The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-12-17
ENTOMBED ALIVE.
A Horrible Tale of Twelve Years
Solitary Confinement in the Wilder
ness.

A strange and horrible tale comes to US,
in the Allentown Chronicle, OF man I'M
prisoned on the Blue Mountain In that sec
ton. within four brick walls about seven
or eight feet high, bricked over the top and
enclosing a space of six feet square, with
ont either door or window. The discovery
Of his whereabouts was accidentally made
by Mr.. Edward Powell while out hunt
Ing. He says the man bricked up in that
monumental coffin, and who suffers death
in life, is named Levi Handwerk, and that
he has been imprisoned at that place for
twelve years. 1t seems the father OF Hand
werk died and left his son 81 600. He was
lunatic, subject to fits of ungovernable
rage, thereby endangering the lives OF
those about him. The mother Of Hand
werk married second time and it was then
that Levi was consigned to this dungeon
violent, raTfh2 mailman. Here, if the
details of this horrible story be true, he
has wollowed in filth, his food passed
through the small aperture made by leaV-
ing out a brick in the wall, exposed to the
severity of the winter weather, crying,
shrieking and yelling, when the storms
have swept over the mountain, and max
inc night hideous with his frantic cries.
1t seems incredible impossible Yet, Mr..
Powell is sure Of the brick dungeon and its
inmate, and gives the story of the prisoner
as it was given to him by the neighbors-
some Of whom say that the last time he was
! seen he was perfectly nude, and his body
/ covered with long hair from head to foot.
The motive for his confinement is that
he is not safe to be at large, and ''if he had
been sent to a lunatic asylum, the $4,000
would have been appropriated by the State
to keep him.
Certainly, this story demands investiga-
ton. 1t is dreadful, indeed, for a man to
be deprived of reason-but to be bricked
up in the woods, to be forever removed
f from every influence that might possibly
soften his great affliction, to be left like a
o beast IN filth, to be perpetually in darkness
and in solitude-it is fate so horrible that
humanity shudders at the thought Of it.
and we cannot but hope that the story here
: related and made known through Mr.
Powell may be exaggerated, if not untrue
d Mr. Powell, however, positively asserts
:. that the man is there and confined IS de
e scribed
Il On Monday Mr. Edward Powell, Of AL
u lentown, the gentleman who first dlscov
cred Handwerk's situation, accompanied BY
tCoroner Moser, Messrs. George Hersh and
d. II. Nothstein, proceeded to the place IL
. Washington township, and were led by
. Mr.. Powell to the mysterious structure
= The building is situated, it is said, about
q Zone hundred yards from where his pa
: rents (?) reside, and when the Allentown
o party arrived, constable from Slatingtor
< and another gentleman were preparing K
remove Handwerk The strong iron bar!
were taken down by the constable and th'
v party entered. The sight that met then
: eyes IS simply indescribable. Lying On ;
: patch OF fine straw, in nude state, eovereC
! with thick crust Of dirt from head t
,f foot, was a human being, the stencil aris
. ing from the bed Of filth being intolerable
. The pen in which he was confined is foul
o feet square, made of brick, lined with rough
. pine boards. When the party entered
! Handwerk was laying in a, crouehed posi-
Il tion, and it was only with assistance tha
" he could stand on his feet, his limbs bcins
y paralyzed They carried him to hi
# mothers house, and after washing anc
clothing him he was taken by the constable
= to Slatington. A permit was procured 70
. lis admission into the Lehigh Count,
" Aims House, in which institution he vii
receive better and more humane treatmen
: than heretofo.,e. When brought to tn
: : light of day, he looked wistfully arOun
: and occasionally mu tered incoherenAy
: He rubbed his eyes vigorously, which wer
! almost concealed by dirt, an although hi
e sayings were unintclligible, it was notice
= that his countenance beamed witt JOY
h having secured liberty after so long c. nine
is ment 1t is alleged that years ago he Va
= in his right mind, as records kept wher
e he sold game to other parties testify o
! business transactions which were by n,
e means conducted by an insane person.