The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-10-17
Faithful Dogs.

FREMONT IS thriving town, located
about twenty miles from this place, and
has been, since last Sunday, greatly
exercised regarding the strange disap-
pearance of Samuel Snyder. Search
was made for the missing man on Sum-
day night and Monday. but with no re-
suit. Yesterday the excitement in and
about Fremont was intense. This
morning it was allayed by the finding
of Snyder's body at half-past nine
O'Clock. and under very peculiar cir
cumstances. Mr.. Eichler, brother
in law of Snyder. searched the sur
rounding country yesterday with a
large party, accompanied by two dogs.
The dogs belonged to Snyder and were
fond of him. During the search the
dogs disappeared. Last night an effort
was made to find them, but to no pur-
pose. This morning Mr.. George Hart
Ter and others again took the trail at
an early hour, and about half-past nine
o'clock they found themselves in the
vicinity of an air-hole, located about
half mile from Fremont. 1t was no.
ticed that the ground in the immediate
neighborhood of the air-hole was great
ly disturbed, and that the leaves had
been stripped from several bushes
which grew near the brink. The air.
hole measured three feet in diameter at
the opening. The party gathered
around the spot and listened intently
for any sounds of distress. In the
course of few minutes distinct groans
were heard. Something is at the
BOTTOM" exclaimed one of the party.
1t was at once determined to explore
the opening. A rope was produced,
and two of the party having volunteered
to descend were fastened to it and
lowered. The rope was found to be
too short to reach the bottom. A
larger one was obtained, and at length
the volunteers reached the bottom.
They were surprised to find at their
feet the two dogs that so mysteriously
disappeared the day previous. The
exploring party were somewhat afraid
of the dogs, which had been without
food for more than twenty-four hours,
but there was nothing to fear, as the
animals manifested the utmost Joy at
the sight of familiar faces. The mo-
ment the dogs recognized the new
COMCIS CuCy AcC1CdCCus tuu Wucu az Jill
seen were lying on the dead body of
Snyder, who lay face downward, with
the head partly covered with dirt. The
dogs looked wistfully at the exploring
party and howled mournfully as Sny-
der's body was moved. The animals
were very much attached to their dead
master, and it is supposed that when
with the searching party yesterday they
struck the trail and followed it even to
the bottom of the air-hole. The latter
is $50 feet deep; for about thirty feet it
is perpendicular, and then pitches at
an angle of 60 deg. to the bottom.
With considerable trouble the body of
Snyder was brought to the surface.
The two dogs were also hoisted up.
A post mortem examination was
made this afterdoon by DIR. G. Y. HEIR,
who found a deep cut on the back of
the left ear, an incision on the fore
head, and many bruises upon different
parts OF the body. Snyder's right ell
bow was also dislocated. j. w. Fie-
bach, Deputy Coroner, held an inquest
this afternoon. The jury rendered a
verdict to the effect that deceased had
come to his death from accidentally
falling down an air-hole in the old
Eckels Tunnel, Fremont Township
Pottsville (Pa.) Dispatch to N. Y. Herald.