The Bewildering Christmas Human Combustion of Matilda Rooney

A series of articles in the local press in late 1885 reported on the mysterious combustion of Mrs. Matilda Rooney, which occurred in Seneca, Illinois, on the night of Christmas Eve. The case was one of many such incidents that baffled scientists and investigators at the time, and it remains unresolved to this day.

There were several theories proposed to explain the phenomena, including ghosts, spontaneous human combustion, and even an electrical anomaly.

This article will explore the various theories that were proposed at the time and examine the evidence that supports and refutes each one.

The Events

On Christmas night in 1885, John Larson was visiting his employers, Patrick and Matilda Rooney, at their farmhouse just outside of Seneca, Illinois. After sharing some drinks, Larson went upstairs to bed. However, during the night he had a coughing fit and trouble breathing. He eventually fell back asleep.

Larson woke up to find soot on his pillow. Upon going downstairs, he found Patrick dead in his bedroom with no sign of Matilda. He later discovered a large blackened hole in the kitchen floor with what appeared to be the charred remains of a human foot and a pile of ash. This was all that was left of Matilda Rooney.

The Cause of Death report showed that Matilda had died of spontaneous human combustion, with her entire body catching fire and burning to ashes. The estimated temperature of the fire was 1,400 degrees Celsius (2,500 °F). There was no other sign of fire damage besides the spot where her body had been found. The report also showed that Patrick had died from smoke inhalation. This explained Larson’s coughing fit during the night; he had been spared because he slept behind a closed door on the second floor.

Although there was some speculation that Larson may have killed Matilda, it seemed impossible for him to have started such a large fire without damaging the rest of the house. It's possible that Matilda Rooney spontaneously combusted due to excessive alcohol consumption. A popular local legend is that she suffered divine retribution for drinking so much on Christmas Eve.

Could it be solved?

It wasn't until the following day that a doctor arrived from Port Huron, Michigan to carry out an inquest, even though police had arrived quickly. Dr. Floyd Clendenin later published his account of the events of Christmas 1885 in the Therapeutic Gazette in 1889.

When he entered the house, he immediately noticed an unpleasant smell. Upon further investigation, he found that Patrick Rooney had asphyxiated due to the smoke from a fire that originated in the kitchen.

There was a large table in the kitchen with a candle on it that had burned down one side. Next to the table was a large hole burned through the wooden floor in a 2.5ft by 3ft circle. Through the hole, the underside of the house could be observed, along with a pile of ash and bones.

The doctor found a human skull, a cervical bone, some vertebrae, 6 inches of a right femur and a badly burned ilium. The most shocking discovery was of two badly burned but still recognizable feet in Matilda Rooney's shoes.

When she died, Matilda Rooney weighed approximately 160 pounds. However, after being reduced to ash by the fire, she was reduced to just 12 pounds. The burning of her corpse caused a pungent smell and a greasy soot residue to cling to the walls of the house.

Theories

There are many theories about how Matilda Rooney could have spontaneously combusted. Some say that she may have come into contact with a heat or flame source, which caused a build-up of alcohol in her body. Others claim that the wick effect came into play, whereby her body fat and clothing acted like a candle, keeping the fire from spreading.

Two possible sources of heat could have ignited Matilda Rooney: the partially burned candle on the table, or a cigarette she may have been trying to light from the candle. The former is more likely, but at the time of her death, the theory of spontaneous combustion was more widely accepted.

Another theory that has been speculated was murder. Could this have been murder?

Early on in the investigation, John Larson and John Rooney became suspects. Larson had been with the couple on Christmas Eve, while Rooney stood to gain financially from his parent's death. However, upon further investigation, it was determined that neither man was involved in the crime.

John Larson was later cleared of any foul play due to the presence of an outline in the bed he had slept in that showed his shape which supported his claims that he had slept through the events of that night. However, some people speculated that Larson may have sleepwalked or been sleepwalking during the event.

Although there was no evidence to suggest that an accelerant had been used to cause the fire, John Rooney was cleared of any wrongdoing. Farmhand John Larson died from lung damage a little over two weeks later. His autopsy showed that he had breathed in the same soot and greasy residue that had killed Patrick Rooney.

According to the official investigation by the police and Doctor Clendenin, Matilda Rooney most likely died as a result of Spontaneous Combustion of the Human body. It is believed that her husband Patrick was overcome with fumes and died from asphyxiation, or he may have already been passed out drunk and then died due to the fumes.

Both the doctor and the police pointed to a large amount of alcohol the couple had consumed the previous day as a possible factor in the fire. It was believed at the time that a build-up of gases in the body, combined with a raised blood-alcohol level, could lead to self-ignition. However, this theory has been mostly disproven by modern lab studies, which show that an external source of combustion is always required.

Other Cases

There have been more than 200 reported cases of spontaneous human combustion (SHC) around the world. In most cases, the victim is burned almost completely, with only their extremities remaining intact. The area around the victim is usually unburned.

The 1986 murder of George Mott was a brutal and gruesome crime. Firefighter Mott's body was found charred beyond recognition, with only a leg, a shrunken skull, and pieces of his rib cage remaining.

There's no scientific basis for the belief that humans can spontaneously combust. In most cases where this has been alleged, the victim has been alone and close to a flame, such as a cigarette or a candle. Additionally, many of the victims have been elderly or intoxicated, which could explain why they were unable to put out the flames.

When combustion occurs, three things are needed: an ignition source, fuel and an oxidizing agent. The human body is mostly water, making it very difficult to burn. However, some have proposed that the fat in a human body could act as a fuel source. Additionally, the victim's hair or clothing might act as a "wick" and catch fire, known as the wick effect. If this happened, the body would melt from the inside out, leaving the surroundings unharmed.

There is a dispute surrounding the theory of Spontaneous Human Combustion, as there are few cases that cannot be explained by any other means.

The case of Mrs. Matilda Rooney's combustion on Christmas Eve in 1885 is one of many such incidents that remain unresolved to this day. There are a number of theories as to what could have caused Mrs. Rooney to spontaneously combust, but the true cause may never be known. What is known is that Mrs. Rooney was a victim of a bizarre and tragic event, the likes of which are still not fully understood by science.