Sad Death — Emma Osborn, Leon, Iowa — Clothing Caught on Fire

Leon, Iowa area (no date given)

The school-house two miles east of Leon, where Miss Alice Dilsaver is teacher, was the scene, Friday morning last, of one of those startling accidents, so chilling and saddening to those who happen to be eye witnesses. Emma, the ten year old daughter of Mrs. Lydia Osborn, whose husband, Joel Osborn, it will be remembered by many, died very suddenly on the 29th of August last, went to school as usual, arriving at the school house at about half past eight o'clock. No other children were in the room when Emma got there and Miss Dilsaver was at her boarding place close by, not having yet [gone] to open school, though two or three [—] were playing near the house. Her clothes caught fire either by her standing against the stove or opening the stove door to stir the fire (Miss Dilsaver thinks the latter,) and the first any one knew of it was when she came out in the sight of those boys, she being badly frightened, the flames reaching upward and around her, presenting at once a pitiable and horrid spectacle. Orin Wilson, a scholar in the same school began to do all he could to subdue the flames, burning his hands considerably in the attempt, and though working like a hero, he made poor headway until Mr. High Manchester and his sister Lydia, came along the road, joined in the effort to save the child. They tore what clothing was not burned off of her and thus stopped the fire, but alas, too late. The fire had already done deadly work and it became at once apparent that the life of the unfortunate little one was doomed. However, she talked quite cheerfully when rescued from the flames. The Manchesters wrapped her up in a comforter and took her speedily to her mother and family whose feelings on beholding her condition may be imagined but not described.

Dr. Van Werden was called and he did all that could be done to relieve the awful agonies of the little sufferer but to no avail. She talked hopefully to Dr. who says she was quite heroic for one of her years. Her sufferings were terrible until midday, about which time the vital powers appeared to fail quite rapidly and from then onward it was apparent that the last ray of life would soon flicker; and that she was not conscious of pain. She had the closest attention of a goodly number of sympathising friends throughout the day, but with all they could do they were powerless to assuage one pang or to prolong her young life by even one breath. She rested quietly the last six hours and ceased to breathe at seven o'clock in the evening, ten and one-half hours after she was burned.

The funeral was set for Sunday last at Welcome school house, where a large concourse of people assembled to show their sympathy and to listen to a well timed and beautiful funeral service by Elder S. A. Garber, on the death of Emma and also that of her father from the text of Scripture: "What is your life." At the close of the services the people filed around in a solemn procession to look for the last time on the calm features of the loved and lost one, who in her serene calmness, accompanied by her own beautiful doll, which had been placed beside her by a tender hand, creating as it were a delusion; for it did not seem so much like death, only we all knew it was death.

Thus passed swiftly away as a meteor one of earth's beautiful and bright gems. Had little Emma stayed to witness the coming of the 6th day of another spring time, or the daisies bloom again, or another return of the song birds, the music of the rills, the awakening to life of the leaves and flowers, all the emblems of childhood, she would have reached the [*1 - tenth mile] stone on the precarious and uncertain road of this earth life.

Who would dispute a mother's trust that her child dwells [*2 - in a land] where the bright and beautiful [*3 - ones reside]?

X.

Notes:

[*1] A piece missing, and faded letters. But it looks like her birthday, not stated anywhere else, must have been the 6th day after the first day of spring. It looks like it must say "reached the tenth mile stone" but the article already says she was 10. Maybe they meant she was in her 10th year or virtually 10.

[*2] Letters between 'e' of 'dwells' and 'and' of 'land' are missing.

[*3] Letters between 'beautiful' and 'ide?' are missing.

The other brackets cover a small piece missing and filled in. The phrase "two or three — were playing near" has room for "kids," if that was a word they used.

There is an Emma C. Osborn to be found on the internet from the area. But she was 20 years old when she died.