Waxahachie Daily Light, Waxahachie, Texas, Tuesday, December 24, 1912

Front page story "Woman Sustains Fearful Burns"

Mrs. Gann Burned In A Frightful Manner At Home Near Maypearl

HER RECOVERY DOUBTFUL

Heroic Work of W. F. Fonden Saved Woman From Being Burned to Death In House

Alone in the house with two small grandchildren, and with the nearest neighbors residing beyond the reach of her screams for help, Mrs. Gann, aged about fifty or sixty years, was so frightfully burned Monday morning about ten o'clock that her recovery is extremely doubtful. The horrible accident occured at the home of Mrs. Gann, about two and a half miles south of Maypearl.

That the woman was not burned to death, the house destroyed and the two small children who were with her seriously injured, if not incinerated in the building, was no doubt due to the timely arrival and heroic work of W. F. Fonden, a cattle buyer for W. F. Billups, a well known marketman of Waxahachie. Mr. Fonden lives in Maypearl and buys in that part of the county for Mr. Billups.

About 10 o'clock Monday morning, while passing the Gann residence, he was attracted by a reflection of flames through the window, and in a moment he was startled into activity by the shrill scream of a woman for help. Dismounting and rushing into the house he found Mrs. Gann almost completely enveloped in flames. Mr. Fonden began tearing away the woman's clothing and attempted to smother the flames with a couple of quilts. Every vestige of clothing was torn from the woman and thrown with the quilts into the yard, where they were entirely consumed. Mrs. Gann was horribly burned from about the shoulders down to her feet. Physicians were summoned as quickly as Mr. Fonden could reach them. The injuries of the woman were given prompt attention, and while she was reported as resting easily Tuesday morning, little hope is held out for her recovery.

The clothing of Mrs. Gann caught from the grate and blazed up so rapidly that she was powerless to extinguish the flames. The grandchildren with her at the time were about four and six years old. Mr. Gann was in Maypearl ready to go on a trip to Fort Worth when he was apprised of the terrible accident to his wife.