Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-08-04
FORMER LOCAL BOY TERRIBLY
BURNED WHEN GASOLINE
BOMB ExPLooEs
FEARED BOTH LAWLER AND
WIFE ARE FATALLY HURT
Bomb Placed Under Sleeping Porch
Occupied by the LAWYERS, and House
Is Dsstroyed-Lawler's Activities
Against Dynamiters Believed Re-
sponsible For Outrage.

Marshalltown friends of Oscar Law
| ler native son, and remembered oy
many acquaintance here, were shocked
today 70 learn OF the attempt on the
life Of Mr.. Lawler and his family at
Los Angeles early Sunday morning.
gasoleue bomb, exploded under the
sleeping porch occupied by the LAWYERS
resulted in Mr.. and Mrs. LAWYER being
terribly and perhaps fatally burned.
Mr.. Lawler. who Was born in this
city April >. 1875, passed his early boy
hood here. He arose from obscurity
and studied law after he had mastered
shorthand and become a court report
er He became United States district
attorney for the southern district OF
California and his activities in fighting
the cases against the McNanAras, al
legged dyramiters. and other suspects
OF dynamite outrages are presumed TO
have been responsible for the attempt
upon his life.
Mr.. Lawler is a son Of William T.
and Margaret OConror Lawler. the
father being a maChinist in the Iowa
Central shops here. The old home OF
the family was on South Center street
and the family went TO California
about thirty years ago. Before her
marriage. in 1901, Mrs. oscar Lawle-
was Miss Hilda Brode. of Los Angeles
The couple ha. three children. ChaHes.
Jane and Oscar, II.
Story Of Outrage.
w.t. telling OF
the outrage follows:
Los Angeles, Aug. Oscar Lawler.
former assistant United States attor-
ney general for the interior department
was perhaps fatally burned and Mrs.
Lawler was badly burned when their
home was destroyed early today by
what the police believe to have been
a gasolene bomb.
Revenge for the part he played in
| the prosecution of a group Of dyna-
| miters in the middle west, several years
ago, was assigned by the police as the
probable motive.
Physicians appounced tonight that
Mr.. LAWYERS chances for recovery we're
about even. Mrs. Lawler. they said.
| would recover.
| The LAWYER home was large brick
and frame structure in the Fashionable
| Wiltshire district IN the west part OF
! the city.
Flames Enveisp House.
Mr.. and Mrs. LAWYER were sleepins
on a porch in the south side Of the
| house opening from a second floor
| room and screened from the street by
an angle Of the building Miss Bessie
| Mills. a nurse, and Oscar LAWYER Jr..
were sleeping on a screened porch at
! the rear or east end of the house.
When the explosion came a sheet OF
flame rushed up the side Of the house
| directly below the porch occupied by
the LAWYERS and cut off possible escape
| toward the outside.
Mr.. Lawler and his wife went into
| the house and tried TO make their way
| TO the rear porch. where their son was
| with the nurse. They were cut off bv
smoke and flame and Mrs. Lawler
| tainted.
! Saves Painting Wife.
Mr. Lawler took her in his arms,
| CARRYING her thru flames to the front
Of the house and dropped her to an
awning over the front window, whence
| she }piItu ~ lHc SIoNud l3U lAIcA
| leaped after her.
! The young son and the nurse were
rescued from the porch by neghbors.
| Another son and daughter We're away
| from home at the time.
| A thorough Investigation by city.
county, state and federal authorities
| led to the belief tina. the bomb was
placed between two five gallon cans
filled with gaso1ene or some other
highly inflammable liquid.
Two Cans Of Liquid.
! Experts working on the case found
fragments of the bomb sufficient to
reconstruct It. They said it had been
made Of piece of iron pipe abou,
ten inches long and six inches in d.
| ameter.
Two discs OF metal had been placed
as ends, apparently held in place by
two bolts passing thru both ends and
the pipe itself. They also found the
two fve-sailon cans that had con-
tanned the liquid.
The bomb and the cans had been
placed on a concrete walk almost d.
rectly below where the LAWYERS lay
sleeping.
I One of the discs, which the experts
believe to have been an end of. the
4 bomb. was hurled thru thick hedges
and tight board fence and was found
4 imbedded in the brick wall 142 feet
from the point Of the explosion. Shreds
! of metal which fitted to the larger
pieces OF the bomb were found a
thousand feet away.
, Asteel doormat that had been un-
I der the bomb left depression in the
} concrete. '