Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1901 — Mike Lawler Exonerated. [ARTICLE]

Mike Lawler Exonerated.

The Sterling Girl Committed Suicide* Mike Lawler was very speedily exonerated from any complicity in the death of Elizabeth Sterling, in Chicago. The following is from Wednesday's Chicago Tribune. “At the Coroner’s inquest in the case of Miss Elizabeth Steiling who died on Monday morning at 263 Twenty-ninth street under w bat were considerated suspicious circumstances, the jury decided yesterday afternoon that she came to her death from the effects of carbolic acid taken with suicidal intent. Michael Lawler of the commission firm of Lawler Bros., at the Stock* Yards, who had visited the rooming-house with Miss Sterling the previous Friday night, and Mrs. Mattie Harris, the lessee of the flat, were both exonerated. Douglas Sterling, a brother of the woman, testified that his sister had been of a melancholy disposition for a considerable period. Mrs. Harris told of the case. “I heard some one moaning in the hallway,” she said.' “It was Miss Sterling, I dragged her into the kitchen. We sent for Dr. Bennett, who treated her until she died.” Dr. Bennett corroborated Mrs. Harris’ statement. The detectives told how their attention had been called to the case and stated their belief that it was suicide. The Deputy Coroner read the report of the Coroner’s physician, showing that Miss Sterling bad died as the result of carbolic acid poisoning.” And to the above we may add, from information received from Delos Thompson, the Rensselaer partner of the Lawler Brothers, that the statement in Tuesday’s Chicago American, that Mike was under arrest, was false. He was not arrested at all, under no duress further than that he was notified by the police to be on hand when the inquest was held. Mike further totally denies having made any such statement to the American as appeared over his name, to the effect that he tried to have the girl buried ’ secretly. Instead of that he informed her family of her condition and they were present at her death.