Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-04-02
CAT SUCKED BABY's BREATH.

over.
CAT SUCKED BABY's BREATH.
An Old Notion Confirmed In Some
Minds by a Denver Case.
The death Of the S-months old baby
of Gustave Brown Of 1910 Gaylord St.,
has proven to apprehensive Denver
mothers the old time belief that a cat
may take the life Of child by simply
inhaling it's breath. The strange case,
brought under the actual knowledge Of
DR.. F. E. Waxham, proves conclusively
for the medical profession the hearsay
of old family physicians and the tales
of old-time medical authorities long out
Of print.
The infant son Of Gustave Brown was
killed by his favorite playmate, great
maltese cat, while taking his morning
nap in his carriage in the back yard Of
the residence yesterday. The examina-
ton Of DR.. Waxham, the mothers OBJ
servations and the Investigations of
Coroner Horan, all bring the same un-
contradicted decision. The cat killed
the sleeping baby by putting its mouth
within the child's mouth, by sucking
its breath, the child breathing back the
cats breath till suffocation resulted.
"It is my positive belief" said DR..
Waxham this morning, that death
came to the baby in just this wey, and
for my own experience, the oil 7ay1ng
is proven. I have heard Of death haV-
ing been caused in this way before,
but have never had reason to believe
it, until now. This Is the first instance
that ever came under my observation
and that I have ever heard Of direct
ly."
Mrs. Brown Is certain that DR.. Wax
ham is right in his conclusion.
Yesterday morning" she says. Il
put the baby in its carriage as usual
for it's nap, and as have always done,
put him in the back yard, with the
parasol lowered to keep the light out
of his eyes and to prevent the admis-
sion Of too much cold air. I had had
a man engaged to clean the house anu
was so preoccupied and busy during
the morning that I did not run out to
look at the baby as often as generally
do. to see that he is well covered and
sleeping quietly.
AT noon when we were at luncheon
I left the table to look toward the
baby's carriage, and at that moment
saw the parasol moving. I thought the
baby had wakened. He is so sweet and
happy when he first wakes that l
thought for fun I would just run out
and steal some Of his smiles and play
| 'peek-a-boo' at him 70 see the dear lit
tie things delight. went to the kitch-
en- door and as opened 1t and started
down the steps I saw the maltese russ'
the family pet, jump out on the other
side of the carriage from under the
parasol over the baby's face. I thought
nothing of it especially, since the cat
often jumps into the foot of the car
riage and lies there asleep while the
baby takes his nap.
when I reached the buggy, pushed
the parasol away and leaned down to
look at the baby, there he lay, dead, his
little mouth slightly ajar. Not a mark
of disagreement was on his white
face"
This part of Mrs. Browns story Is
corroborated by Mrs. F. S. Knox,
neighbor, who also saw the cat jump
down from the baby's carriage, and
who ran over to the Brown yard when
the mothers scream announced that
something terrible had happened to the
child. DR.. F. E. Waxham was hurried
ly summoned and, two other neighbors.
Mrs. C. ]. Dutch and Mrs. M. N. Jones
helped their friend in her effort to re-
store life to the child by rubbing and
all the other methods they knew.
DR.. Waxham's efforts proved equally
fruitless. The child had probably been
dead, he said, for some time. The
strange conduct of the cat during the
efforts to bring the baby back to life
was remarked by all four women.
when we took the baby In the
house." says Mrs. Jones, 1.-The cat ap-
peared uneasy and followed close be-
hind Mrs. Brown. When the baby was
l. laid down and we were all working over
| it. the cat sat with its eyes fixed on
the child, as If perfectly fascinated, and
seemed under an almost hypnotic in
fuence. 1t got up and walked around
us and appeared to be crazy to get
nearer the baby, until we finally be-
came so annoyed at its strange behav-
ior that we had to put it out"
Mrs. Jones declares that she has
twice before known Of instances in
which a cat caused death in way SIM
liar to the death of Mrs. Browns
child.
my little cousin, a child years old"
she says, was killed in the same way
few years ago while asleep
The old assigned cause of this strange
passion in the cat Is due to the belief
that the taste Of the milk in child's