William E. Ackerman, 41, merchant, saved Eugene K., James L., and Joretta Looker, 5, 4 and 3, respectively, from burning, Vernon View, Ohio, August 6, 1938. While the children were sleeping in the ground-floor bedroom of their home, fire broke out in the adjoining room; and heavy smoke extended down to within a foot of the floor of the bedroom. Ackerman ran to the bedroom window; and crawling partly through twice, he groped on the floor and got hold of Eugene and then James, each time he and a boy being pulled out of the window. Holding his breath, Ackerman then crawled entirely into the room. He found Joretta on the floor and got hold of her arm, but the flesh sloughed off. Although he was confused by the heat, he took hold of Joretta’s leg and slid backward about a foot; and he and Joretta were pulled through the window. The children were burned, Joretta seriously; but all recovered. Ackerman’s lungs were inflamed by smoke and heat, and he was fully disabled for eight days but recovered.
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