Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-05-04

-Four Children Rerish Is Burning
Building


The Sun OF this morninr contains
the following account Of horrible burn-
fng TO death OF four children il 4 dwell.
ing near the village Of Abington. Hartford
county. and the narrow escape 81 the
mother and infant by way Of the window.
from which we extract the following -
The residence Of Dir. Charles Williams.
on the southern outskirts Of the Village
of Abingdon, Hartford county, Md, about
one mile from, Hartford Station. on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was de.
stroyed by FIRE Thursday night, and four
of bis children persisted Ia the fiames.-
The children were Annie, aged rs years.
Cecilia, Q years, Joseph, years. and
Thomas. years. Mrs. Williams was
dangerously burned on the face. head
breast and arms, but 1t Is believed she
will recover, nst. however, without the
loss of the sight of one. liz not of both
eyes. Mr.. Williams is also suffering
from burns on the face, hands and arms.
An infant about fifteen months old, the
only child to escape, dvas slightly Injured.
The family went ed at ten o'clock
Thursday night. i & everything ap-
parently secure Mr.. Williams and all
the children slept in one room, and Mr..
Williams occupied an adjoining apart
ment
In speaking OF the distressing occur.
renee Mr.. Williams said yesterday that
at midnight his wife awoke him and
said the house was on fire. The smoke
in the room at that time was almost
suffocating. He went down the stairway,
at the foot Of which was the door leading
to the kitching. Opening this door be
was met with an overpowering rush of
smoke and flame. which leaped up the
stairway, cutting of all chance of
retracting his steps upstairs TO go to the
assistance Of his wife and children, and st
the same time preventing them from
leaving the building that way.
Mr. Williams called to his wife and
children TO escape by jumping from the
windows Then he made his way out
| by q window from the sitting room.
open kitching door soon ignited the main
portion of the house.
Mrs. Williams became frantic at the
great peril OF herself and children,
knowing that her husband was on the
outside powerless to aid in their rescue.
The daughter, Annie. seems to have
been the directing spirit In the emergency.
She guided her mother, with the baby
10 her arms. to the window, which she
held up. Then the mother, breathing q
prayer, threw the baby out of the win
dow. The child fell on the soft earth
and was not seriously burt. The mother
followed Immediately, jumping about
ten feet, and reaching the ground in
safety. What took place in the room
before The mother escaped cannot be told
now. as Mrs. Williams Is not, OF course,
In any con0ition to talk. What took
place in the burning building after her
escape will never be known, as the four
remaining inmates are dead. but from
circumstautial information it is surmised
that Annie must have acted the part OF a
martyr When she saw that her mother
and The baby was safe she turned her at
tention to her sister and two brothers and
tried to save them, but 1t is thought that
she was overcome by the smoke and that
all were suffocated before the fire roasted
their bodies. into the charred remains
that were taken from the debris the next
morning
1 have been troubled with catarrh of the
head and throat for the last five years.
About three years ago commenced the
use OF Ely's Cream Balm. and form che
first application | was relieved. The