1. Headline from the Hildreth paper of December 26, 1906:
“A MOST DISTRESSING ACCIDENT - Mrs. R.I. Shappell, of Elwood, Nebraska, receives Burns That Prove Fatal a Few Hours Later...
Last Sunday morning W. J. Howell of this city received a message from Elwood announcing that his daughter, Mrs. R. I. Shappell, had been seriously burned, and immediately started for that place, but could not reach there until the following day, too late to see his daughter alive. Mrs. Shappell got up about 11 o’clock last Saturday night to renew the fire, it being customary with them to keep the fire going all night on account of the two small babies, and when she opened the stove and threw in some cobs, the flames and sparks puffed out and set fire to the flannel night dress she was wearing, which seemed to burn like powder. She ran out into the kitchen and back into the sitting room, when her husband and brother caught her and wrapped quilts around her and smothered out the fire, but not until she had been badly burned all over except a small place on the back, between the shoulders. She appeared to be getting along nicely and it was thought she would recover until Sunday noon, when she changed for the worse, and died about 7 o’clock that evening, the doctor announcing that her heart had been affected and failed to perform it’s proper work.
The body was brought to Minden Wednesday and taken to the Garden Plains Church, where funeral services, conducted by Rev. B. Howe, were held at 3 o’clock, after which the remains were placed in their final resting place in the cemetery near the church.
The deceased was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Howell of this city, and was born on the old homestead just east of town, on October 14, 1879, making her just a little over twenty-seven years of age. She was married, September 26, 1901, to R. I. Shappell, and they lived north of here, in Kearney county, until about a year ago, when they moved to Elwood. She was a most worthy lady and was loved by all who knew her.” [48]