# Daniel Sullivan, of No. 134 DeKoven street, drayman with a wooden leg -- "the man who rescued a burning calf"
# Testimony before the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners, session of Saturday 25 Nov. 1871 (day 3), as reported in the Chicago Tribune of 1871-11-26, page 1
# Source: Library of Congress, Chronicling America (lccn sn82014064): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82014064/1871-11-26/ed-1/?sp=1 ; OCR text https://tile.loc.gov/text-services/word-coordinates-service?segment=/service/ndnp/dlc/batch_dlc_clark_ver03/data/sn82014064/no_reel/1871112601/0001.xml&format=alto_xml&full_text=1
# Page-OCR lines 135-197; uncorrected OCR; written 2026-09-14T06:29:58Z.
# STATUS: NEWSPAPER REPORT (reported speech with some direct quotation) -- not the stenographic transcript. Bales: Inquiry vol. [1], pp. 259-72.

mm DA.SIEL SULLIVAN,
t sß if No. 134 DeKoven street, was in Leary’s house
SB about 8 o’clock in tbo evening, and remained
there about one hour. Leary, and all his young
once,” cxctqit two, were in bed. Ho asked the
M old woman why she went to bed so early, and
.1 «hes:Ud sbo didn’t fed well. While ho was there
ia Leary tola the two children who were up to go to
!J. Be left the house, and, while on the op
site side of the street, at twenty or tweuty-flvo
uutes past 9 o’clock, he saw tiro in Leary’s
ru. He r*n across the street as fast as he could
ic bos a wooden leg—aud crisdout Firtj” as
id as he could, which was very loud,
he has strong lungs. He cu
red the barn. intending to cut
e ropes with which the cows were tied. He cut
•o ox them loose, but as they did not seem lu
ntd to leave, and the lire was increasing, ho
uught he lud better depart. As ho was making
r the door, his wooden leg went between two
ards, and ho half fell over, catching himself on
sound leg. He caught hold of tho wall ami
died himself out, and just then saw a calf with
tope around Its neck. The hair on its back
its on lire, and when he caught hold of the ropo
ja’i’pcd six feet into the all*. Ho pulled it out
Use bam; and, when ho reached the yard, he
oked back and felt like a whipped dog,” be
ans he hadn't saved the cows. Leary’s uou»o
as, by this lime, on lire, and amannamedltagiu
us e along and shoved m iho door, and awoke
ur inmates. Leary came to the door, and
ratched his head as if there was a foot of lice
it.” IHs wife came out also, and clapped her
:uds for grief on account of her cows being
.nu d up. The fire appeared to be on the right
:ic of the barn [where, Leary said thu shavings
>n* kept—KEi’.J Ho did not notice any one
iviug McLaughlin’* house. If any oue had
:i he would have seen him. Ills mother kept a
<w. cud he frequently went to Leary’s baru to
teed; and thus knew how the cows were tied.
had never nutced sliavlngs on the right
vla-ii.e of the baru. Wood and shavings were
vjupt in the shed adjoining the baru. There
no lire iu the shed when ho got there.
-HJiiite a time elapfcd before the engines arrived—
£rr«m ten to intern minutes. There was any
quantity of shavings in llio houses of tbeßoho
I f.mians in the vicinity. The barn uoor was open.
I* The lire did not spread very rapidly. Two barns
Mk wci«* on lire when the engines came. There
'W might huve been more, but ho was positive two
jr were burning. The Leary barn was 10x20 feet
*jE mid 14 feet high. There was a vacant aUvd,front-
B inu- on the alley, opposite Leary's bam, in which
9 tl;c bays of the neighborhood were in the habit
B ot congregating, in front of It, facing Tavlor
P .Muet.was u vacant house, which, ho understood,
v.;;* often occupied by vagrants and loafers os a
fj iTtxlging-place. The alley between the shed and
-rLarn was about twelve feet wide.