The morning times., 1895-07-26
AWFUL FATE OF 4 Child
Little Cora FergusOn's Braid Car.
ried Flames to Her Dress.
DIED FROM TERRIBLE BURNS
She Was EmplOye ed In Fox's Grocery
and in Looking Under Counter
Used Mateh-Her Hair Touched
the Light and Caught Fire-Dr.

Friends and neighbors gathered la ST night
| In and around the home of william j. Fer
| guson, at the northeast corner of Third and
Maryland avenue northeast speaking words
| OF sympathy and Comfort, and talking in
| whispers OF the tragedy which had brought
its burden OF woe TO the family in the death
| by fire Of their little girl Cora.
| The fatal accident occurred at FoX's con-
| fectionery, at Third and + northeast, at
p. NJ The little sufferer was taken as
| quickly as possible to her home, and lin
| gered there till seven minutes before 6
| O'Clock, when death brought relief
The funeral will take place probably Sun
day at the Adventist's Church, on Eighth
street northeast, between and g.
Cora had been employed at Fox's since
she came out of school for the summer
vacation, having gone TO work on May
30. She was bright and lovable child,
and had won the confidence other employer
she had just come in to work a little after
noon yesterday with a little companion,
! and after few moments talk her aymate
had gone.
Cora turned to get something she wanted
from under the counter and to see what
Voc ti-11N SAS StlN IL Iidttu-
AS she swung it into the shadow under
the heavy pine board, the tip of the flame
caught in some tissue paper The fright
ened child attempted to put this out aud
as she did so the flames, leaping up, touched
her hair, and in a moment it was in
blaze
FLAMES SCAUGHT HER SLEEVE.
1t hung in braid down her back but was
curly "A little a MI pf fpbt Ao
she seized the braid 10 draw IT through
her hands and put out the fire, the flame
came in contact with the sleeve of her dress,
a lawn OF the lightest summer texture,
and IN flash this, too, was afire and the
thoroughly frightened little girl cIasped
her apron TO her mouth aud ran into the
street, giving one scream as she reached
| the door
DR.. Frank G.. johnson, who has recently
moved from Rhode Island avenue near
Fourteenth street northwest, to Mary
| land avenue near Eleventh street north
west, happened to be passing.
He comprehended the situation at
| glance, and ran 10 the rescue. He seized
| the child IN hlsarms and threw her lightly
| 10 the ground and rolled her over and
! over. He mad hardly done so when Police
| man Williams, on the beat, cane running
| TO his help, and together theN finally
SuNNttutd III taNlllBulsDlHE the IidIDGS,
| leaving smoking mass or clothing and
seething flesh, a sight dreadful tosee.
A crowd gathered almost at the same
| instant, and tender and willing hands bore
| the little one into Sullivan's grocery at
| the southeast corner OF Third andE streets.
Policeman Williams ran into FoX's from
| which the smoke was still issuing, to see
! If the house was afire, and then, finding
| the fire there had gone out he hurried
| TO call the police ambulance.
Meantime MI. Charles Creecy with others,
had cut away the chaTed fragments OF
! underclothlng while DR.. Johnson hurried TO
| procure means to relieve the little girls
| sufferings and some one else ran to call DR.
! Boyd at the corner OF Second and streets
| northeast
By the time the ambulance arrived the
| physicians had partly dressed the terrible
| burns that covered the body from the throat
! TO the feet
ALL EAGER TO HELP
She was carefully laid upon strctcher
| andcarried to the wagon thenhauled slowly
! to the residence There she was teuderly
J borne to her own room from which she had
! gone so happy and full OF life in the morn
! ing and from which she was never to 90
! save III death
There the heart broken family father and
mother, brothers and sisters, gathered
! around her ,eall eager to do something to
! help relieve the agOnies of the dying child
! and waiting in terrible suspense the low
! spoken comments and orders OF the ply
! slcians.
After trying every other remedy with the
! hope that there might still be a chance
! OF life the doctors finally gave morphine in
| sufficient quantity TO bring on a stupor
which would render their patient partially
| insensible TO the burning nerves which all
their skill could not save from outward
| touch.
The skin had been scorched away at every
point almost and hung in strips and flakes
| till cut away, and nothing could be done
| to supply It's place. The morphine alone
| could save the sufferer, though it lesseued
the chances of life.
1t was in the moments while fighting
to save the little girl that pitiful scenes
occurred
Mr.. Ferguson, who is coppersmith en-
pioyed at the new Library Building had
been summoned at l1e iirSt alarm. He sat
by his daughters bedside, holding her
hand, while she gasped aud moaned in the
tortureS of fire.
"Oh, papa, papa" she cried again and
again, Il didn't want TO die. ! cid all
could. l put my apron to my mouth to
keep from breathing the flames into my
lungs"
SHOCK WAS FATAL.
And the doctors said she might have
lived but for the terrible shock She had
not drawn the fire into her lungs and her
breathing was good and favorable TO
recovery.
As long as there was a chance 10 leave
nature TO do its part, unhampered by tn.
influence of opium, there was hope. But
the burns We're too deep and too terrible.
The drug had to De administered to allow
the nervous system little relief. If
she had the strength to come from under
it she might live.
After the dose had been given at
o'clock she sank slowly into UNCONSCIOUS
ness from which she never recovered.
Cora May Ferguson was born in Wash
ington in January, 1888. Her father is a
native of this city, and has lived here all
| his life. most of the time in the northeast
Cora attended school at the Lenox Building
for long time. and had reached the fifth
grade. Miss Vanderwater was her teacher
She had recently been transferred to the
Peabody School
Her parents attend the Christadelphjan
Church which worships in the hoouse of
the Adventists, and Cora was in the Sun
| day-school class of Mrs Mary Traynor
DR.. Frank Johnson, in his efforts TO save
the little girls life, was severely burned
In the face, on the hands and on one shoul-