Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-29
DEATH LURKs IN THE BUsTLE.
A Woman EnveiOped in Flame
Burns to Death in the Street.
From the Ne1o York World.

cial investigation as TO the causes OF the
fatal burning OF Mrs. Kate Desmond, in
the public street, facts of peculiar inter-
est TO women will be disclosed. The I'M
fortunate woman died in the belief that
her clothes had taken fire through the care
lessness OF a smoker who sat next to her
in a Second avenue surface car, but II is
by no means certain that the fire origi-
mated in that way. The strangest part of
the affair is that Mrs. Desmond could
have been literally roasted in puoIlc
thOroughfare in broad daylight, when sur
rounded by a crowd of men and women
trying TO put out the blaze which envel-
oped her.
Mrs. Desmond resided. with her hus-
band, Thomas Desmond, in the apartment
house No. 402 East Seventy-eighth street.
The property is part Of the Degnan estate,
of which she was one of the heirs. Her
mother lives at Thirty-third street and
Seventh avenue, and one of her brothers
is a priest in this city, Her husband is
employed by the Borden Condensed Milk
Company at their works in East Thirty
fourth street, and Mrs. Desmond went
down there Wednesday forenoon with
her baby Eddie. not quite year old,
TO meet him. Alter dining together Mr..
Desmond escorted his wife to an open car
homeward bound. AS she related to Rev.
Father McGrath of the parish of st. Mont
ca, who was called when her condition
was declared hopeless, her nearest neigh
Dor in the car was an elderly man, who
was smoking cigar. After riding a
short distance she noticed that the seat
she occupied was unusually warm. but
thought 1t had been heated by the sun.
The baby absorbed her attention. When
the car stopped at the corner Of seventy
eighth street she got off and was sur
prised at a sort Of blistering sensation on
the soles of both feet. but attributed 1t to
Inc heated pavement. She had barely
stepped on the sidewalk before some one
called to her, you're atreV' She caught
up her skirts behind, and shaking them
out saw that they were ablaze. Much
frightened she ran down Seventy-eighth
street towards home, carrying her child
in her arms. She tried to get into house
where she saw some one at the window,
but, as she told the priest, admittance
was inhumanly refused when her plight
was discovered. Her running and a.
strong current of air through the
street famed the fire into a blaze.
which completely enveloped her.
There were quite anumber of people pass
ing at the time, and Others were attract!
ed by the cries that woman was burning
up. One of her sex leaned through a,
basement window and caught up door
mat, with which an attempt was made to
smother the blaze, That was OF no avail,
and another woman had little better sue
cess by wrapping shawl about Mrs.
Desmond. The latter called to some one
TO save her child. He was taken from
her arms by woman. Mrs. Desmond,
envelepod In a sheet OF flame, started, to
RIM to the corner to enter liquor store.
A man picked up a piece OF carpeting
and FASTENED to Mrs. Desmoud's assist
ance. He threw the strip around her and
then tried to tear off some OF her cloth
ing. Catching hold OF her hustle not too
gently he was astOunded to see that is
percepubly raised up and there was
something not unlike an explosion of gas
that followed. After that the clothing
burned more rapidly. Inspector Roman,
of the Second avenue line. jumped from
passing car, and, pulling off his coat,
wrapped it about her. A pail of water
was thrown over her and the flames eX-
tinguished. She was nearly nude, her
skirts and apparel having been burned
through TO the corset, which was also
badly burned up the 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
their arms TO carry her to drug store,
"W here is EddieF' "Give me my baby p"
she called out in agonizing tones. She
seemed ohlivious TO her own homeless con-
dition and apparently suffered little pain.
| But she kept calling for her little one,
aud 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
| al 20 WI ap ho fire =
| allied her condition. 10y
Druggist John NJ. Fisher, a tenant of
Mrs Desmond, applied such remedies as
are usually employed in cases of BURNING
as soon as she was brought in, and BIER
husband and other relatives were notified
OF what had befallen her. Several phys
sicans were called and an ambulancA
summoned. Mrs. Desmond refused tobe
| taken TO the hospital and declined to be
treated by the ambulance surgeon. 40
ter remaining in the drug store haitian
hour she was carried to her own room.
MP stairs, and DR.. Lqhan l.. Bradshaw .of
| No. $50 East Seventy fourth street, and
DR.. Robert FAIRIES, of No. 1105 Lexington
avenue, who has had considerable expe-
renee with such cases, were summoned
to attend her. They speedily realized
that death must come in few hours.
DR.. Bradshaw told n World reporter
cases be had ever seen, and neither he
nor Dr. FAIRIES could account for suoh
burns being caused by the blaze of heo
wearing apparel alone. From her toes ia
her neck she was burned. even the soIer
of her feet being bistered and her hair
slightlv singed. Both thighs and her
legs were baked. one Of them almost to a
crisp. Her RIGHT arm was badly disfip-
ured, and also her right shoulder where
| the fire had crept up under the corset and
! burned through H. and deep into the flesh
| AT no time did Mrs. Desmond appear TO
| be suffering from physical paln, but her
mental distress that the baby would be
| left motherless was very acu'e. She knew
! that she could live only short time and
was conscious until just before her death
which occurred at $3.50 O'Clock Wednes-
| day night.
| Although the accident happened only a
| few minutes after noon the report which
was sent to police headquarters from the
! Fittv-ninth street precinct late in the
evening stated that Mrs. DesmOnd's in
! iuries were confined to slight burns about
| the legs. Only a short time elapsed after
| that report was made public before her
death WAS announced. Roadmaster
! Thornton said he saw the burning and
thought the woman stepped on parlor
match, which set her dress or underskirts
| on fire. Conductor Ashman, OF Run
| No. 10, jumped Off bis car, passing
the corner OF Seventy-eighth street
going uptown, just as Mrs. Desmond,s
clothes got in Il blaze, and he DOESN'T
| - "a l.