The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-08-13
4 STRANGE HORROR.
tour Men suffocated To Death In "a Foul
Nault-The Most Curious of Accidents.
From the 81 Iouie Renublican

Four Men suhocated To Death In "a Fou
Nauit-rhe Most Curious of Accidents.
from the st. Louis Republican,
Some time since Thomas Donohue,
living on the east side of Benton, be
tween Marceau and Clay streets, WAS no
titled to abate nuisance consisting of a
full privy vault. To effect this he mad a
new vault dug beside the old one, about
twenty-five feet in depth and five feet
across. He had stated his intention to
move the contents from the old to the
new vault, and then have the old one
cleaned. Had he done this the fatal
catastrophe would not have occurred.
Instead of so doing, however, he CON
cluded to save the expense by draining
the contents of the old vault into the
other, and had intended to do the work
during last night. For some reason,
however, he changed lis mind, and went
down in the new vault yesterday after
noon about o'clock to tap the wall. He
had no sooner made an opening III the
brick wall than deadly volume OF gas,
always present in outhouses, rushed
through the aperture. A single inhala-
ton was sufficient to paralyze his
strength. Almost in an instant his hold
on the ladder locsened and he fell to the
bottom of the pit II corpse. A young
man named Charles Prunty, boarder at
Donohoe's house, soon afterward re-
marked that Donohue WAS gone long
time, and went to see what was the mat
ter. On looking down he saw the life
less form lying half buried in filth at the
foot of the ladder. He shouted an
alarm to several others who were within
hearing, and then rushed heedlessly
down the ladder, probably thinking to
extricate the body before life should be-
come extinct. Those who had heard his
call and seen him hurriedly enter the
vault, ran Immediately to the place, but
when they arrived, could hear no answer
TO their anxious inquiries as to what was
the trouble. Peering into the depths of
the horrid pit they could discover the
two bodies lying together at the bottom.
No doubt the second man had been over
come by the foul air as soon as he arrived
opposite where the wall had been tap
ped, and had persisted instantly. BY
this time quite n crowd had collected,
and among them was a young man
named James Henry. He, not supposing
the men dead, and seeing the necessity
for instant action, prepared to descend
TO their assistance. With greater pru-
dence than the one who had preceded
him, he tied a rope about his waist and
arranged that at given signal those
above were to draw him out. This
agreed upon he went down to save, if
possible, the helpless men beneath. He
went steadily down for some distance,
then suddenly changed his action, hes
itated, halted and tossed his arms as
signal to be drawn out. An instant he
hung suspended in the air, and it seemed
to those who were Watching him from
above, that a deadly pallor had over
spread his face. Strong arms tugged at
the rope, and the daring man, perhaps
already dead, had commenced to ascend,
when an unforeseen calamity occurred.
The rope, which in the excitement of the
moment had been insecurity fastened,
slipped from about his waist and the
body fell with dull thud, TO lie with
those who had gone before.
The men looked aghast at this terrible
mishap. What WAS to be done The
question was soon answered. Another
young man, Joseph Schlicktig, volun-
teered to make the descent, and was
foolishly allowed to do so. The sicken-
ing details can bespared. In few short
minutes fourth victim was added to
the number, and the tale of horror was
closed. A police officer went to the sta
ton, obtained hooks, and amidst the
most profound sorrow on the part of all
there assembled, the lifeless bodies were
one by one drawn out upon the ground.
The men who lost their lives by tins
unparalleled accident exhibited qualities
embodying a strange combination of
courage and rashness. The incident
will, perhaps, serve as a warning to those
who are thrown by any circumstances
into a similar danger.