Kohlhepp House Burnt Down

Although I have yet to post the accounts by Fred and Eda where the family home(s) burnt down, I have found his newspaper article which validates their claims. This is in a June 1894 Salt Lake Tribune. It reads:

Fainted Beyond the Flames.

Narrow Escape of a Pocatello Woman and Child in a Fire.
Pocatello, Ida., June 16 [1894].--Special to Tribune.--The residence and furniture belonging to Mr. Kohlhepp was totally destroyed by fire last night at 12 o'clock. Mr. Kohlhepp was in Ogden in the hospital, and no one was at home except his wife and child. A fire broke out in the building about 10 o'clock, but was discovered by Mrs. Kohlhepp, who, with the assistance of neighbors, succeeded in extingushing the flames as they thought, before that had gained much headway, but at 12 o'clock the fire broke out again.

Mrs. Kohlhepp was awakened by the noise and ran out into the yard with her child and fainted. She was found in an unconscious condition upon the arrival of some neighbors. Had she not gotten out in the yard, she, together with her child, would have been burned to death, as the house was falling in before any one arrived on the ground. The origin of the fire is not known. The building and furniture were insured for $300. The loss is $1500, including a fine piano.

This interesting article shows many things:

1. We learn from it that the Kohlhepps did enjoy music, owning a "fine piano" in their home.

2. Fred was in Ogden (staying with Minerva Wade, his mother-in-law, perhaps?) for hospital visits. He seems to have struggled with illness throughout his life.

3. Only Ella was at home with one child. I imagine this would have been Eda, the youngest at the time (she had been born in 1893). So where were the others: Marie, Minerva, and Fred?

4. They were smart enough to get insurance, but the coverage wasn't good. Makes you wonder why they had the insurance--had it happened before? Was it common to get fire insurance in Idaho?

5. This points to the Kohlhepp superstition about fire being controlled by Satan or some demonic power, as I have read in some Kohlhepp correspondence. The source in the article is listed as unknown. Ella thought she had put out the fire and then it restarted. They grew suspicious about these events.

I will post the image of this article soon, it is on my other computer.