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Posted by Carol M. Bonds A condensed version of the article is below. Murder, insanity, arson, or destiny –one, two, perhaps all wiped out two families early Sunday morning when the home of Ernest Lawrence was burned to the ground and eleven charred bodies picked up from the glowing embers of a log and box cabin. Lawrence and Drew were brothers-in-law, having married Ola and Lora Riley....each Saturday night it was the habit of the family to spend the night with the other and both men being musicians....generally known that the men were the best of friends.... Picked up from the ashes were a pistol, shot gun, two rifles, two bladed axe, and oil can.... led the coroner jury to write foul play in their verdict after examining a dozen witnesses. Four of the pistol balls had been exploded by the plunger.... Talking to the first witness to arrive on the scene who stated the front doors and windows were open, the house would have had to catch fire from the front and burn back. Logs burn slowly and the probability is that someone would have escaped in a slow fire and that the wind was blowing too strong in the south windows for suffocation of all eleven of them to have been effected....Sheriff McCain and Chief of Police Roy Hamlet are of the opinion that....presumely Ernest Lawrence....suddenly insane and ran amuck, either killing members of the family or scattering coal oil over the house or both and touching off the fire....Eleven bodies....were buried this afternoon at Maplewood cemetery at 2 o’clock. All eleven of the bodies were placed in the same casket.
on 6/1/2006, 12:47 am
While doing research on the Lawrence family at Kentucky Historical Society's Library, I found an article about eleven people who died in a 1921 Graves County fire. Since I live in Graves County and one of the deceased was Ernest Lawrence, my curiosity was peaked. I returned home, found the original article dated 1921, and re-typed it. Though I don't expect the mystery to be solved, I am very curious about Ernest Lawrence. I would appreciate any information about him and/or his background.
The Daily Times, Mayfield, Kentucky
The dead are: Ernest Lawrence, aged 35 years; his wife Ora; Fred Lawrence,son age 5; Ethelyn Lawrence, age 4; Ralph Lawrence, age 11 months; Otis Drew, age 26; Lora Drew, his wife, age 23; Harry Drew, 4; Otis Jr., 5; a three month old baby [Madine] and Delma Drew, nephew of Otis Drew.
Deepest mystery surrounds the burning of eleven people who were sleeping in two front rooms of the house. Neighbors, some of whom had been to a picnic discovered the fire about midnight Saturday night....One of them scaled an evergreen tree in front of the house and peered down through the smoke screen through the top of the door....said he recognized the form of Ernest Lawrence....Another witness stated screams of women and children followed rapidly by six or seven shots.
Two of the bodies recovered were identified as Mrs. Lawrence and a young baby; the balance of the bodies were charred beyond all recognition and were literally....picked up in parts....The charred form of a youth, presumably....Delma Drew, fourteen years old, was found near the front door heaped up in what looked to be a crouching position. It is presumed he discovered the fire or in some manner was trying to crawl to the door when overcome or met with foul play. What had been a bed contained the bodies of a woman and two small children. The remains of one man was found lying face upward in front of the fireplace and another man was found where the other room had been lying nearly in a corner.
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