A MOTHER DESTROYS HER FAMILY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2044, 23 January 1889, Page 2

A MOTHER DESTROYS HER FAMILY

Amerloan dispatches received at Queens, town on Thursday, par the Galon oteamer Alaska, from New York, contains partfoalara of bow a miner's widow, named Berthune, living at Frontenao, Pittabnrg. whose husband and two aons were killed In | the Kansas mine disaster, on the 12th nit. lost her reaion through excessive grief, and on the night of the 15th alt set fire to their cabin, and perished In the flames with four children. The eldest child, Martha, a girl aged nine, who succeeded m escaping from the flames, states that on the Sunday evening her mother took the five ohildren to the morgue and pointed out to each the lemalns of their father and two brothers. They then retarned home, and her mother sent ecoh ohlld to bed with a kiss. Martha w«i anable to sleep, and lay watching her mother, who sat by the stove weeping. Suddenly her mother got up, and ee'zlng a can of 511, poured a quantity of It over her dress. She then saturated the bed, end set It able 33. She also Ignited her own dress, and m a minute was covered with flame?. Martha sprang from the bed and her mother sel?9d her, but she managed to get away, although badly hurned. The cabin was consumed, and the oharred remains of mother and children were afterwards found m the ashes. The ages of the ohildren ranged from six yean to 6ve months.