The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-01-30
Special Dispatch to Wheeling Intelligenoer.
The Stricken Homes.

Special Dispatch to Wheeling Intelligenoer.
The Stricken Homes.
NEwBURG, w. Va, January 23.-
Having heard pitiful stories of the
condition of the families of the dead,
desired to make my own investiga-
ton with a view to basing on the re-
suits more urgent appeal for aid, if
such appeal were justified by the in
quiry. Rev. B. B. Evans. Methodist
| Episcopal minister here, who has
been in the good work of trying to
comfort the comfOrtless since the pit
mouth closed on the fated thirty-nine,
kindly consented to accompany me
on the distressing round. Afterwards
l saw the three blackened bodies that
came out of the pit-a shocking
sight, but / would rather look upon
| three hundred dead than face again
those terrified, shrinking, mourning
women and children.
The first visit made was to Mrs.
Joseph Guy, whom Mr.. Evans had
taken to his home. A woman APP
parently thirty years of age. eyes
blood-shot from two days and nights
of weeping, staggered into the room.
Her tears had ceased flowing, and in
their stead were hysterical sobs. She
sat with her hands pressing her heart,
| as 5iIe : snI on with hf5r story przs-
sing harder and harder as though
there were something there she was
trying to hold in place.
"Six of them are in the pit, sir, six
of them My husband, Joseph Guy,
and his two brothers, Harry and Tom
Guy. Then there's his step-father,
Richard Birtly. and his step-brother,
Nicholas Birtley, and John Dyer is
there too, who married my hus-
bands sister," The grief-crazed wo-
man stopped. as though to hear any
word of hope we had to give; but
there was no hope. "Our men are
all down there, all down there. God
help US all !" The tears began to flow
again and the WOman's stout frame
shook like leaf.
"God will help" said the clergy
man.
Richard Birtley's wife is left with
three small children. John Byer's
wife and Joseph Guys wife have no
children. The family came from the
county of Durham, England, about
five years ago. The women and chill
dren have nobody to turn to here,
and Mrs. Guys desire is to go back
to England, where her mother is liv-
ing. She had not consulted with the
other women of the family, but
thought they would all wish to go,
"if"-she did not complete the SEN
tence. We knew what she meant.
and her heart told her there was no
room for an if.
A steep and narrow lane. now made
almost impossible by ice, leads up to
+A-s home of Newton Moore. The
house is neat little one-stOry cottage
that shows tidy woman's care. A
clean rag carpet covers the floor of the
room in which the visitors were re-
ceived. The room does duty as bed
chamber and sitting room. Some
sympathizing women of the neigh
horhood had come to say what they
could to comfort Mrs. Moore. who
entered the room weeping bitterly. l
felt it necessary. in the presence OF
this grief, to say that had come so
that l might speak of my own knOwl-
edge, and through the newspaper
bring help for the needy. "Of course
we were poor" said Mrs. Moore, tive
had nothing but his work TO depend
on. He did the best he could and we
tried to make our little home COM
Portable. Oh, this is dreadful, dread
full !" The poor woman had failed in
strong effort to control herself. l
asked her if she had father or mother
to aid her. She pointed to little
cottage perhaps hundred feet off,
"Mother lives over there. and Frank
lived with her. Poor little fellow. he
worked in the mine trying to keep
poor mother. She had nobody else,
He's gone too-they're both gone,
and mother and / have nobody. The
Lord help us to bear this. l had
hoped" she sobbed. 81 had hoped
that they would be saved, but what
is the use to hope!' Gone! Gone ~
Frank Moon was Mrs. Moore's broth.
er, and the widow Moon sat at her
] cherries fireside waiting for her how
to come back.
Higher up the mountain side,
trudging over the frozen snow, we
met John Conway, a broken old
man who has been unable to work
for six years. The John Conway
who is in the pit is his son, and Nor
gan Freeman is the old mans SON.
in-law. Young Conway had just