"Shocking Death of Mrs. Lucy Duncan. Spark from Vacuum Cleaner Is Believed Caused the Explosion.
One of the most horrible deaths ever in Glasgow was that of Mrs. Lucy Duncan, wife of Mr. Winfred Duncan, which occurred at the Community Hospital last Saturday, following a fearful burning in her home on Front street early that morning.
Mrs. Duncan was cleaning a mattress with cleansing fluid, and connected the vacuum cleaner to the light socket, which caused a spark and the fumes of the fluid exploded. Mrs. Duncan had spilled some of the fluid on her dress and caught fire. She was thrown to the floor and crawled to the door, but was burned until the flesh dropped from her body. She was taken to the hospital where she was conscious until the last and fully aware of her condition and died about noon.
Mrs. Vernon Bushong was standing in the door and the impact of the explosion threw her out in the proch. Mrs. Duncan's little daughter was in a back room, and Mrs. Bushong ran around the house, jerked the screen from the window and pulled the baby out, saving her from injury.
The fire alarm was given and the blaze extinguished with the garden hose.
Mrs. Duncan was one of the most popular ladies of the county. She lacked a few days of being twenty-nine years of age, was a member of the Baptist Church and was loved by all who knew her. She was born and reared in the South Fork country, where she lived until she moved to town and for some time was connected with the Geo. J. Ellis Drug Co., where she made friends innumerable, and since her marraiage has continued to make her home in this city.
She is survived by her husband, Mr. W. C. Duncan, and one little daughter, Bettie Reeves, three years old. She also leaves her mother, Mrs. Bettie Everett, four brothers and three sisters: Messrs. Herbert, Horace, Guy and William Everett, Mrs. Ben Lewis, Mrs. Luther Kinslow, Mrs. Chris Lewis, all living in this county.
Funeral services were conducted at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Mansfield, Sunday afternoon, by Rev. J. G. Taylor of Rowletts, under whose preaching she was converted, and who baptized her. Rev. J. A. Gaines, pastor of Glasgow Baptist Church, of which she was at the time of her death a member, assisted Bro. taylor. Burial was in the Glasgow Cemetry, in the presence of an immense concourse of sorrowing friends. More than one hundred cars followed the boyd of this popular young woman to her last resting place, besides the numbers which had gathered at the cemetery.
I wish to thank our manky friends and neighbors in behalf of ourselves and families for the many beautiful floral offerings, kind words and expressions of sympathy in our great loss of our wife and mother, Lucy Duncan. Especially do we wish to thank Mr. Thos. Mansfield and family for their help; and Mrs. Vernon Bushong for their rescue of my precious baby; also the ministers and the physicians and nurses who ministered to her in her suffering.
May God's blessings be with one and all.
Winfred C Duncan
Betty Reeves Duncan
Glasgow Municipal Cemetery: Lucy E. Duncan, 1903-1932, wife of Winfred Duncan.
Unknown Glasgow (KY) newspaper, found in old scrapbook. |
