The Washington times., 1904-12-26
BOY DIES HUGG|NG
HIS TIN SOLDIER
Mothers Wild Race Fails
to Save Child.
FOUND HIM UNDER THE TREE
Sister Had Given Him Acid by Mistake
for Soda Water and There Was
No Hope From Start.
FOUND HIM UNDER THE TREE

| NEW YORK, Dec. 26.-ClaSping a tin
soldier Santa Claus had given him
| firmly in both hands, Johnnie McCabe,
two years old. of z25 East Twenty-sec-
ond Street, died from carbolic acid
poisoning yesterday
| The little fellow was picked I'D from
under Christmas tree and carried to
bellevue Hospital by his mother but
! me physicians could not save his life.
he died with his chubby fingers tight
aroun the neck and arms of the toy
soldier.
Left Them a Minute.
| Mrs MeCabe had left Johnnie and his
| sister Mary, five years old, together in
the parlor while she went to the kitch-
en- TO prepare the Christmas dinner for
the family. The two children were hap
| py with the toys and candies Santa
Claus had brought in the night, anJ the
| mother thought they Were safe from all
| danger.
| After fifteen minutes Mrs. McCabe
| went on tiptoe to the door of the parlor
| TO watch the little ones at play. AS she
stopped at the door a groan alarmed
her. Rushing in. she found Johnnie
| writing under the tree in agony.
"Oh. mammal" he said, at sight of his
| mother: 1.-The paint"
An empty bottle lay close to the boy,
| Ii was one in which she had kept a
solution of camphor and carbo1ic acid
Tor household use.
Ran to Hospital.
She lifted the boy in her arms and
| ran direct to Bellevue. She was almost
exhausted when she arrived in the re-
ceiving room. She fell back into a
chair. and. holding out the now uncon-
scious boy. she implored a physician to
save him.
Ten minutes later Johnnie was dead.
Four doctors had worked over MIN, but
without avail They were unable to re-
yive him, and he died with his mother
kneeling at his head, and looking In
quiet wonder and surprise into his face
Inc boy held fast to the soldier from
the moment he took the poison
1t was said by Mrs McCabe that she
thougnt Mary gave the poison to the
boy. When questioned Mary said that
In the bottle She said that she wanted
Johnnie to have a drink before herself
but that he took every drop
Cried for Bother.
She could not realize what had hap
pened. and she cried for Johnnie for
hours after he was away.
cident- She said that it was the first
Christmas tree they had in the family
and that she and her children had look
ed forward to it for months.
Johnnie had the toy soldier in his
LETT hand when ! picked him up" said
Mrs. MeCabe- He was lying with his
head under the low branches of the tree.
AS caught him up with one hand.
with the other tried to loosen lis grip
| on the soldier. He drew his fingers
tighter, however, and gave a little cry
| OF protest
'-On the way to the hospital he caught
the loose arms OF the toy with his right
hand. and he was still holding the
trinket in this way when he died
! The dear little fellows heart was
| filed with rejoicing over his soldiers,
| and they were of vastly more irnpor-
lance 10 him than his life The sol
diers meant so much to him, and, poor
wee chap he could not realize he was
dying. 1t Is an awful end to our Christ
mas, but what a comfort 1t is to me to
| know that johnnie died happy
| The Bellevue physicians said the boy
was doomed the instant he swallowed
the liquid. as the poison was so strong
that nothing could save him.