Ada Frances Gibbens, eight years old child who was burned Friday afternoon when her clothing was ignited from a bonfire, died Saturday morning about 4 o'clock in St. Mary's hospital.
Ada was playing with a group of five neighbor children in a yard neighboring that of her parents on Brush College road directly across from the Number One school house. The mother of one of the neighbor children had been cleaning up the yard and had burned some leaves and other debris collected from winter. The fire apparently had died out. Suddenly the children, who had formed a little group about the fire, broke and ran for their homes. There was no screaming, the neighbor woman said. Even the child who was burned did not cry out. She looked up and saw the child running toward her house and thought that she was going home from play. The neighbor woman was within 25 feet of the child at the time her clothing was ignited and might have saved her had she known Ada was on fire.
Instead of calling for help, however, the child ran for her house in through the front door and into the kitchen where her mother was at work. The child's running and the March wind had by this time fanned the flames until her entire body was enveloped in burning clothing. The mother tore her apron from herself and wrapped it around the burning child, smothering the fire with it and beating out the flames with her bare hands. Her hands and arms were severly burned and the double shock of the tragedy and receiving the severe burn make her condition grave.
Moran's ambulance was called to the Gibben's home and the child and mother were taken to the St. Mary's hospital.
Ada Frances Gibbens was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Gibbens of rural route five, Decatur. She was born on Oct. 14, 1921, in Decatur. She had been attending Brush College school No. 1, where she was in the third grade. She also attended the East Park Baptist Sunday school.
She leaves her parents, two brothers and a sister: Harold, 16, Arthur E. Jr., 11 and Virginia Ruth, 13. Services will be Monday afternoon in the Moran chapel. Burial will be in Long Creek cemetery.
Decatur, IL Herald March 23, 1930 p25
Ada was playing with a group of five neighbor children in a yard neighboring that of her parents on Brush College road directly across from the Number One school house. The mother of one of the neighbor children had been cleaning up the yard and had burned some leaves and other debris collected from winter. The fire apparently had died out. Suddenly the children, who had formed a little group about the fire, broke and ran for their homes. There was no screaming, the neighbor woman said. Even the child who was burned did not cry out. She looked up and saw the child running toward her house and thought that she was going home from play. The neighbor woman was within 25 feet of the child at the time her clothing was ignited and might have saved her had she known Ada was on fire.
Instead of calling for help, however, the child ran for her house in through the front door and into the kitchen where her mother was at work. The child's running and the March wind had by this time fanned the flames until her entire body was enveloped in burning clothing. The mother tore her apron from herself and wrapped it around the burning child, smothering the fire with it and beating out the flames with her bare hands. Her hands and arms were severly burned and the double shock of the tragedy and receiving the severe burn make her condition grave.
Moran's ambulance was called to the Gibben's home and the child and mother were taken to the St. Mary's hospital.
Ada Frances Gibbens was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Gibbens of rural route five, Decatur. She was born on Oct. 14, 1921, in Decatur. She had been attending Brush College school No. 1, where she was in the third grade. She also attended the East Park Baptist Sunday school.
She leaves her parents, two brothers and a sister: Harold, 16, Arthur E. Jr., 11 and Virginia Ruth, 13. Services will be Monday afternoon in the Moran chapel. Burial will be in Long Creek cemetery.
Decatur, IL Herald March 23, 1930 p25
Ada Frances Gibbens, eight years old child who was burned Friday afternoon when her clothing was ignited from a bonfire, died Saturday morning about 4 o'clock in St. Mary's hospital.
Ada was playing with a group of five neighbor children in a yard neighboring that of her parents on Brush College road directly across from the Number One school house. The mother of one of the neighbor children had been cleaning up the yard and had burned some leaves and other debris collected from winter. The fire apparently had died out. Suddenly the children, who had formed a little group about the fire, broke and ran for their homes. There was no screaming, the neighbor woman said. Even the child who was burned did not cry out. She looked up and saw the child running toward her house and thought that she was going home from play. The neighbor woman was within 25 feet of the child at the time her clothing was ignited and might have saved her had she known Ada was on fire.
Instead of calling for help, however, the child ran for her house in through the front door and into the kitchen where her mother was at work. The child's running and the March wind had by this time fanned the flames until her entire body was enveloped in burning clothing. The mother tore her apron from herself and wrapped it around the burning child, smothering the fire with it and beating out the flames with her bare hands. Her hands and arms were severly burned and the double shock of the tragedy and receiving the severe burn make her condition grave.
Moran's ambulance was called to the Gibben's home and the child and mother were taken to the St. Mary's hospital.
Ada Frances Gibbens was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Gibbens of rural route five, Decatur. She was born on Oct. 14, 1921, in Decatur. She had been attending Brush College school No. 1, where she was in the third grade. She also attended the East Park Baptist Sunday school.
She leaves her parents, two brothers and a sister: Harold, 16, Arthur E. Jr., 11 and Virginia Ruth, 13. Services will be Monday afternoon in the Moran chapel. Burial will be in Long Creek cemetery.
Decatur, IL Herald March 23, 1930 p25
Ada was playing with a group of five neighbor children in a yard neighboring that of her parents on Brush College road directly across from the Number One school house. The mother of one of the neighbor children had been cleaning up the yard and had burned some leaves and other debris collected from winter. The fire apparently had died out. Suddenly the children, who had formed a little group about the fire, broke and ran for their homes. There was no screaming, the neighbor woman said. Even the child who was burned did not cry out. She looked up and saw the child running toward her house and thought that she was going home from play. The neighbor woman was within 25 feet of the child at the time her clothing was ignited and might have saved her had she known Ada was on fire.
Instead of calling for help, however, the child ran for her house in through the front door and into the kitchen where her mother was at work. The child's running and the March wind had by this time fanned the flames until her entire body was enveloped in burning clothing. The mother tore her apron from herself and wrapped it around the burning child, smothering the fire with it and beating out the flames with her bare hands. Her hands and arms were severly burned and the double shock of the tragedy and receiving the severe burn make her condition grave.
Moran's ambulance was called to the Gibben's home and the child and mother were taken to the St. Mary's hospital.
Ada Frances Gibbens was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Gibbens of rural route five, Decatur. She was born on Oct. 14, 1921, in Decatur. She had been attending Brush College school No. 1, where she was in the third grade. She also attended the East Park Baptist Sunday school.
She leaves her parents, two brothers and a sister: Harold, 16, Arthur E. Jr., 11 and Virginia Ruth, 13. Services will be Monday afternoon in the Moran chapel. Burial will be in Long Creek cemetery.
Decatur, IL Herald March 23, 1930 p25
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