The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-07
DEATH CLAIMS
K|PL|NG'S CHILD
Six-Year-Old Josephine
Passes Away.
SUCCUMBS TO PNEUMONIA
THE AUTHOR NOT INFORMED OF
HIS LOSS.
Though He Is Gradually Gaining
Strength, He Is Considered
Too Weak to Withstand
the Shock.
THE AUTHOR NOT INFORMED OF
HIS LOSS.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NEW YORK, March 6.-Josephine
Kipling, the six-year-old daughter Of
Rudyard Kipling, and the Oldest of his
three children, died shortly after 6
O'Clock this morning from pneumonia.
! The child's death took place at the
! home of Mrs. Julie de Forest in this
| city Mrs. de Forest is a friend of the
! Kiplings, and Josephine had been taken
! to her home SO that she could be
nursed apart from her father. The girl
| became i'll the day after Mr.. Kipling
! took to his bed.
Mr.. Kipling continues to improve,
having slept naturally the greater part
! of last night He has taken no solid
food and it may be week before he is
able to do so. He is subsisting on beef
extract, milk and other fluid nutrients.
Elsie, Mr.. Kipling's three-year-old
daughter, passed a good night.
In all probability the body of little
Josephine Kipling will be taken to the
Kipling home in Vermont for burial,
but no definite arrangements have yet
been made. 1t was decided not to in
! form the author of his child'S death for
| several days. 1t was said at the hotel
this morning that Mrs. Kipling has not
been allowed in her husbands room for
NEARLY a week, Notwithstanding the
!
been at his bedside daily.
The following bulletin was issued at
2:30 to-day:
Mr.. Kiplihg has done we'll during the
last tWenty-four hours. Now that Teso-
luton is almost complete he has some
ment of the lungs, due to the greater
rubbing of the infiamed pleura. This is
d very common accompaniment to pneu-
monia. The next bulletin will not be is
sued until Wednesday,.
Mr.. Doubleday at 1880 o'clock said:
Mr. Kipling has had a splendid day
that is, comfortable day. He is be-
ginning gradually to take nOurishment
of a more substantial kind. OF course,
he has the appearance of a man who
has been at the point of death, and his
mind works very slowly. He has not
been told of his daughter JOsephine's
death. Elsie has been somewhat bet
ter to-day and 1 think she is we'll on
| the road to recovery"
Then, referring to a slip in his hand,
he said:
after talking the matter over with
me, Mrs. Kipling decided to make this
request to the newspapers:
1T is Mrs. Kipling'S earnest wish that
all matters connected with the funeral
of her daughter Josephine may be en-
! tirely private. She appreciates the fact
| that information concerning Mr.. Kip
! ling is of public interest, but this sor-
row is her own, and she feels sure that
newspaper reporters and editors will
not wish to intrude upon her privacy"
Mr.. Doubleday went on to say that
Mrs. Kipling did not wish even the time
or place of her daughters funeral to be
made public. Mr.. Doubleday said there
were a number of reasons that induced
her to make that decision, and one of
them was that for Mr.. Kipling's sake
the death and funeral of Josephine
I'LL
as possible. Mrs Kipling knew, he
said that the papers could find out
everything if they tried, but in this
case she asked them not to do so.