WILLIE M'LAUGHLIN--HERO
Among those who displayed heroism in the Iroquois Theater fire Willie McLaughlin, son of Rev. Dr. William P. McLaughlin, pastor of First Methodist Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America. Willie was a student in the sophomore class of Ohio Wesleyan University. He had come to Chicago to attend the wedding of his cousin, the daughter of Rev. Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus. He had spent Tuesday night with the family of Rev. A. W. Greenman, presiding-elder of the South America Conference, who reside in Evanston. He returned to Chicago Wednesday morning, went to the home of his aunt, Mrs. Gunsaulus, and after attending to several errands for her, said he would go down town for a whiled, and see the city. Central Church, of which his uncle was pastor, had leased the auditorium of the Iroquois Theater for its Sunday morning service, and the first service was to have been held last Sunday.
Walking around the down-town district of the city Willie passed the theater, the striking entrance to which attracted his attention. He recalled the fact that this was the place in which his uncle was to begin holding services the next Sunday, and, out of curiosity, he entered. He found standing-room in the extreme end of one of the galleries. When the fire broke out he was near the entrance to the rear fire escape. The calcimined, who threw the ladder across the space between the fire-escape and the Northwestern University building, states that young McLaughlin could have been the first to escape, but that he refused to go, and assisted in the escape of seventeen women and children. the flames then came rushing through the doorway, his clothing caught fire and he was severely burned. He was taken into Northwestern University and laid in a room in which were a number of others severely injured. When the physicians reached him, they found his face scorched terribly, his hair burned entirely off, his hands burned almost to a crisp, his legs and body scorched, and he was injured internally. Suffering as he was, he begged the doctors to attend to the women and children around him, who were shrieking in their agony.
To a reporter who reached him soon after he was rescued, he told who he was, and said feebly: "Tell Dr. Gunsaulus where I am, please, as soon as possible, and to hurry up the ambulance, because I know that I am going to die. I never can get over this. I am nearly burned up, and somehow or other, I feel my life is going out. I want to go to the Presbyterian Hospital. If there is any chance at all, I will be contented there."
Willie McLaughlin was a hero as truly as anyone whose name has ever found a place in the pages of heroic history!
--The Epworth Herald, Volume 14
Sorrow Invades Gunsaulus Home.
Sorrow reigns in the residence of Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, 2618 Prairie avenue. William McLaughlin, 19 years old, a nephew of Mrs. Gunsaulus, was one of those severely burned. He was taken to the Presbyterian hospital, where the attending physicians entertain no hopes of his recovery.
Mr. McLaughlin's home is in Buenos Ayres. He is a member of the sophomore class of the Ohio Wesleyan university at Delaware, O., and was spending his holiday vacation at the Gunsaulus home. He was to have witnessed the marriage of Miss Martha Gunsaulus to Henry Hamilton Schueler, which takes place at the Prairie avenue residence this evening. Owing to his condition all invitations have been recalled and at the wedding only the immediate relatives and friends will be present.
--Chicago Tribune, 31 Dec 1903, pg. 5 (part of a longer article about the fire)
Mr. McLaughlin died at 9:30 that night.
Son of Dr. William P. McLaughlin and Mary R. Long. Brother of Mary Keen McLaughlin [married Henry R. Storer] and Grace McLaughlin [m. William Field].
Buried with the Gunsaulus family.
Among those who displayed heroism in the Iroquois Theater fire Willie McLaughlin, son of Rev. Dr. William P. McLaughlin, pastor of First Methodist Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America. Willie was a student in the sophomore class of Ohio Wesleyan University. He had come to Chicago to attend the wedding of his cousin, the daughter of Rev. Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus. He had spent Tuesday night with the family of Rev. A. W. Greenman, presiding-elder of the South America Conference, who reside in Evanston. He returned to Chicago Wednesday morning, went to the home of his aunt, Mrs. Gunsaulus, and after attending to several errands for her, said he would go down town for a whiled, and see the city. Central Church, of which his uncle was pastor, had leased the auditorium of the Iroquois Theater for its Sunday morning service, and the first service was to have been held last Sunday.
Walking around the down-town district of the city Willie passed the theater, the striking entrance to which attracted his attention. He recalled the fact that this was the place in which his uncle was to begin holding services the next Sunday, and, out of curiosity, he entered. He found standing-room in the extreme end of one of the galleries. When the fire broke out he was near the entrance to the rear fire escape. The calcimined, who threw the ladder across the space between the fire-escape and the Northwestern University building, states that young McLaughlin could have been the first to escape, but that he refused to go, and assisted in the escape of seventeen women and children. the flames then came rushing through the doorway, his clothing caught fire and he was severely burned. He was taken into Northwestern University and laid in a room in which were a number of others severely injured. When the physicians reached him, they found his face scorched terribly, his hair burned entirely off, his hands burned almost to a crisp, his legs and body scorched, and he was injured internally. Suffering as he was, he begged the doctors to attend to the women and children around him, who were shrieking in their agony.
To a reporter who reached him soon after he was rescued, he told who he was, and said feebly: "Tell Dr. Gunsaulus where I am, please, as soon as possible, and to hurry up the ambulance, because I know that I am going to die. I never can get over this. I am nearly burned up, and somehow or other, I feel my life is going out. I want to go to the Presbyterian Hospital. If there is any chance at all, I will be contented there."
Willie McLaughlin was a hero as truly as anyone whose name has ever found a place in the pages of heroic history!
--The Epworth Herald, Volume 14
Sorrow Invades Gunsaulus Home.
Sorrow reigns in the residence of Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, 2618 Prairie avenue. William McLaughlin, 19 years old, a nephew of Mrs. Gunsaulus, was one of those severely burned. He was taken to the Presbyterian hospital, where the attending physicians entertain no hopes of his recovery.
Mr. McLaughlin's home is in Buenos Ayres. He is a member of the sophomore class of the Ohio Wesleyan university at Delaware, O., and was spending his holiday vacation at the Gunsaulus home. He was to have witnessed the marriage of Miss Martha Gunsaulus to Henry Hamilton Schueler, which takes place at the Prairie avenue residence this evening. Owing to his condition all invitations have been recalled and at the wedding only the immediate relatives and friends will be present.
--Chicago Tribune, 31 Dec 1903, pg. 5 (part of a longer article about the fire)
Mr. McLaughlin died at 9:30 that night.
Son of Dr. William P. McLaughlin and Mary R. Long. Brother of Mary Keen McLaughlin [married Henry R. Storer] and Grace McLaughlin [m. William Field].
Buried with the Gunsaulus family.
WILLIE M'LAUGHLIN--HERO
Among those who displayed heroism in the Iroquois Theater fire Willie McLaughlin, son of Rev. Dr. William P. McLaughlin, pastor of First Methodist Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America. Willie was a student in the sophomore class of Ohio Wesleyan University. He had come to Chicago to attend the wedding of his cousin, the daughter of Rev. Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus. He had spent Tuesday night with the family of Rev. A. W. Greenman, presiding-elder of the South America Conference, who reside in Evanston. He returned to Chicago Wednesday morning, went to the home of his aunt, Mrs. Gunsaulus, and after attending to several errands for her, said he would go down town for a whiled, and see the city. Central Church, of which his uncle was pastor, had leased the auditorium of the Iroquois Theater for its Sunday morning service, and the first service was to have been held last Sunday.
Walking around the down-town district of the city Willie passed the theater, the striking entrance to which attracted his attention. He recalled the fact that this was the place in which his uncle was to begin holding services the next Sunday, and, out of curiosity, he entered. He found standing-room in the extreme end of one of the galleries. When the fire broke out he was near the entrance to the rear fire escape. The calcimined, who threw the ladder across the space between the fire-escape and the Northwestern University building, states that young McLaughlin could have been the first to escape, but that he refused to go, and assisted in the escape of seventeen women and children. the flames then came rushing through the doorway, his clothing caught fire and he was severely burned. He was taken into Northwestern University and laid in a room in which were a number of others severely injured. When the physicians reached him, they found his face scorched terribly, his hair burned entirely off, his hands burned almost to a crisp, his legs and body scorched, and he was injured internally. Suffering as he was, he begged the doctors to attend to the women and children around him, who were shrieking in their agony.
To a reporter who reached him soon after he was rescued, he told who he was, and said feebly: "Tell Dr. Gunsaulus where I am, please, as soon as possible, and to hurry up the ambulance, because I know that I am going to die. I never can get over this. I am nearly burned up, and somehow or other, I feel my life is going out. I want to go to the Presbyterian Hospital. If there is any chance at all, I will be contented there."
Willie McLaughlin was a hero as truly as anyone whose name has ever found a place in the pages of heroic history!
--The Epworth Herald, Volume 14
Sorrow Invades Gunsaulus Home.
Sorrow reigns in the residence of Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, 2618 Prairie avenue. William McLaughlin, 19 years old, a nephew of Mrs. Gunsaulus, was one of those severely burned. He was taken to the Presbyterian hospital, where the attending physicians entertain no hopes of his recovery.
Mr. McLaughlin's home is in Buenos Ayres. He is a member of the sophomore class of the Ohio Wesleyan university at Delaware, O., and was spending his holiday vacation at the Gunsaulus home. He was to have witnessed the marriage of Miss Martha Gunsaulus to Henry Hamilton Schueler, which takes place at the Prairie avenue residence this evening. Owing to his condition all invitations have been recalled and at the wedding only the immediate relatives and friends will be present.
--Chicago Tribune, 31 Dec 1903, pg. 5 (part of a longer article about the fire)
Mr. McLaughlin died at 9:30 that night.
Son of Dr. William P. McLaughlin and Mary R. Long. Brother of Mary Keen McLaughlin [married Henry R. Storer] and Grace McLaughlin [m. William Field].
Buried with the Gunsaulus family.
Among those who displayed heroism in the Iroquois Theater fire Willie McLaughlin, son of Rev. Dr. William P. McLaughlin, pastor of First Methodist Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America. Willie was a student in the sophomore class of Ohio Wesleyan University. He had come to Chicago to attend the wedding of his cousin, the daughter of Rev. Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus. He had spent Tuesday night with the family of Rev. A. W. Greenman, presiding-elder of the South America Conference, who reside in Evanston. He returned to Chicago Wednesday morning, went to the home of his aunt, Mrs. Gunsaulus, and after attending to several errands for her, said he would go down town for a whiled, and see the city. Central Church, of which his uncle was pastor, had leased the auditorium of the Iroquois Theater for its Sunday morning service, and the first service was to have been held last Sunday.
Walking around the down-town district of the city Willie passed the theater, the striking entrance to which attracted his attention. He recalled the fact that this was the place in which his uncle was to begin holding services the next Sunday, and, out of curiosity, he entered. He found standing-room in the extreme end of one of the galleries. When the fire broke out he was near the entrance to the rear fire escape. The calcimined, who threw the ladder across the space between the fire-escape and the Northwestern University building, states that young McLaughlin could have been the first to escape, but that he refused to go, and assisted in the escape of seventeen women and children. the flames then came rushing through the doorway, his clothing caught fire and he was severely burned. He was taken into Northwestern University and laid in a room in which were a number of others severely injured. When the physicians reached him, they found his face scorched terribly, his hair burned entirely off, his hands burned almost to a crisp, his legs and body scorched, and he was injured internally. Suffering as he was, he begged the doctors to attend to the women and children around him, who were shrieking in their agony.
To a reporter who reached him soon after he was rescued, he told who he was, and said feebly: "Tell Dr. Gunsaulus where I am, please, as soon as possible, and to hurry up the ambulance, because I know that I am going to die. I never can get over this. I am nearly burned up, and somehow or other, I feel my life is going out. I want to go to the Presbyterian Hospital. If there is any chance at all, I will be contented there."
Willie McLaughlin was a hero as truly as anyone whose name has ever found a place in the pages of heroic history!
--The Epworth Herald, Volume 14
Sorrow Invades Gunsaulus Home.
Sorrow reigns in the residence of Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, 2618 Prairie avenue. William McLaughlin, 19 years old, a nephew of Mrs. Gunsaulus, was one of those severely burned. He was taken to the Presbyterian hospital, where the attending physicians entertain no hopes of his recovery.
Mr. McLaughlin's home is in Buenos Ayres. He is a member of the sophomore class of the Ohio Wesleyan university at Delaware, O., and was spending his holiday vacation at the Gunsaulus home. He was to have witnessed the marriage of Miss Martha Gunsaulus to Henry Hamilton Schueler, which takes place at the Prairie avenue residence this evening. Owing to his condition all invitations have been recalled and at the wedding only the immediate relatives and friends will be present.
--Chicago Tribune, 31 Dec 1903, pg. 5 (part of a longer article about the fire)
Mr. McLaughlin died at 9:30 that night.
Son of Dr. William P. McLaughlin and Mary R. Long. Brother of Mary Keen McLaughlin [married Henry R. Storer] and Grace McLaughlin [m. William Field].
Buried with the Gunsaulus family.
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