Ramsdell - Annie - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

The Lafayette Call furnished the following additional particulars concerning the distressing accident resulting in the death of Mrs. Annie Ramsdell heretofore noted in the Journal. She had been out spending the evening and on returning home, started down cellar with a lighted coal oil lamp in her hands. She caught her foot on the step in descending, or in some other way fell down the cellar steps and struck her head against the hard cement floor, rendering her insensible. In a moment more, while she was still lying there in this condition, the lamp exploded and the burning oil was thrown all over the upper part of her body, setting her clothes on fire. Her husband ran quickly to the spot, and drew a wet towel over her mouth and nostrils, to shield her from breathing in the flames, to which forethought it is due that she was not at once burned to death. She sustained, however, such terrible injuries, before the flames were extinguished as caused her death, last Sun. the 13th. One arm was almost consumed. It was indeed a sad occurrence; but it is a great source of comfort to the friends to know that the accident was not the result of criminal carelessness in filling a lamp while lighted as was at first reported. kbz