AUGUST SCHULTZ.
My name is August Schultz. Live at 412 1st Ave. N. E. Am married, have one child, Augusta, aged 13 months. Saw her last at 9 o'clock last night. We intended to leave our baby at Behme's. I was getting ready to go to firemen's dance. The baby woke up and my wife stayed from 15 to 20 minutes and brought her back. I told my wife we could not keep her there so put her in our bed. She went sound asleep and we put Amelia Slemmer in bed to sleep with her. They were both soon sound asleep and my wife said they would both sleep better than in strange house. Thought they would be all right for a couple of hours. Mrs. Slemmer did not intend to go out at all. I went around and looked at the stoves. It was not cold and I put the fire out in the heating stoves, and fire was out in the cook stoves. I scratched the coals off and put in the ash pan. This was the big stove in the front room. Must have been after 9 o'clock when my wife went around and looked after things. The house is frame, has 5 rooms, one story high four rooms are end to end, with kitchen to the right side of the second room. The cook stove was in the kitchen. Room occupied by Slemmer was in the rear of kitchen. Big stove was in sitting room. Slemmer's cook stove was in summer kitchen in rear, and is only stove they have. Left one lamp burning on kitchen table, am not sure but my wife left lamp burning on bureau in bedroom. Lamp was common standing lamp with no shade, flat burner. Never had any trouble with burner. Mr. Slemmer and wife went ahead of us to dance. When we left all the children were asleep in bed in bedroom. Never left a child in the house except this time. We left at 9 o'clock and got back a little before 12 o'clock. Generally leave light burning all night. We left hall at 12 o'clock. Stopped at Mike Remmel's and got glass of beer. Man on bicycle notified me of fire at my house, and I went there as fast as I could. They told me to go to the corner where the children were all right. When I got there they were dead. The fire seems to have started in Slemmer's room. There was no scorching of bed clothes. The furniture in the front rooms was all right. Back rooms were charred. There was a door by the bed. The wall of back room was not burned through. I had not been drinking during the day. My wife wanted to go home she said, "well are we going now?" Slemmer and I went ahead and stopped at Mike Remmel's. After we went in my wife and Mrs. Slemmer went in back room. Slemmer was to stay at home. I think they got mad because I took my baby to Behme's. I didn't like to leave children alone, always took them with us. Think that Slemmer either set lamp too close to wall or clothes or that it exploded. The stuff that burned was in Slemmer's rooms and my kitchen and the bed room. All the lamps were cracked to pieces.
Mr. Slemmer testified substantially as above through J. H. Koop, interpreter.
Emil Guse, the man who rescued the bodies, testified as follows:
Heard the alarm about 11:30. Ran down to see what I could do. Someone said there were three little children in the house, so I started to search and found them and brought them out. The hose was not turned on when I went in. It was pretty dark in the room. The fire broke through in the northeast corner. I went in the front door. Happened to put my hand on the bed. Went in on my knees. Took one out and went back after the others. There were signs of life in the two largest children. They struggled some. Did not run across any glass. The fourth room was all ablaze. The most fire was in the two back rooms. Mrs. Behme, I think told me there were children in the house. Was right at the front door when told. Took the oldest one out first. Took two last trip. Boarded with Schultz' years ago. They are honest and respectable, never knew them to leave children before. Found the children in bed. Did not notice lamp burning on bureau.
The jury was composed of the six following well known citizens: F. E. Kenny, A. M. Opsahl, J. Carlson, J. H. Koop, J. Martin and P. M. Zakariasen.
The funeral of the children, Amelia and Christina Slemmer, aged 8 and 4 years respectively, and Augusta Schultz, aged 13 months, will take place tomorrow morning from the Catholic church at 10:30. The little ones are lying in [the] morgue at Losey & Deans, and a large number of people have gone to see them. It is a pitiful sight and brings the tears to the eyes of every one viewing them. (Brainerd Dispatch, 25 February 1903, p. 3, c. 2) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
THREE CHILDREN
LOSE THEIR LIVES
_______
Home of August Schultz in East
Brainerd Burned With
Three Little Children.
_______
PARENTS LOCKED THEM IN HOUSE
_______
And Went to the Fireman's Dance
At Gardner's Hall—a Pitiable
Sight to Behold.
It would seem as though human sympathy and feeling is a mere speck as weighed in the balance with the dreadfulness and horror in which grim death clothed himself last night, lurking in the form of an unsurmountable monster, and finally lowering down on so innocent a prey as three little children, ages eight, three and one year old, and snuffing their little lives out in a manner that was heartrending.
The forms of eight year old Amelia, three year old Minnie Schlimmer and one year old Beatrice [sic - Augusta] Schultz, lie at the morgue of Losey & Dean cold in death. They are clothed in their little night robes, and they look as though asleep, the poor little ones not even showing an expression of having suffered the slightest pain. Tears could not be kept back by those who witnessed the pitiable sight.
Last night about 11:30 o'clock a fire alarm was sent in from East Brainerd and the department responded quickly to the little one story frame building at 412 First Ave. Mr. and Mrs. August Schultz lived here, and also Mr. and Mrs. Frank Schlimmer, uncle and aunt of Mr. Schultz.
As soon as the firemen arrived on the scene it was supposed that there was no one at home, the folks having gone to the firemen's dance at Walker [sic] hall. The flames had gained considerable headway and it was given up as a hopeless task to even try and quench them and save the tiny structure. The firemen turned their attention to the house near by, but when a shrill voice yelled out in the midnight air that there were three children inside the house, all attention was turned to the rescuing of human life.
It was learned that Mr. and Mrs. Schultz and Mr. and Mrs. Schlimmer had gone to the dance, leaving three small children alone, locked up in the house. Amelia Schlimmer, the oldest, only eight years of age was a particularly bright child, and no danger was feared with her at home, although the youngest babe was but one year old. The giddy whirl of the dance went on and on, and there was not a presentiment in the minds of those who had locked their children at home, that any danger would come to them.
Emil Gose [sic], of East Brainerd, was the first to try and rescue the children. The little house was by this time full of smoke and water and the structure had been about completely gutted. Mr. Goes [sic] got on his hands and knees and crept in through the dusk and smoke, groping about trying to locate the bed where the children were. He finally found the bed and feeling his way beneath the quilts, felt the warm form of the children. He clasped one of them and made for the door. This was the second child, aged three years. She was already dead when taken to the open.
The second trip back to the bed was even more difficult than the first as Mr. Grose [sic] himself was nearly prostrated. He made his way back, however, and picked the other two children up in his arms and reached the outside, but it was too late. While in his arms, the oldest girl, Amelia, breathed her last, and the baby of Mr. and Mrs. Schultz had died before he reached the bedside. The three year old girl was alive when he reached the bed but she died before she was carried to the outside door.
The three bodies were taken to the home of a neighbor near by and the parents at the dance were notified of what had happened.
The scene at Gardner hall when Mrs. Schultz was informed of the affair was an affecting one. She became hysterical and could not be controlled The Schultz and Schlimmer families hastened home and found the reports to be only too true.
No one seems to know exactly how the fire started, but it is presumed that a lamp which was left lighted in the bedroom where the children were, exploded. Mr. Schultz states that it would have been impossible for it to have started from either one of the stoves. One strange thing about the fire was the fact that it seemed to burn all over except around the bed where the little folks were quietly sleeping. The bed was not touched by the flames although the roof and walls around it were ablaze. It is thought, however, had the fire department not arrived when it did that the little folks would have been burned to a crisp. As it was they were not burned at all and it is doubtful if they ever knew that there was a fire.
Mr. Schultz stated this morning that he did not intend to leave their baby in the house at first. He had taken the child to a neighbors, but she started to cry so he took her back home again and put her to bed with the two other children.
Coroner Osterlund was notified of the accident and he accompanied Undertaker Losey to the scene. The bodies of the children were ordered removed to the morgue and this afternoon jurors were summoned to hold an inquest.
The loss of the house and its contents has faded into nothingness as compared with the sacrifice of human life. (Brainerd Dispatch, 24 February 1903, p. 3, c. 1) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
GUILTY OF GROSS
CARELESSNESS
_____
Coroner's Jury Returns a Verdict
Arraigning Parents of Child-
ren Suffocated
_____
DEATH PURELY ACCIDENTAL.
_____
And there was no Criminal Intent
--Funeral of Little ones
Tomorrow.
As announced yesterday Coroner Osterlund summoned a coroners jury to ascertain and fix the responsibility [for the death] of the three children who lost their lives in the East Brainerd fire Monday night. The hearing was in Losey & Dean's undertaking room and after the evidence was all submitted, the jury returned the following verdict:
Cause of death, purely accidental by suffocation in absence of all other members of the family except said deceased children. We find no criminal intent whatever on the part of said parents, but think that said parents are chargeable with gross carelessness in leaving said deceased children alone in the house with lamps left burning.
But three witnesses testified before the jury, August Schultz and Frank Slemmer [sic], the parents of the children, and Emil Guse [sic], who so bravely went into the charred building and brought out their bodies. Both Schultz and Slemmer [sic] are Germans and hard to understand when speaking English, in fact the latter could only testify through an interpreter. Their testimony was substantially as follows:
AUGUST SCHULTZ.
My name is August Schultz. Live at 412 1st Ave. N. E. Am married, have one child, Augusta, aged 13 months. Saw her last at 9 o'clock last night. We intended to leave our baby at Behme's. I was getting ready to go to firemen's dance. The baby woke up and my wife stayed from 15 to 20 minutes and brought her back. I told my wife we could not keep her there so put her in our bed. She went sound asleep and we put Amelia Slemmer in bed to sleep with her. They were both soon sound asleep and my wife said they would both sleep better than in strange house. Thought they would be all right for a couple of hours. Mrs. Slemmer did not intend to go out at all. I went around and looked at the stoves. It was not cold and I put the fire out in the heating stoves, and fire was out in the cook stoves. I scratched the coals off and put in the ash pan. This was the big stove in the front room. Must have been after 9 o'clock when my wife went around and looked after things. The house is frame, has 5 rooms, one story high four rooms are end to end, with kitchen to the right side of the second room. The cook stove was in the kitchen. Room occupied by Slemmer was in the rear of kitchen. Big stove was in sitting room. Slemmer's cook stove was in summer kitchen in rear, and is only stove they have. Left one lamp burning on kitchen table, am not sure but my wife left lamp burning on bureau in bedroom. Lamp was common standing lamp with no shade, flat burner. Never had any trouble with burner. Mr. Slemmer and wife went ahead of us to dance. When we left all the children were asleep in bed in bedroom. Never left a child in the house except this time. We left at 9 o'clock and got back a little before 12 o'clock. Generally leave light burning all night. We left hall at 12 o'clock. Stopped at Mike Remmel's and got glass of beer. Man on bicycle notified me of fire at my house, and I went there as fast as I could. They told me to go to the corner where the children were all right. When I got there they were dead. The fire seems to have started in Slemmer's room. There was no scorching of bed clothes. The furniture in the front rooms was all right. Back rooms were charred. There was a door by the bed. The wall of back room was not burned through. I had not been drinking during the day. My wife wanted to go home she said, "well are we going now?" Slemmer and I went ahead and stopped at Mike Remmel's. After we went in my wife and Mrs. Slemmer went in back room. Slemmer was to stay at home. I think they got mad because I took my baby to Behme's. I didn't like to leave children alone, always took them with us. Think that Slemmer either set lamp too close to wall or clothes or that it exploded. The stuff that burned was in Slemmer's rooms and my kitchen and the bed room. All the lamps were cracked to pieces.
Mr. Slemmer testified substantially as above through J. H. Koop, interpreter.
Emil Guse, the man who rescued the bodies, testified as follows:
Heard the alarm about 11:30. Ran down to see what I could do. Someone said there were three little children in the house, so I started to search and found them and brought them out. The hose was not turned on when I went in. It was pretty dark in the room. The fire broke through in the northeast corner. I went in the front door. Happened to put my hand on the bed. Went in on my knees. Took one out and went back after the others. There were signs of life in the two largest children. They struggled some. Did not run across any glass. The fourth room was all ablaze. The most fire was in the two back rooms. Mrs. Behme, I think told me there were children in the house. Was right at the front door when told. Took the oldest one out first. Took two last trip. Boarded with Schultz' years ago. They are honest and respectable, never knew them to leave children before. Found the children in bed. Did not notice lamp burning on bureau.
The jury was composed of the six following well known citizens: F. E. Kenny, A. M. Opsahl, J. Carlson, J. H. Koop, J. Martin and P. M. Zakariasen.
The funeral of the children, Amelia and Christina Slemmer, aged 8 and 4 years respectively, and Augusta Schultz, aged 13 months, will take place tomorrow morning from the Catholic church at 10:30. The little ones are lying in [the] morgue at Losey & Deans, and a large number of people have gone to see them. It is a pitiful sight and brings the tears to the eyes of every one viewing them. (Brainerd Dispatch, 25 February 1903, p. 3, c. 2) [Contributed by John Van Essen]
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