The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-17
CHILD'S FATAL FALL
LITTLE LOUISE NELL WAS BADLY
BURNED AT ISLE OF HOPE.
MOTHERS HEROIC EFFORTS
TO SAVE DAUGHTER FROM FLAMES
RESULTED IN PAINFUL BURNS.

Child Was Playing Near Burning
Grass-Tripped and Fell HeadlOng
Into Fire and Dress Caught Be
fore She Could Rise-A Literal Pill
lar of Fire, She Ran, Screaming I'm
Agony, Toward Her HOme-MOther
Rushed to Daughter and Attempt
ed to Smother Flames in Her
Arms-LittIe Hope Expressed for
Recovery of ChiId-Mother's In
juries Painful. But Not Serious.
Badly burned as the result of fall
ing into burning grass, little Louise
Nell the 7-year-old daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. ]. D. Nell. lies dying at her
parents home at Isle of Hope.
Mrs. Nell is also badly burned, her
arms and breast having suffered while
she bravely tried to eXtinguish the
flames which were enwrapping her
little one.
A number of young boys, intent only
on fun, had set fire to the dried grass
near the Isle of Hope trolley station.
Around this they were dancing and
shouting in imitation of Indians, now
and then stopping to make a mock at
tempt to check the course of the
flames. Little Louise Nell, who was
playing nearby, is said to have run
over to join the boys.
For a time the shouts Of the little
ones, busy at play rang merrily out. The
boys. instinct with daring, started run
ming through the flames, the slight
element of danger serving only to add
to the fun and excitement of the play.
Then the little girl decided to show
that she, too, was as daring as the
boys, and started to initiate them.
HeadIOng Into the Flames.
The attempt was a disastrous one
to her. With a merry shout she
started through the burning grass.
Just as she reached the line where the
fire was burning most briskly, her foot
caught in a piece of wire and she was
thrown headlong into the flames
Before she could get to her feet again,
the flames had caught the light dress
and it began burning fiercely
With a scream of terror the little
one struggled to her feet and, think
ing only of protection, started on the
run toward her home, only a short
distance away. The slight breeze
which was blowing at the time,
coupled with the effect of the child's
running, famed the flames to greater
vigor and, a literal pillar of fire, she
moved swiftly toward her home,
Streaming in agony.
The screams of her daughter and
the frightened cries of the boys who
had been playing about the fire, at
tracted the attention of Mrs. Nell.
Grasping in an instant the danger IN
which her loved one stood, she rush
ed toward her, and, forgetting herself
picked the little girl up in her arms
and vainly struggled for time to ex-
tinguish the flames.
Mother Also Badly Burned.
The flames from the little girls dress
fred the dress of her mother. and for
a time it looked as though She too,
would be fatally burned. Mrs. Nell
succeeded in suffocating the flames,
and scarce knowing that she, herself,
had been burned. carried her suffering
little one into her home.
Medical aid was at once sent for, and
Or. A. A. Morrison hurried to the
home. The scene here was a pitiful
one. and one which brought the tears
TO the eyes of the spectators. On the
bed lay the little girl, one mass of
blisters and deep, soaring, burns, I'M
conscious, but moaning pitifully in her
torturing agony. Near her sat her all
most heart-broken mother, needless of
the fact that she. herself. was badly
burned. intent only doing what she
could to ease the pain of her suffering
little one.
Child a Mass of Burns.
The best attention was given both
mother and child at once. though it is
probable that the burns and nervous
shock will prove fatal to the little girl.
An examination showed that she was
burned deeply from her neck to her
feet, the deepest burns lying along the
spinal column.
The front part of her body was
burned in several places, though not
as seriously as her back. The burns
at the base of her skull are deep and
painful, and it is feared that these and
those along her spinal column will
prove fatal.
Mrs. Nell was painfully though not
seriously, burned about the hands and
arms and slightly about the breast,
caused by her folding her daughter
to her when she was so bravely try
ing to smother the flames. The burns
were dressed, and she was made as
comfortable as possible.