Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1907-08-29
BADLY BURNED.
A Mother And Her Little Son
Horribly Injured by
LIVE ELECTRIC WIRE.

Mrs. Maude Laughlin and Her Nine
Iear-Old Boy FcarfuIIy and Per.
haps Fatally Injurcd-NIothcr was
Seeking to Rescue Her Child who
Had Caught Hold of II Live EIcc-
tric Wire.
dispatch from Florence to The
| News and Courier says Mrs. Maude
Laughlin, wife and child of Mr.. Geo
w. Laughlin, of FlCrence, came very
near being instantly killed on Cheev-
es street, about O'Clock Monday
morning by Il live electric wire of the
Florence Light and Power Company.
Both mother and son were horribly
burned about the hands. limbs and
feet, and it is very doubtful if either
lof them will survive the terrible or
deal that they passed through. Should
they survive they will he horribly
dlshgured for life, for il will be nee
essary to amputate the right hand
lot little Lawrence, and Mrs Laughlin
Will lose her right hand and her right
foot.
The Laughlins live in pretty lit
tie cottage which they have recently
| bought at the northwest corner of
RaNenel ana Chcevcs streets. Mon
day morning little Lawrence noticed
that one OF the wires that convcys
the main curent To the are light on
the corner in front of the Laughlin
| nome was rubbing against the body
of tree on the streets. Every time
the wire touched the tree il would
sizzle aud smoke.
About . o'clock he was i'm the
street playing, and saw the wire
break. Not knowing there was any
danger, he hurriedly ran and picked
| up one end of il. As soon as he
| touched II the main current passed
through his body To the wet ground
upon which he was standing and a
second later he was Knocked pros
trate upon the ground
The little fellow gave a scream that
attracted the neighbors. Mrs. Laugh
lin also heard the scream and has
tened from her bed room to the piaz-
"a. As she looked out the front
door she saw her only son PROSTATE
upon the ground. smoke and flame is
suing from his body and limbs and
writhing in agony. She did not stop
to think or to go down the step. but
leaped from the piazza and ran to
save her child's life.
Reaching the boy she caught hold
of the wire with her hand, and
| second later she, too was PROSTATE
upon the ground. with fire and smoke
issuing from her limbs and body. and
4. a.
to the wire, which neither could nor
had presence of mind to let go.
In this condition both lay there
until Mrs. c. b. Ham. neighhor,
seeing their plight, and knowing the
| danger, secured piece of board and
pushed the wire beyond their reach,
though ii would jump back and
forth as il swung down from the
cross arm of pole nearby. Every
time the wire would move back and
forth it would touch what then look
ed to- be the lifeless form of Mrs.
| Laughlin and her son.
About this time Mr.. S. T. Burch.
Jr., who was passing in his buggy,
and others, ran up and by means
of sticks and boards managed to re-
move the wire far enough away So jas
| to take the bodies of the two people
| from the ground to their home.
| Physicians were hastily summoned.
Ibut in the meantime neighbors. who
had gathered, went quickly to work
| to resuscitate the two, who were
then given up as dead. After hard
work both of them began to show
signs of life and by this time several
physicians had arrived and continued
| the work of resuscitation until both
mother and son regained conscious
mess.
The little boys right hand is burn
ed to crisp every sinew being burn
ed and the flesh burned deep into the
bone He is badly burned on the
thighs, legs. back and shoulders, and
| il will be necessary to amputate the
right hand above the wrist. Two of
the fingers. it is said were burned
completely off.
Mrs Laughin is burned i'm the
hand on the arm. shoulder and an
Ikle. Her shoe was burned from her
foot. The right hand and foot will
he amputated Mr.. Laughlin is an
engineer on the Florence and Char
lesion run on the Atlantic Coast Line,
and he, Mrs Laughlin and their son
are we'll known in Florence, where
they are highly esteemed and are
very popular.
Mrs. Lauglin was Miss Maude Nor
ris. daughter Of the late w. Baxter
! Morris. and was married to Mr..
Laughlin about eleven years ago at
Florence Lawrence, the little fell
low. is the only child born to this
union. and both father and mother
are devoted TO him. He is well known
and is a manly little fellow and is
a very attractive child.
The electric light people claim that
the storm early Monday morning had
damaged the wires considerably. and
that after daylight they sent out a
Ilineman to look after all lines, during
which time the plant was shut down
AS soon as the lineman reported all
To- X power was again turned on
and it was after this that the wire
parted and fell in Cheeves street.
The Florence Light and Power
Company has been severly censured
because of the condition of their
wires, poles and plant. The Light
Company is not alone in being cen
= sured for numbers and numbers OF