Submitted by
Loyd Bishop

FATALLY BURNED

One of those all-too-frequent tragedies occurred at Braman, Tuesday morning of this week. Mr. and Mrs. Chet Outlaw arose at the customary time, about 5:30, and Mrs. Outlaw started to get breakfast. In preparing the fire in the stove she used coal oil, and the old, old story has to be repeated. The can exploded, she became enveloped in flames, and in her agony rushed to her husband, and he valiantly attemped to smother the flames and save her but his efforts proved futile and he sacrificed his own life for his loved one. Mrs. Outlaw lived until about 10 o’clock, Tuesday morning, and Undertaker Fyffe was summoned. He had hardly got her body ready for the casket, when he was notified that Mr. Outlaw had died about 2:30 in the afternoon. Caskets were taken from this city and the bodies were shipped Wednesday morning to their old home, Colfax, Ills. The good citizens of Braman did everything possible for the unfortunates.

TERRIBLE DEATH
Further Particulars of the Braman Accident
WOMAN IS COOKED ALIVE
Her Husband Also Died From His Burns

Braman, O. T., Sept. 13 – The explosion of a two gallon can of coal oil totally injured Chet Outlaw, a barber, and caused the death of his wife, at an early hour Tuesday morning.
Mrs. Outlaw arose about 6 o’clock and started the fire to cook breakfast. Not knowing that there were live coals in the stove, she picked up the two gallon can of oil and poured some of it onto the kindling. Instantly flames shot up from the stove and an explosion resulted, which threw burning oil over the whole of the woman’s body and over the kitchen.
Enveloped in flames and screaming with pain, Mrs. Outlaw ran from the kitchen into the bedroom, where her husband lay. He had been awakened by the explosion, but, before he could arise, his wife had thrown herself upon the bed, in an effort to smother the flames. Outlaw attempted to assist by wrapping a quilt around his wife’s body, but the flesh was already burning and the flames destroyed the quilt. The bedding had caught fire by this time and Outlaw himself was in flames. Both then ran again into the kitchen, where Mrs. Outlaw stumbled and fell. Her husband was unable to assist her, as the kitchen was on fire and his own hair and clothing in flames. He managed to make his own way outside where he fell down unconscious from pain.
While this horrible scene was being enacted a brother of the unfortunate woman, who with a friend slept in one of the front rooms of the house, had come to the rescue. They were up at the sound of the explosion, but by the time they reached the kitchen, Mrs. Outlaw was already beyond help. They threw water on the flames in the kitchen, and when the smoke had cleared away sufficiently so that her blackened body could be seen, attempted to pick her up. The flesh fell from her body at their touch, although she was still fully conscious.
A physician was immediately summoned and he did everything in his power to relieve the awful suffering of the woman. An examination of her husband’s injuries developed that he, too, was so badly burned that he could not recover. Mrs. Outlaw was literally grilled from head to foot and she lived only a few hours. Her husband died at 2:30 in the afternoon. In spite of her suffering she was able to give directions about notifying her family and friends. Outlaw’s hands suffered more than any other portion of his body, the flesh falling from the palms.
The town in greatly stirred up over the accident and much sympathy is expressed for the family, as Mr. And Mrs. Outlaw were very popular among the younger married people of Braman. They came here six months ago from some other point in Oklahoma, and Mr. Outlaw opened a barber shop. Their home was in Colfax, Ill., where relatives reside, and they left Illinois four years ago. Mrs. Outlaw was twenty-five years of age and her husband one year younger. They occupied a pretty four-room cottage, which was badly damaged by the fire.