Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....White, Lettie May February 16, 1900
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Nan Wheaton wheaton1624@yahoo.com June 16, 2016, 2:12 pm

Ionia Sentinel - Thursday, Feb. 22, 1900

AN AWFUL FATALITY
Little Lettie White Was Burned to Death

AT HER HOME FRIDAY EVENING

Her Clothes Caught Fire and Her Body Was Burned to a Crisp - Six Year Old 
Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George White.

The horrible fatality occurred at 5:45 Friday evening at the home of Mr. and 
Mrs. George White, in the old grout house east of Jefferson street, on the 
north side of Lafayette street, known as the Daniel Newland house.

Mrs. White went to a neighbors leaving two little girls, aged five and six 
years, in the house. The elder one, Lettie, secured some matches, and playing 
with them set her clothes on fire. She ran from the house screaming and sat 
down in the snow, vainly endeavoring to extinguish the flames by paddling snow 
on them with her hands. Her cries brought help from a passerby and the fire was 
put out by rolling her over in the snow. Her clothes were burned nearly from 
her person and the flesh was literally roasted.

Dr. Joslin was called and everything possible done for her but she died in 
great agony at 9:50 o'clock.

Another version of the affair as told by a neighbor is that the mother went to 
a neighbors, leaving the two little girls alone. That the fire went out and 
that little Lettie attempted to kindle it up with kerosene as she had seen her 
mother do. She spilled the oil on her clothes and in lighting the fire she set 
fire to her clothes. She and her sister screamed and ran around the building 
trying to get out. The noise was heard by some lads sliding down hill who 
informed Mrs. White, at the neighbors, that some one was frightening her 
children. She ran home and on opening the door the child came out, her clothes 
almost burned off, and was then rolled in the snow by her mother.

The coroner decided that an inquest was unnecessary. The funeral was held from 
the house Sunday at 2 o'clock.

The impression seems to have gone out that Mrs. White was away from the house 
several hours before the fatality. Mrs. White's story, however sets at rest 
this mis-statement. She says she was not away more than 15 minutes. She left 
the two little ones in the house to go on an errand across the road to Mrs. 
Montgomery's. This was after 5 o'clock. She did not lock the door, but having 
concluded her mission she had started back home and when out of door discovered 
the youngest child, four years old, crying in the yard and the older one, 
Lettie, aged 6, with her clothes on fire rolling herself in the snow. Upon 
reaching poor Lettie the horrified mother found the clothes entirely burned off 
except a waistband. She took Lettie into the house and the child's screams had 
attracted neighbors who also came rushing in.

Lettie was still able to talk in a broken way, but would say nothing as to how 
it happened. All she asked was that her bed be fixed for her, and that her 
mother removed her waist. She was so fearfully burned that she could not open 
her eyes and her agony came to an end at about 10:30 p.m.

Mrs. White is of the opinion that Lettie found a bottle with some oil in and 
this being poured onto the stove which of course was hot, made an explosion 
when a match was applied. The little 4-year old is too young to say much, but 
has mentioned to her mother that Lettie used a match. The bottle was found by 
Mr. White on the kitchen floor, out of place, but the kerosene can had not been 
taken from it place.


Additional Comments:
Age: 5 yr. & 10 mns. 
Highland Park cemetery - (no stone)

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