The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1898-10-27
BURNED TO DEATH.
LITTLE MAGGIE BACKES MEETS
WITH A FATAL ACCIDENT.
DIED AFTER HOURS OF AGONY.
Little Child Ignited her Clothing From a
Kerosene Lamp and Was Fatally
Burned Before help Could
Reach Her.

The most terrible accident which
ever took place in Kenosha occurred
on Noath Main street Sunday after
noon md resulted in the death of little
Maggie Backes, the three year old
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph
Backes.
The accident occurred about two
o'clock on Sunday afternoon. The
little child had been playing about the
house with her companions and went
into a room on the second floor. She
was so quiet that her parents failed to
notice that she was not playing with
the rest of the children until they we're
startled by the cries of the little child
and discovered that she had fallen
down the stairs. The mother rushed
to the stairs and found the clothes and
the child enveloped in mass of flames.
With all haste an effort was made to
save the child from the flames, but
they crept over her all too fast, and
tEe best that loving hands could do
was to tear the burning clothes off her
little form. The cries of the child soon
called number of neighbors to the
scene, who assisted in quenching the
flames which still burned in he cloth
ing of the little girl.
Drs. Pugh and Malmstrom were at
once summoned but they saw that the
flames had done terrible work, and
it would be impossible to save the
little sufferers lite. She was carried to
al bed and in her great agony her cries
could be heard throughout the entire
neighborhood. The cruel flames had
done horrible work, and the little form
was burned and charred in terrible
manner. In their anxiety to remove
the clothing from the child the friends
had pulled off great pieces of the flesh.
Her hair was singed until the scalp
,maslvisible in many places. and the
little limbs and arms were one mass of
burns.
( Going up stairs the cause of the
accident was found in the way of h
kerosene lamp which was still burning,
and}near it was found a handful Of
matches which the little one had used
in lighting the lamp. ~
/ How. the clothes became ignited is
still a mystery, but the little child
must have realized her danger and
started to run to her mother who was
in the room below. When she reached
the steps she must have stumbled and
rolled down the steps, not only increas-
ing the fury of the flames, but bruising
her face and body in terrible manner.
The doctors did everything possible to
relieve the suffering of the child and at
5 o'clock death came. and took her
away from her agony.
The little child was great favorite
in the neighborhood and many heart
is sad today on account of the terrible
death of the little girl. The parents
and brothers and sisters are over
whelmed with grief and the loving
sympathy of many friends. seems to do
little to heal the wound which the grim
monster has made in the mothers and
fathers heart.
In attempting to rescue little Maggie
from the flames Mrs. Backes was also
terribly burned about, the arms and
hands. When she was taking the
burning clothing from the child the
flames took hold of her own clothing,
but with mothers love she refused to
extinguish them until the fire had all
been quenched from the child's cloth
ing. Her wounds are considered very
painful, but it is not thought that they
will result seriously. tl.s -s'o*-@ y
The funeral of the child will be held
from the home on Tuesday afternoon.