The Indianapolis journal., 1898-12-15
BRAVE POLICE SERGEANT
RESCUES AN ENTIRE FAMILY FROM
A BURNING BUILDING.
He Happened to Be I'm the NeighbOr-
hood of an Early Morn
ing Fire.


has happened in a year in the city was
the rescue by Sergeant John Corrigan yes
terday morning of ten people from burning
house. The people are the Cline family and
the house is at 9S6 Fayette street. At 2:SO
o'clock yesterday morning Sergeant Corri-
gan was walking down Fayette street when
he heard cries of Help! Help! Two
squares south of where he was he saw a
cloud of smoke puff out into the street and
he began running. When he reached the
house he saw man-A G.. Cimmons-stand-
ing in the yard in his night garments dane
ing barefooted in the snow and crying for
help. With crash the second-story win
dow fell out into the yard and four women
thrust their heads out. They saw Sergeant
Corrigan and held out their arms to him,
screaming, "Oh, for Gods sake save us!'
The whole back part of the house was
ablaze and the flames were working forward
on the roof Corrigan saw that he must act
quickly, but there was no ladder at hand.
He could see the heads of children and men
behind the women and all were crying that
they were burning and implored the sergeant
to save them. The sergeant became despe-
rate, and, his eyes falling on a shutter, he
tore it from it's hinges. He climbed upon the
iron fence just in front of the house and
thrust the shutter up under the window.
The people in the room above were like a
flock of frightened sheep, but one of the
men had his head" sufficiently to take one
of the women and help her out Of the VIM
dow She cutched the shutter tightly, and
by the aid Of the sergeant slid down until
he could catch her in his arms and hand her
to a bystander. Six women found this way
out of the burning house and two children
followed them. Then a neighbor brought
step ladder and the sergeant, standing on
the top of 1t, was just able to take hold OIL
the feet of little baby, who was dangled
out of the window by one or the men ABOVE.
The fire was roaring and cracking all
through the house by this time ana the TWO
men upstairs, were begging the sergeiant ~
their turn came and they hung out OF the
window and, aided by the sergeant, stepped
on to the ladder and down to the gr9unsd, 1sea
night dressed, shivering and terrified fam
lily into his house. The names of the fam
lily are as follows:
Mrs. Lizzie Cline.
Harvey Cline, twenty-five years old.
Ira Cline, twenty-five years old.
Blanch Cline, eighteen years old.
Matte Cline, sixteen years old.
Mrs. Harvey Cline and three children,
Mabel, Grace and Georgia.
Grover Farley fourteen years Old
After all of the family had left the house
the fire department arrived The house was
a double one and the other side was occu-
pied by the Stevens family, which escaped
without trouble. The house was owned by
f. J. Mack and the loss is about 81, 600.
The Cline family was duly demonStratlVe
in it's thanks to the sergeant and after the
women had calmed they told him that they
owed him their lives. Cimmons was d
boarder and had room down stairs lie
was awakened by the fire and ran out OF
the house, leaving the front door OPEN The
wind rushed in and famed the fire like a
bellows. The people upstairs found escape
by way of, the stairway cut oil and they
huddled into the front room. The smoke
struck the window out with his fist. One
of them opened the door, but the fire and
smoke drove him back There was no way
but by the front window, and no means but
to jump-and there were three little chill
dren. Overcome with fright all the thought
and energy of the family was centered in
holding their arms imploringly out to Ser
geant Ccrrigan, when he appeared, and
crying, For Gods sake, save u.s.!
And when it was all over and the fire was
out an old colored man, with his hands
buried in his overcoat pockets, sauntered
up to Sergeant Corrigan and said, serious
ly, They'd all a-ben burned to def if we
hadn't a-ben hyer' The rescue of the
family was the predominating topic of con-
versation about the police station yester-
day, and Corrigan was praised. Il felt like
1 could lift house." he said, while was
helping those people out and hearing their
thought of that little baby dangling in the
air had fit of weakness"
The sergeant visited the family last night
and found the members all well. They re-
newed to him their vows Of eternal graft
tuda.