The San Francisco call., 1896-02-21
Horrible End of Mrs. Anna M
Damn in Her Mothers
House.
EXPIRED IN A FEW MINUTES
The Woman's Motheryand Child Were
in an Adjoining Room at the
Time.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL
d 4 L 90 :

906 Broadway, Feb. 20.
Anna NJ. Damn, married woman, was
burned to death in the back yard of her
mothers house at Ill Seward street this
evening.
Without uttering a single scream, the
unfortunate woman apparently fought the
flames in which her clothing was envel-
oped, until with heat and fright she suc-
cumbed to the destroying flames. When
taken up the hair and every vestige of cloth
ing had been burned from her body, with
the exception of her garters Her body was
cruelty scorched from head to feet, and in
many places actually charred. So far as
can be learned, the fearful accident all oc-
Cured within five minutes.
The victims mother and blind sister
were in the house at the time, only twenty
feet away, but they were not aware OF the
occurrence until neighbors informed them
that there was a fire in the rear of the
house. The fire was The burning of the
mother, who, few minutes previously,
had handed her little babe to its grand
mother, while she went into the kitchen.
About quarter of seven Mrs. Damn got
up from the dinner-table. She said she
was going into the rear of the house, and
asked her mother to mind her little child
for few minutes. She gave the little one
a KISS, its final caress, and went through
the door toward the kitchen. There are
Two rooms between the dining-room and
the kitchen, and Mrs. Damn passed them
both and was heard in the kitchen.
About i've minutes later Mrs. Morrison
hearo the nelghborS shouting, and from
their words she understood the house was
on fire. She went to the back door, and
two or three people met her and told her
that her daughter had been burned to
death in the back yard, few feet from the
small stoop. A little later the remains of
her dead daughter were carried into the
mouse from which she had emerged but
few minutes previous cheerful woman.
One OF the neighbors named Jacob Col
burn saw the flames encircling the burning
woman, from few houses distant. When
ne saw her she was placing her hands to
her head to protect her face from the
hames. Colburn gave the alarm, and bv
the time he had arrived in the yard where
the woman was, she had fallen to the
ground and was dead, and her clothes
were in ashes. No one could offer any
explanation of the affair, and as soon as
an attempt was made to reach the woman
1t was at once seen that life had fed.
Ihe unfortunate woman's husband was
sent for, and when he arrived he tried to
md some cause for his wife s catching fire.
but he discovered nothing. Mr. Damn is
hvery-stable keeper, whose place of bust
ness is on Ninth street, between Clay and
Jefferson. He said his wife was cheerful
enough when he saw her in the afternoon,
and he was unable TO account for the fatal
accident.
An examination of the kitchen and back
yard was madeh Deputy Coroner Quellin,
but nothing could be found that would
tend TO throw any light on the tragedy
There was no lamp missing that might
nave exploded, and no open stove was in
the Kitchen at which her clothes might
have caught fire. Gas is burned all over
the house and there was no coal oil around
that might have started the flames A
careful search was made of the ashes of the
clothing, but there was not the slightest
indication that the clothing had been
saturated with oil and not the faintest
smell OF any such substance could be de-
tected. DIR. kitchings was at the house
few minutes after the unfortunate victim
was carried in from the back yard.
''Mrs. Damn was dead as soon as she was
picked up, said the doctor. "And I am
positive that there is not the slightest
reason known for her catching fire. She
has been my patient for two years, since
her little boy was born, and on my advice
she went to her mothers to spend a few
days.
From all that l can learn, and I have
thoroughly Investigated the circumstances,
Mrs. Dann's clothing probably caught fire
in the kitchen and she then ran out into
the yard. There she tried to subdue the
flames, but they overcame her, and after
becoming unconscious the remainder of
her clothing was destroyed She might
have stepped on a match or in some unac-
counta BILE manner she might have caught
fire at the kitchen stove, but there is
nothing to indicate how or where the ac-
cident originated. From the appearance
of her clothing and her body it is certain
that she must have been in the flames
fully six or seven minutes. That she did |
not scream is mystery, and that she did
not is proved by the fact that her mother
who was only twenty feet off, did not hear
anything. 1t is certainly the most re-
markable case have ever met with"
When the flames were seen some one |
turned in an alarm of fire aud the depart
ment responded, only to be informed that
a woman had been burned tosdeath in the
middle OF a thickly Inhabited community,
and that it had not been discovered till
she was dead.
Mrs. Damn was married to her husband
about five years ago. She was almost 80
years of age. Previous to her marriage
she taught school at Lovelock, New, for
several years, where she was widely
known and highly respected The Coro-
ner will try and discover some origin for
her death at an inquest to be held to-
morrow.