Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1915 — FATHER OF J. J. LAWLER SUFFOCATED BY FIRE. [ARTICLE]

FATHER OF J. J. LAWLER SUFFOCATED BY FIRE.

Well Known Stock Dealer Is Also Injured in Jumping From Burn- I ing Home in Chicago Monday Night. The fine, home of J. J.: Lawler, the well known Chicago stock dealer, was quite badly damaged by fire Monday night and his aged father, who with Jack’s two sisters lived with him, was suffocated in the blaze. J. J. l.awler owns several thousand acres of land about Rensselaer and over„ the line in Newton county, and is a familiar figure in this city. His local superintendent, Mr. Jas. E. Walter, talked with Mr. Lawler’s secretary, oyer the long distance ’phone yesterday morning, and the latter stated that the newspaper accounts of the fire were somewhat inaccurate, in that Jack had no brother living, etc. The funeral of Jack’s father will be held tomorrow morning. The old gentleman was 85 years of age.

As we take it, the house was perhaps damaged more b"y smoke and water than by the, fire itself. The following account is taken from yesterday's Chicago Herald: Michael O. Lawler, a pioneer live stock commission man, was killed last night by suffocation in a fire in his residence at 3619 Indiana avenue. , His son, John J. Lawler, was burned severely in an attempt to rescue his father, who was 82 years old and an invalid. Mr. Lawler was in a bedroom on the second floor when the- fire was discovered. His younger son ran to turn in an alarm and two daughters escaped to the street. One, Miss Anna Lawler, jumped from a window and was injured, The rest of the family were pn the ground floor. The elder son, who is a commission merchant at the stockyards, ran up to his father’s bedroom and took the helpless old man in his arms. The son staggered to the front of the house instead of escaping by the rear staircase, in his confusion, because of the smoke. The front stairway was shut off by the flames and he made his way into the front room. His clothing had caught Are and he burned his hands in beating out the fire. When he was almost overcome by the smoke he realized efforts to save his father were useless. He placed the old man on the floor and leaped from a window. He was bruised by the fall. Firemen raised a ladder to the window when they arrived and carried out Mr. Lawler’s body. He is believed to have been suffocated while in his son’s arms. 6 The cause of the fire was not learned. The damage is about $5,000.