Miranda Freeman

AGED WOMAN BURNED Mrs. Miranda Freeman Lost Her Life This Morning. INVALID SISTER SWOONED Managed to Give an Alarm and Then She Collapsed - She Was Found in a Semi- Conscious Condition - Tragedy in Union Street. [SPECIAL TO THE SYRACUSE HERALD.] Cortland, June 11.-Mrs. Miranda Freeman, widow of Samuel Freeman, was burned to death at her home, No. 8 Union street, at an early hour this morning. Her clothing caught fire, presumably from a gas range, and burned entirely from the body. Carpets, table cloths and other materials in the rooms caught fire, but were extinguished before much harm was done to the house. The woman was more than 80 years old and very nearly blind. Her invalid sister, Miss Jane Boutwell, lived with her. Miss Boutwell collapsed after giving an alarm from a second story window and did not see the horrible scene.

The first intimation of the trouble was given by Miss Boutwell about 7:30 o'clock. The woman appeared at an upper window crying for help. A delivery boy named Howard Grummons, who was leaving some packages at the next house, ran to the place and found Mrs. Freeman in the sitting room. She lay upon the floor with an over-turned couch partially upon her. This he lifted from the place and found the woman was dead. He then ran for help.

It was found that the breakfast table was set in the kitchen. The spreads upon this were smoldering and it is evident that steps had been taken to put out the flames, both here and in the next room where the body was found. The gas stove was burning. In the other room and very near the body of the unfortunate woman was an overturned lamp. It is thought that the woman staggered against this and upset it.

Coroner W.J. Moore was notified, as was also Undertaker E.R. Wright. The body was removed to the undertaking rooms. The funeral arrangements have not been made.

Miss Boutwell had detected odors of burning materials and gave the alarm. She then swooned. She was found in a semi-conscious condition in her room upstairs and was told that her sister was overcome. She has not been notified of her sister's death. -The Syracuse Herald: Monday Evening, June 11, 1906, pg. 3

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Aug 22 2016, 13:31:20 UTC