The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-11-30
TWOFATALLYB URNED
Mrs. William HoIIenbeCk and Little
Daughter Meet With a Terrible
Accident This Morning.
BY THE EXPLOSION OF A LAMP

The Little Child Playing About the House
Pulls the Lamp From the Table and the
Explosion Follows-The Mother Rushed
to Aid the Child and Slipped in the Burn
ing Oil and was Fatally Burned Before
Help Arrived
A terrible accident occurred in the
town of Pleasant Prairie this morning
which will probably result in the death
of Mrs. William Ho11enbeck and her
little sixteen months old daughter,
and which has cast pail of sorrow
over the whole neighborhood.
The accident happened shortly after
six O'Clock this morning, when the
little child pulled lamp off the table
and caused the explosion which re-
suited in both the mother and the child
being fatally burned. D.. Eastman.
of Pleasant Prairie, and DR.. Ripley. of
this city, are doing all in their power
to relieve the pain of the sufferers. but
it is impossible for them to survive
more than few hours.
The story of the terrible accident is
told as follows: The family had arisen
at the usual hour this morning, and
the husband, together with the hired
man, had gone to the barn to do some
chores. The little girl, a bright babe
of sixteen months, was playing about
the mother, who was preparing the
fan1ily's breakfast. After crawling
about the kitchen for a short time the
child went into the living room, and
taking hold of cover of table she
attempted to pull it off. A lamp was
burning on the table, and when the
cover was pulled off the lamp fell to
the floor and was exploded.
The little body of the baby was at
once enveloped in flames. The mother
hearing the noise caused by the falling
lamp, hurried into the room only to
find the form of her child with the
cruel flames all about it. She ran to
the rescue, but her foot slipped and she
fell to the floor in the midst of the fire.
Her shrieks for help brought her
daughter to the scene and she rushed
to the barn and called Mr.. Hol1enbeck.
He hurried to the house and with great
presence of mind seized a blanket and
soon succeeded in extinguishing the
flames which had horribly burned the
wife and child and threatened the
home. The screams of the mother and
child could be heard all about the
neighborhood and the neighbors rush
ing in lifted the charred forms of the
victims and carried them to the bed.
They suffered unspeakab1e pain and
DIR. Eastman was hurried1y summoned
An examination showed that both
Mrs. Ho11enbeck and the child had been
fatally burned and messenger was at
once sent to kenosha to summon DR..
Ripley in consultation. Hope of saw
ing the lives of the victims of the acct
dent was at once dispaired of and every
effort was made to make the sufferings
of the mother and child as light as
possible. Mrs. Ho11enbeck was burned
on almost every part of the body. Her
face and arms and limbs were burned
over the entire surface and the flames
had also burned away all the hair on
the front part of the head.
Notwithstanding this fact, with the
love and fortitude of mother she in
sisted that the doctors administer to
the child and relieve its sufferings be-
fore attending to her. The child
wrapped in the burning table cover
was a perfect mass of burns from the
head to the foot. Every part of the
little body was charred as a mark of
the work of the flames. The hair was
burned entirely from its head.
Suffering paroxysms of pain the
mother and child are still living, but
the doctors say that it is simply a
question of time until death will relieve
both of their terrible agonies.
The husband and children of the
family are Frustrated by the accident
and Mr.. Ho11enbeck is suffering great
pain from burns received while rescu-
ing his wife from the flames. Mrs.
Ho11enbeck was one of the best known
and most popular ladies in Pleasant
Prairie and the little child was great
favorite among the neighbors. The
family have the sympathy of the en-
tire community in this great bereave-
ment
Later-The child died at O'Clock
this afternoon.