Richard Denneman
Cincinnati Enquirer, Friday, 11 December 1908, page 9
NEWPORT
With both eyes burned out and the skin dropping from his body,
Richard Denneman, 60, residing at 1207 South street, died in terrible agony at
Speers Hospital shortly before noon yesterday, as a result of burns received
shortly after 8 am yesterday morning when coal oil exploded in the kitchen at
his home.
Coroner Digby's investigation developed the fact that Denneman had attempted to rekindle a fire with coal oil and that the gas formed caused an explosion that wrecked the can and scattered the burning oil over him. With his clothes enveloped in flames Denneman attempted to get out of the summer kitchen, but fell unconscious near the door. Robert Wasser and other neighbors ran to his assistance and a patron wagon took Denneman to Speers Hospital.
Firemen extinguished the blaze that started in the summer kitchen. While fighting the flames, Firemen Schowalter and dollar were overcome by smoke, but they succeeded in confining the fire to the home and saved most of the furniture. The loss on the building that was owned by Denneman will reach $1500. Prior to the arrival of the department, Mrs. Denneman was slightly burned.
Denneman's five year old daughter was run down and killed by a train at the Monmouth street crossing several years ago in sight of her father's home. The child had been sent to the grocery store and met her death while crossing the tracks. Denneman saw a crowd collect and hurried to the scene not knowing that his child had been killed. When he saw his daughter's head severed from her body, he swooned away.