Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 219, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1917 — LACY ALTER BADLY BURNED [ARTICLE]

LACY ALTER BADLY BURNED

WHEN MOTORCYCLE CAUGHT FlkE SUNDAY—LEAKING GASOLINE CAUSE. Lacy Alter, 18 year old son of Lewis Alter, is lying in the county hsopital suffering from severe burns which he received While riding on his motorcycle Sunday afternoon about 3 o’clock. His right limn is blistered form the knee on down and while he will have to remain in the hospital for several days, it is not thought that the use of the limb will be impaired in any way. Except for the action of Joe Pullin, Alter would have undoubtedly burned to death. Alter, Th company with Pullin, started out for a ride on the machine early Sunday afternoon. Mr. Pullin noted before they started out that the gasoline tank was leaking and asked Alter if it was not rather dangerous riding with the motorcycle in that condition, but the latter remarked that he thought it would not make any difference and he had been riding it that way for some time. However, Alter said he could fix it and rubbed some soap over the hole in the tank. Alter and Pullin were riding along the Francesville road near the C. P. Moody farm and were just turning a corner when they met an automobile. The occupants of the automobile yelled at them and told them their machine was on fire. Pullin .looked down and discovered that not only was the machine on fire but Alter as well. When the machine was stopped Alter started to run, but was caught bv Mr. Pullin and thrown down. The latter tried to put out the fire with dust, but as they were on a gravel road he could not secure enough of it to put out the flames. He then took Alter to a ditch at the side of the road, in order to get protection from —the wind. Whipping his pockfetknife from his pocket he finally succeeded in cutting off one of the legs of Alter’s overalls, but had considerable difficulty as the latter made frantic efforts to get loose and run. At this point a family by the name of Robinson came by and the flames mobile robe. It was found that Alter were finally smothered with an auto was pretty badly burned and he was immediately taken to the hospital. The gas tank on the motorcycle exploded and the machine is almost a complete wreck. This is the second motorcycle that Mr. Alter has had destroyed by fire. Only a short time ago a shed on the Alter farm caught on fire, burning up two automobiles, and it seems as if the familv is having more than their share of trouble in this line. As for Mr. Pullin, he states that the ride Sunday was his first and last on a motorcycle.