Froese, Cornelius (1898-1934)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1934 Aug 22 p. 3

Birth date: 1898 Aug 24

text of obituary:

Cornelius Froese.

Cornelius Froese was born Aug. 24, 1898, on a farm in Washita county, Okla., five miles northwest of Corn. On this farm he lived with his parents, David P. and Helena Froese, until 1918. Here he also attended district school. In 1918 they moved to a farm near Burrton, Kansas.

In 1924, on June 8, he was baptised by Rev. H. P. Krehbiel, and joined the Burrton Mennonite church, whose member he remained until death. Aug. 20, 1926, he was married to Effie Mount, his now mourning widow. They had two daughters, Dorothy, 6, and Pauline two years old, too young to feel the great bereavement. Yet Dorothy, after seeing her dead father in the funeral parlor said, “Daddy is dead, he doesn’t talk, and he wont open his eyes.” She wept pitifully.

Cornelius was always much concerned about the welfare of those around him. He was naturally timid and quite reserved. Rather than do wrong he would suffer wrong. He was often ailing, yet not complaining.

Since marriage they lived mostly in or near Hutchinson. Lately he was dependent upon relief, or any kind of work in his neighborhood near Nickerson. Of the gruesome causes of his death the Hutchinson Herald of Aug. 9th, had this to say: “Death ended the suffering last night of Cornelius Froese, believed to have been the victim of a Negro, who made a torch of his body. Mr. Froese died of the burns he received mysteriously in a house he had recently purchased in Nickerson.

Mr. Froese said that a Negro forced him to remove his clothing at the point of a gun. Thereafter the Negro ran outdoors with the clothing, and returned with gasoline, which he threw on the victime’s [sic] body. After igniting it the Negro ran. The clothing was left in the yard. Mr. Froese said he rolled on the floor to extinguish the flames, than [sic] tramped out the blaze on the floor, put on his clothing and ran to the neighbors for help.

It was believed that his attacker must have been crazed.

Neighbors took him to Grace Hospital here. After a day and a half of severe agony he died Wednesday, 9:45 P. M. at the age of 35 years, 2 months, 15 days.

Besides his wife and two daughters, he is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David P. Froese; his brothers Abe, Walter, Albert, and John of Hutchinson; David of Kinsley; three sisters, Mrs. Elizabeth Regier, Mrs. Helen Boese and Miss Martha Froese, all of Hutchinson.

At his bedside he was asked whether he was ready to meet his Creator. He said he was ready to go if it was the Lord’s will.

A petition was sent to the throne of grace in behalf of the sufferer, by one at his bedside. With moving lips, in the agony of severe pains, his soul also communed with his Savior, and a smile revealed that he felt the presence and comfort of his Lord.

If many of his days were dark and dreary, we hope the sun of bliss is shining for him for ever. For we sing, “Somewhere the sun is shining, somewhere the songbirds dwell. Hush then thy sad repining. God lives and all is well. Somewhere, somewhere, beautiful isle of somewhere, Lord of the true, where we live anew. Beautiful Isle of somewhere.” — The Family.