The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-08-06
n COAL MINE HORROR.
A THRILLING STORY OF BOYS ADyEN-
TURES IN AN ABANDONED MINE.


DUNMoRE, PA, July 27.-Through the
brutality of miner in the employ of the
Pennsylvania coal company, at this place,
a mule boy in the same mine was recently
put to terrible experience in one of the
company's abandoned mines
The miners name is James Barrett.
The boys name is James Gallagher. The
man Barrett, it seems, was in the habit of
abusing the lad in most shameful man
ner, having no apparant cause save mere
personal antipathy. The boy stood in
mortal fear of Barrett. A week or so ago
the latter had been tyrannizing over young
Gallagher with more than usual cruelty,
and finally swore that if he did not quit
his sight at once he would kill him, at the
same time running towards the boy with
his pick raised as if to strike him. Gal
lagher ran screaming away from his perse
cutor, and made directly into the aban-
doned chamber, never stopping to look
where he was, in his fright only thinking
of getting out of the reach of Barrett
After running for some time the boy stop
ped, and for the first time saw that he was
in the worked out mine. Inputting his foot
forward he found no rest for it, and before
he could recover his balance he fell head
long into pit. His head came in contact
with one side of the excavation. He at
tempted to regain his feet, but he was
overcome with a sense of numbness, and
fell back into the slime and ooze that cov-
cred the jagged bottom of the pit. How
long he lay there unconscious the boy did
not know. He came to himself with
knowledge of peculiar pain i'll his fingers
and toes. At first be did not realize where
! he was but the impenetrable darkness and
cold, damp atmosphere soon recalled his
situation. He drew up his hands and feet
to make an effort to rise, when an army of
rats scampered away from about him.
They ran over his body and trailed their
cold, Shiny tails in his face.
When he reached the first cross corridor
he sat down on jutting piece of coal, and
| for the first time found that the rats had
gnawed two of his fingers to .he bone, had
J eaten away the uppers of his shoes and the
/ flesh of his two great toes. He followed
one of the cross corridors snd wandered
! about in the maze of chambers for hours.
+ Once he thought he heard his name called
/ aud lie shouted in reply, only to hear it re-
| pcated for minutes by the echoes.
While wandering about in this way a
! prey to the tortures Of hunger and thirst,
and TO both mental and physical agony, lie
saw a light flash, for an instant, across the
corridors in which he was cropping. 1t was
a long way off, but he knew it was a
miners lamp, and felt that parties were
searching through the deserted chambers
for him. Regardless of the hard, jagged
! floor, the strong walls, the ever accompany
ing throng of rats that kept in his rear or
dangerous pits that might lie ahead of
! him, he ran rapidly towards. where he had
seen the light, shouting until he was
/ hoarse.
! His answer was heard and in few mo-
ments sturdy miners had found the boy.
! But he did not know that lie was rescued.
He had fallen to the ground unconscious
his strength having gone out with his last
wild cry. The people were wild when it
was announced that the boy was found,
and his brave rescuers were borne aloft by
the crowd. 1t was long time before
| young Gallagher was restored to conscious
ness, and then it was only at intervals that
he was in his light mind. In these sane
intervals he related the story of his fearful
sufferings, and learned that he had been
nearly two days and one long night wan
| deling among the horrors of the mine.
The moments in which he was sane be-
came less frequent and finally days passed
without one gleam of reason lighting up
! tue darkness of his mind. The surgeons
found it necessary to amputate one hand
and three toes that had been gnawed by
the rats and to perform other painful oper-
ations to save the boys life. One day last
week his physical condition being such as
to permit it, they decided that he must be
taken to an asylum for mental treatment
and expressed great doubts of his perma-
nent recovery. The brute Barrett, when
the result of his cruelty became known,
was compelled to fly The place in the night
to escape .he fury of the exasperated popu-
/ lace, and personal effects left by him were
burned as an expression of the Indignation
of the people against him.
| A CAUDAB TALE.-Amos Smith is a very
particular Friend, and very much opposed
to all worldly titles; but a certain CORES