The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-30
THE SLAUGHTER ON THE ST. PAUL.
Statements of Conductor Searle Indicate that
at Least Twenty Lives We're Lost.

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 29.-Though a mass of
bruises and confined to his bed, conductor Searle.
of the Inflated train that was wrecked and de-
stroyed at Rio, was better to-day. He will re-
cover. This afternoon he talked freely. What
he recalls of the passengers in the coach whose
occupants were cremated, is important as hav-
ing bearing in establishing the minimum num-
Der killed. and in aiding to fix their identity.
He remembers and can describe seventeen peo-
pie, and knows that there were more in the
coach, so it is evident that the fatalities must
have Numbered at least twenty, and probably
more. Among those whom he describes are:
Mrs. G. Scherer, of Winona, her children and
mother-in-law; Mrs. r. Jones; two Sisters of
Charity, bound for Winona; Louis
Brinker and Emil Woltersdorf, of Columbus,
Wis; two women who got on at Chicago one with
achild; Charles Smith, who escaped; an unknown
man of about forty, who boarded the train at
Watertown, and was bound for Mansion, Wis; q
man with ticket for Saltwater, Mimi; three
loggers ticketed for Wausau, probably to 90 to
work in the pineries This list dones not include
q novitiate who accompanied the Catholic Sis
tiers, nor Walter Scott, j. T. Lincoln, Mrs G. NJ.
Dibble. or Mrs Lowry, of Milwaukee. The lat
ter is probably a mistake. as no such person liz
known here. There is little doubg that the three
piuery men, whose presence on the car conductor
Seare recalled for the first time to-day. persisted.
He had left them but a few minutes before,
curled up asleep on the seats. The identity of
the Catholic Sisters was fully established to-
day. Mother Alexia, Superior of a Francis.
can convent at Winona, Mimi, was not
one OF them, as at first reported. The
victims were members OF her convent,
however One was Sister Alphonse, assistant
to Mother Alexia and we'll known in Cathois
circles throughout the Northwest Another
Sister Diouesia. They were accompanied by
Albertine Schmidt, of New Castle, Wis, who
was candidate for orders
A Portage dispatch says: "The work of
identifying the dead is progressing slowly. The
body of a man whose legs and arms had been
burned off, and whose distorted face bore evil
dence of the terrible agony ne had suffered, was
identified as Louis Brinker. The body of Emil
Woltersdorf was found under pile of rods and
trusses His head was burned to a cinder, and
every particle of clothing had been destroyed.
The remains were identifen by ring
found on one of his fingers. The bodies of Sis
ters Alphonse and Dionesia were found close to-
gether One was in a kneeing posture, with
her hands clasped, as though death overlook her
while engaged in prayer The body OF man,
who 10 supposed to be Walter Scott, was removed
from under seat. His name was written on
his collar, which, strange to say, had not been
touched by the flames. As fast as the bodies
were removed from the wreck they were taken
TO the village of Rio, where Coroner Allen and
the district attorney had summoned jury, pre-
paratory to holding an inquest. After the
bodies had been removed from the wreck search
was made for the articles that had been worn or
carried by the victims that might be of service
to show who had persisted. A hatfu, of these
CHASTITY relics were picked up.