DEED OF HEROISM - 1901

SCHUCKLE, VAN VILE

Posted By: cheryl moonen (email)
Date: 12/31/2016 at 17:46:22

Dubuque Daily Herald, June 3, 1901

DEED OF HEROISM
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MAN NAMED SCHUCKLE RESCUES
A CHILD FROM BURNING
BUILDING IN CASCADE
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MOTHER FRANTIC WITH FRIGHT
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Shut Off by Smoke and Flame
From Infant’s Bed – Fire Started
From a Match
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The little two year old daughter of I. A. Van Vile of Cascade was almost burned to death Saturday night. If it had not been for the prompt and heroic work of a man names Schuckle, the little infant and perhaps its mother also would have been burned alive.

The catastrophe happened at 8 o’clock. Mrs. Van Vile had put her two year old child to bed adjoining a closet and was undressing another child. In a moment the room was full of smoke and flame which cut off the mother from the bedroom where the infant lay asleep. Mrs. Van Vile’s anguishing cries stirred the neighborhood and Schuckle ran in haste to the burning building. When told of the peril of the baby he ran through the flames without a moment’s thought and rescued the little one just as the bed clothing was beginning to burn. The baby was quite severely burned about the neck and arms but its injuries are not serious unless blood poisoning sets in. Schuckle’s hand and face are blistered from the ordeal but does not consider these when he remembers that he saved a human life from an awful death.

The house was almost completely destroyed, but the loss is partially covered by insurance. The origin of the fire is unknown but it is thought that Mrs. Van Vile stepped on a match in the closet and this ignited the clothing.