Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-06-07
RoBBING THE DEAD.
Horrible Work of the GhouIs---Their
swift Punishment.

AS III every SUCH CdSe VI great
disaster, men were not wanting so lost TO |
every human instinct as to rob the bodies |
of the dead of their clothing and of such |
valuables as they possessed. Several cases
are reported where the indignant people |
visited swift punishment on these ghouls. |
At Sang Hollow l3 Hungarans were found
plying their horrible trade. Several farm
ers who started in pursuit of them came
upon them just as they were in a quarrel
over the trinkets on the mangled body of
woman, in the midst of which one of them
cut off the woman's finger to secure her
rings. The farmers charged on the robbers,
who showed fight but, being outnumbered,
were compelled to flee for their lives. Nine
of the brutes escaped, but four were lite
rally driven into the surging river and to
their death The monster who cut off the
woman's finger was among the number of
the involuntary suicides.
In another case a report was brought
that three men were rifing dead bodies just
below Sang Hollow. Five determined men
started for the scene at once. On arrival,
surprising the men at their work, they
made them throw up their hands, put ropes
around their necks, and hung them to a
tree on the spot
In another case robber was strung up
and left to die, but was rescued by the by
ISLANDERS.
Ex-Mayor Chalmer Dick of Johnstown
shot a man for robbing a dead woman's
body. Mr.. Dick saw the man go to the
body of a woman and take off several rings.
He shot the man, who fell forward into the
water, and his body was washed away by
the current.
PitifnI sights at the MOrEues.
The work of getting the bodies together
for easy Identification began Sunday after
noon. large vacant lot was almost en-
tirely covered with coffins, while between
them and STOPPING over them we're weep
ing men and women. In one rough box
was piece of paper with the words 'Three
children" They were lifted out and all
three placed in one coffin. The little bodies
were almost naked and the purple faces
bruised and cut. Many of the bodies had
not been identified The corpse of beau
tiful young woman lay in the extemporized
morgue. Several people say it is that of
Miss Ida Fischer, a prominent young wom-
an of Johnstown. The body of another
handsome young woman was exposed in
rude box. ANY one know her {" called
out committeeman. A crowd passed the
box but no one called her name. The fea-
lures were fine and the clothing elegant.
The only Disagreement was an ugly cut on
the left temple sufficient to cause death.
How the Flood Started.
| Mr. Grouse, proprietor of the South Fork
fishing club hotel, says that when the dam
of Conemaugh broke the water seemed to
leap, scarcely touching the ground. 1t
bounded down the valley crashing and
roaring, carrying everything before it. For
a mile its front seemed like a solid wall, 20
feet high. The warning given the stricken
city was sent from South Fork village by
Freight Agent Dechert. When the great
wall that held the body of water began to
crumble at the top he sent a message beg
| ging the people of Johnstown, for Gods
sake, to take to the hills. Richard Davis
ran to Prospect Hill when the water rose.
AS to Mr., Dechert's message, he says just
such have been sent down at each flood
since the lake was made. The warning so
often proved useless that little attention
was paid to it this time 81 cannot de-
scribe the mad rush, he said ''at first it
looked like dust. That must have been the
spray. | could see houses going down be-
fore it like child's play-blocks set on edge
in row. As it came nearer | could see
houses totter for a moment, then rise and
the next moment be crushed like egg shells
against each other"
At Woodvale there was a row of brick
tenement houses 120 feet long and three
stories high. 1t stood broadside to the cur
rent. A few tenants fled, but many went
to their attics to watch the flood. Today
scarcely the foundation of the row of brick
houses can be found, and of the towns
population of 1900 souls barely half dozen
have been accounted for.
Afraid of the Dam.
While it is said on the one hand that the
railroad officials gave the people in the val
ley ample warning of danger which they
did not heed, it appears on the other hand
that there had long been distrust of the
safety of the big dam. "We were afraid
of that lake." said a gentleman who had
lived in Johnstown for years. "We were
afraid of it seven years ago. No one could
see the immense height to which that artifi-
cial dam had been built without fearing the
tremendous power of the water behind it.
The dam must have had a sheer height OF
100 feet, thus forcing the water that high
above its natural bed and making lake at
least three miles long and mile wide out
of what could scarcely be called pond.
doubt il there is a man or woman in Johns
town who at some time or other had not
, feared and spoken of the terrible disaster
that has now come. People wondered and
, asked why the dam was not strengthened
as it certainly had become weak, but moth
ing was done, and by and by they talked
less and less about it as nothing happened
though now and then some would shake
their heads as if conscious the fearful day
, would come some time when their worst
fears would be transcended by the horror
p of actual occurrence"
, There has grown up bitter feeling among
the surviving sufferers against those who
/ owned the lake and dam, and damage suits
will be plentiful by and by
{ some of the Buildings Destroyed n
. JOhnHtOwn.
\ The handsome brick high school building
+ is damaged to such an extent that it vii
t have to be rebuilt. The water alta ined thu
b, height of the window sis of the secOnC
. floor. Its upper stories formed refuge fol
d many persons Morrill, institute, beauti
e full building and the old homestead Of tn
T. Morrill, family, is totally ruined. Man!
e families took refuge in this building AM
r were saved. Now that the water has reced
l. ed there is great danger from falling walls
Q All day long the crashing of walls could b'
o heard across the river. Library hall wa
d another of the fine buildings of the many II
d the city destroyed. OF the Episcopal churcl
y not vestige remains. The parsonage wa
70 swept away and the rector of the church
n Rev. Mr. Dillon, was drowned. The churcl
% was one of the first buildings 10 fall. |
J. carried with it several of the surrounding