The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-08-30
MET A HORRIBLE DEATH.
A LADY'S CLOTHES CATCH FIRE IN
THE STREETS OF NEW YORK

And She Is Literally Roasted Before thu
Flames Can Be Extinguished-Miracu.
lous Escape of Her Baby Boy-The
Heat Intensified by CelluIotd
BustIe.
NEW YORK, Aug. 2s.-Mrs. Kate De,.
mond was terribly burned by her clothing
catching Ire in street car Wednesday
afternoon and died Thursday night The
case Is very singular one. Mrs. Des-
mond was out shopping with her little boy
she took car to return home When the
car stopped at a corner she got off, and was
surprised at sort Of blisteIing sensation on
the solss of both feet, but sttributed 1t to
the heated pavement She had barely
stepped on the sidewalk before some
| one called to herr You're afire!n She
caught up her skirts behind, and, shaking
them out, saw that they were
| ablaze. Much frightened she ran toward
home, carrying her child in her
arms. She tried to got into a
house where she saw some one at the win.
| dow, but, as she told the priest admittance
was inhumaDly refused wnen her plight
| was discovered.
her running and a strong current of air
| through the street famed the fire into
blaze, which completely enveloped her. There
were number of people passing at the
time, and others were attracted by the cries
that woman was burning up Cne of her
sex leaped through basement window and
caught up a door mat, with which an at.
Tempt was made to smother the blaze. That
was of no avail, and another woman had
little better success by wrapping a
shawl about Mrs Desmond The latter
called TO some one to save her child.
He was taken from her arms by a woman
Inspector Roman jumped from a passing
car, and, pulling oil his coat, wrapped it
about her A pail of water was thrown
over her, and the flames extinguished.
She was nearly nude, her skirts and ap-
parel having been burned through to the
corset, which was also badly burned up tho
back and on the left side A blanket was
procured and wrapped about the victim.
When Inspector Roman and another man
tenderly raised Mrs Desmond in thoir arms
to carry her to drug store, she commenced
to cry for her child Where is Eddie,
Give me my baby" she called out in agon-
ling tones She seemed oblivious to her
own hopeless condition, and apparently
suffered little pain. But she kept calling
for her little one, and struggled hard to |
free herself Strange to say, the baby was |
unscathed His clothes were not even
singed 1t is wonderful that the little fellow |
was not burned, for the mother had Rugged |
him closely to her breast when she first |
realized her condition The doctor who at |
tended her said that it was one of the worst |
cases be had ever seen. From her toes to her |
neck she was burned, even the soles of |
her feet being blistered and her hair slightly
slnged. Both thighs and her legs were
baked, one OF them almost to "A crisp Her
right arm was badly disfgured and also
her right shoulder, where the fire had crept
up under the corset and burned through it
and deep into the flesh. 1t is believed that
the lady's clothing was ignited by brushing
against lighted cigar in the hands of a
passenger on the cur platform.
Mr.. Malkmust thinks that the fire was in
tensified by a celluloid hustle OF corset, for
the blaze was too hot TO be fed bv light
clothes alone. Camphor and chemicals used
IN the composition of ceIluloid make IT
highly inilammabls and ia burning it emits
u gas
III Mrs. Desmond wore a celluloid hustle
that would in part account for the roastin
blaze created, for the gas would have inleu
slted both the heat and the flames The
Ease viii Ire thoroughly investigated BY the
coroner.