, 1875-08-01
A COAL-MlNE HORROR.
Thrilling Story Of a Mule-Boy's AdVen-
tures in an Abandoned Mine.
The Light Of Reason Put 0nt---A Flight
from Cruelty to an Encounter
with Rats.
Ken Fmk HkT4ld.

! Coal Company ut this place mule boy 10 the
same mine was recently put to 10 terrible an ex-
| perieDce in one Of the Compauy's abandoned
mines that he has become, it il feared, hopeless
~ insane, and has been bent to the lnnAtio asy~
lum in DAuville, Montour County.
| The miners name is James Barrett. The boy
| is son OF . poor widow, and although but "a
years Of age, contributed largely to her support.
| His name ia James Gallagher. The man Bar
| 1ett, it seems, was is in the habit Of abusing
| the lad IN most shameful manner, having no
| apparent cause awe \ mere personal antipathy.
The boy stood in mortal fear OF Barrett.
week or go ago the latter had been tyrannizing
over young Gallagher with more than
usual cruelty. and finally swore that
it,, no :. dd and pot 1 gut lin bis ths asht a,s ss
/ time running toward tue boy with his PICK
raised ss II to strike him. Gallagher ran scream
ing away from bis persecutor, aud made directly
into the abandoned chamber never stopping to
look where he was, in his fright only thinking OF
getting out OF the reach OF Barrett. Alter run
ming for come time the boy stopped and for tho
first saw that he WAS in . worked-out mine.
Even then terror Of his cruel tasknaker was
uppermost in his mind, and it WAS hot until the
ittio mine lamp On his cap began to grow dim
and finally went entirely out that he awoke to
the honor Of his situation.
TIE ABANDONED MINE.
II there ia chamber Of horrors anywhere in
the world it is coal mine that has been worked
out and deserted It's labyrinth ct silent corr-
dors responds to the least sound with the most
demoniacal echoes, and nox1ous gases generate
in the pools Of s}imy wafer that exudes from the
walls and drips down upon the slippery floor
Pitfalls filed with water that accumulates with
ont interruption abound in these noisome
balls, and myriads of hungry rats, bold
and even aggressive, haunt these deso-
late chambers hundreds Of feet below the
earth's surface, and over all the most Oppressive
darkness. There ls no darkness like that in a
mine. It is so dense aud heavy that one feels
ite weight upon him as ii he were beneath
fathoms OF water, and the eye does not become
accustomed to its pail sufficiently to penetrate it
in tue slightest degree. On evurv side tho cots
heard, and the noise Of rats. which frequently
displace soma loose bowlder Of coal as they
acauper over it, and send it tumbilng to the
hoor anaking thousand horrid echoes and
sending them reVerbersting through the deserted
chambers.
s'HE1p! HE1pl"
It was into such place as this that young
Gallagher found himself, without light. alone,
and entirely ignorant OF the way out His first
thought WAS 10 shout aloud for help but the
doris and yelling back to him his cry, PROLONGED
and multiplied hundred times, as il so many
iends were mocking his distrs ss so frightened
the boy that he could not gather courage to re-
peat the cry, and ho commenced crop
rection hs thought most likely would lead
to the entrance OF the mine. He tad proceeded
some distance along the sllmy wall, when GER
tain difficulty Of breathiug and choking scnsa-
t,on warned him that ha was trespasBlng where
that greatest Of all terrors to the minor, fire
damp, prevailed, aud he hastily retraced his
steps with the intuition OF turning into the first
corridor be came to. It MAS loug time before
lie reached one. Il turned off to the night and
k.tt~ 4 Rz
hour feeling his way along ono side OF it aud
being careful not turn into any Of the
corridors crossing 1t, 60 that he might not be-
come confused IL circumstances compelled him
to again 1etrace his steps- Suddenly, in putting
his foot forward, he found no rest for it, and
before he could recover his balance he fell head
long Tito pit. HIS head came in contact with
one side Of the excavation. He attempted to
regain bis feet, but he was overcome Nth =
sense OF numbness and fell back into
tom OF the pik How long he lay there nncon-
scious the boy did not know. He came to
himself NTH = knowledge .of q peculiar pain
in bis fingers aud toea. Al first he did not
darkness AID cold. damp atmosphere 5000 re-
called his situation. He drew mp his hands and
feat to make an effort to arse. when an army Of
rats soampered away from about him They rau
in his face He sprang up With = shrek Of
terror that again stated the blood-curdling
echoes through the chamber.
ATTACKED BIZ RATS
From the feeling OF bis hands and feeot GAL
aguer knew that the rats had been gnawing at
his flesh, bus he did not stop to make any in
vestigatiou until he escaped from the nit aud
was again On his way back to the place from
whence he had started To get out Of the pit
ho found no easy task. Twice he clambered up
and as many times fell back to the bottom The
third time trying was successful and
be drew himself out e1haasted and
faintng. he lay down on the floor Of the corri-
to proceed, and then gathered himself up and
hurried away from the spot whlch Was 70 full Of
terrors to him. When he raached the first cross
corridor he sat down on jutt!ng pieca Of coal
and Tor the first time found that the rats bad
gnawed two OF his 6ngers tn the bone and had
eaten away the uppers OF his shoes and the
flesh Of hls two great toes. He had often heard
old miuers rotate over their lunch in the dismal
chamber the experience OF men lost in
mines and attacked by rats and now the reality
of tn. ling nearly oyercame him with its hor-
ror, anu LIE almost Bwooned at the thought Of
what he had passed through, and what he might
yet be doomed to experience. To add to the ter
r,ble situation Of the poor lad, hunger began to
make itself manifest and the tortures OF thirst
we're beginning to atflict him. AZ waa the case
With the Ancient Mariner, there waa
Water, water everywhere,
But not drop to drink.
From the 1aet t0at ne Raa growing so hungry
aud thirsty Gallagher Judged that be had been =
long time in the mine. Up to this time he had
been confident that he would be able to find his
way out Of the old mine IN the course Of a fen
hours, bus now hope seemed to be leaving him.
He coniu1ed up pictures OF his mother waiting
for him to come home at night, OF her anxiety
at his tardiuess, and then her uncomfortable
grief ct the news Of his loss. Then his mind
dwelt on the horrors OF q death by starvation or
su1ocation in the mine, and the s,ckening
Thought that be was followed by horde Of
ravenous rats that wero ready to mako food of
him eYen before ho was dead. These thoughts
almost drove him crazy, and he aroused himself,
determined to make another ,afYort to escape
from the nina. He followed one OF the cross
corridors and wandered about in tl,a maze Of
ch1mLern for hours- Once be thought he heard
hla name cai!ed and he shouted in reply, only to
he1r it repeated for many minutes by ths damon
echoes.
THE LIGHT or THE BEARCHERs.
While wandering about in this way, prey to
the tor,uEas Of hunger and thirst, and to both
mental and physical agony, he SAW = light f1aah
for IN instant ac1oss the corridors in which be
was cropping. Il was \ long way Oh. but he knew
it was miners limp, and felt thai parties
were searching through the deserted chambers
fnr him HeparGIaH9 of ,thn hard iArYai Hnpr