Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-02-16
HORRIBLE AGONY.
Eight Men Bound to the Ground
and Roasted in o Slow But
Very Sure Way.

NSTy ouES "ay.
RICHMOND, Va, February l5.-A hor.
rible holocaust occurred at Jackson
Springs, Moore county, North Carolina,
last night. During the severe storm
which prevailed in that vicinity party
OF men working in turpentine were
encamped in the woods. They
built an inclosure between two
large pines, bracing the crossridge
pole in front between the two trees. AS
they expected to be at work in this spot
for some weeks they made the structure
as substantial as possible, by piling upon
the roof heavy layers OF earth and hick-
ory poles, and keeping the whole secure
by layer OF the heaviest rocks they
could find.
Iu the centre OF the temporary build
ing they built large fire, and after eat
ing their rations they spread blankets
upon the gronnd, and about IL O'Clock
we're sleeping hnddled together around
the fire, which, as the weather was cold,
had been replenished' with fresh logs.
They slept, it is supposed, until about l
O'Clock in the night. The storm was at
its height There were ten men
in the place, all sleeping sound
ly, when, amid the wild howl
ing OF the wind, the horrible trap fell in,
with its mass OF rock and earth roof,
while the sharpened lsths and hickory
billets came down in the greatest hurry,
impaling the mass Of sleeping humanity
underneath, in two instances bayonet-
ing to the earth the wriggling bodies OF
the unfortunate sleepers. The work OF
devastation and death was not com.
plete, for the floor being covered
with beds OF leaves and straw,
and the sides OF the struct-
ure being made with interlaced dry
twigs and leaves, and there being bar
rel of turpentine In the place also, the
whole caught from the fire and soon
transformed the place into a furnace
burning at white heat. The two man.
gled and blistered survivors OF the night
gave thrilling account OF the scene,
and the horrible suffering OF some OF the
un'ortunates.
James Jarrett and VIM. VeI were
sleeping near the floor, and were both
fearfully crushed by the falling mass.
vex succeeded in extricating himself,
although log was across his stomach.
He crawled from among the mass 80
badly hurt and faint that he barely man
aged TO drag himself ten feet from the
place when he lost consciousness, and
when he revived he saw streaks Of
fame shooting up from the pile, and
heard the voice OF Jarrett crying
"Help me, for Gods sake; am roast
ingw When he realized the horror of
the situation he pulled himself by his
hands Zone OF his legs was broken and
he could not walk, to the place, and
succeeded in getting Jarrett out, but
that was all he could de, and his COM
panion was more seriously injured than
himself, one foot being literally roasted
off and his left shoulder dislocated.
The two survivors were too helpless
TO venture near the place again. The
flames shot higher and higher, and they
heard the agonizing shrieks OF two OF
their companions inn rlsoned in the
burning heap OF turpentine, straw,
leaves and wood. Soon the screams
gave way TO groans; then no sound was
heard only the roar OF the flames. In
half an hour aiterward the FIRE had done
its work. The two mems suffsrings
were intense, not only from their inju-
ries, but from the cold. This morning
they we're found and brought to Car
thage.
The blackened skeletons OF six oi
their companions we're found in one
place, and in another corner two half.
roasted bodies were discovered pinned
to the earth by the sharpened lsths OF
pine which had gone through their
bodies. These two men were VIM.
Eyiett and Alex. Gull, the latter about
twenty years old. The names OF the
other six were Robert Sampson, Donald
Eylett, Houston Mortimer, Albert
Rodes, David Meggs and Frank Robins
Jarrett cannot possibly recover.