The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-03-21
BURNED TO DEATH.

i BURNED TO DEATH. IS
PLANE Caught the Little Girls Clothing
! i While her Mother was Absent.
! A little girl enveloped in her fla
ming clothing, rushing from the
farm house door screaming as she
fed across the lot was a terrible
scene at the Cooper place a mile
north of Corvallis late Wednesday
| afternoon. It's melancholy sequel
was, a hearse, with the white casket
and the flowers inside, slowly jour
neying to the Odd Fellows cemetary
Thursday afternoon.
The child was little Grace Cooper
six-year old daughter of Mr.. and MIS-.
lJ. c Cooper who came to Corval-
lis from Okla homa year ago and
settled on small farm, purchased
of Joseph Bryant in the northwest
corner Of the Eglin place. Twenty
minutes or half an hour before. her
mother left the house and went to
1 the Westside crossing to mail a
letter. Remaining at, the home
were Grace, her brother. aged four
and tine baby boy, aged two and a
half years.
After posting her letter the
mother stopped in at the house of a
neighbor for moment, and then
started home. AS she approached,
little Grace came running out of
the door of the house with flames
enveloping her entire person. The
sight was awful, and the mother
sped to the rescue. She reached
the child and with her own gar
ments began an attempt to smother
the flames. A few moments later,
Mr.. Griggs, neighbor, who had
seen the burning child, arrived with
a horse blanket and by the efforts of
the two, the flames were quickly
extinguished.
The assistance for the poor vic
tim came, however. behind time. The
burns sustained were too much for
the vitality of the young life. Al
most every portion of the little
body was involved in fiery burns.
Only portion of the abdomen es-
capped the pitiless flames. The
whole back, the neck, the arms the
lower limbs and even one ha nd as
tar as the little finger were scorched
and in some instances actually
baked. The skin rolled up and
broke in many places.
The little victim was carried in
to the house, and physicians were
summoned by telephone. Within
rs minutes DR.. Rowley arrived,
and he was followed shortly after
ward by Dr.. Farra. The child
was in horrible agony, and to al
1eviate her pain, opiates were ad-
ministered. She was terribly thirsty
and called almost constantly for
! water.
In spite of the treatment applied
by the medical men, the little vic
tim grew constantly worse. A pack
of soda and 1inseed oil was placed
on the scorched and Scared body.
but the suffering was SO great that,
when the physicians arrived for a
second visit shortly after six O clock
it had become separated from the
burned parts. 1t was again applied
and .sewed in place. where it re-
mained until a mercifu1 death ended
the suffering of the little one at
1920 o'clock.
Nothing is known concerning
how the clothing caught fire,
beyond the childish statement of
the little four-year-old. He says
his sister stood for a moment
on the stove, and that in moving
she pushed the teakett1e from
over the opening in the top, and
Through the alerature the fsmes
appeared and touched the sisters
dress.
The funeral occurred from Wi1k-
ms undertaking parlors at three
O'Clock Thursday afternoon. The
linterment was in Odd Fellows S
cemetery. Little Grace was a pu-
pill in Miss Kern's room at the pub.
lie schools. The grade was dis
missed and children and teacher
attended the funeral. The little
victim was bright child, and her
terrible death has occasioned many
an expression of regret, and of
sympathy for the bereaved family.