Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-06-07

stricken city. The loss Of life is simply
dreadful. The most conservative people
declare that the number will reach 5000.
The streets have been full of men carrying
bodies to various places, where they await
Identification since morning, and the work
has only begun
SCENES AT THE IDENTIFICATION
OF BODIES.
The work of getting the bodies together
for easy Identification began this afternoon.
A central point was at Morrellville ON Fair
| field, which is a large vacant lot belonging
| to Frank Lacky. At o'clock, this was al
most entirely covered with collins, while
between them and STOPPING over them were
weeping men and women, Although the
number was short of one hundred at 5
o'clock, others will come in, and there is no
! telling what the total will be. In one tough
box was q piece Of paper with the words
''Three children - Tonight they were lifted
out and all three placed in one coffin. The
little bodies were almost naked, and their
purple faces were bruised and cut. Many
of the bodies had not been identified. The
corpse Of Il beautiful young woman lay in an
eXtemporized mOrgue. Several people say
it is that of Miss Ida Fischer, a prominent
young lady of Johnstown. Only few hum
bred Yards below the bridge a number of
bodies had been taken to private houses
| They were taken to the Morrelville morgue
this afternoon.
s'ANY ONE KNOW HER?"
In one rude box lay the body of young
woman. HAny one know her?" called out
a committeeman. A crowd passed the box
but no one called her name. On the face was
beautiful expression of peace. The features
were fine and the clothing elegant. The
only Disagreement was an ugly cut on the
left temple sufficient to cause death.
st. Mary's German Catholic church
stands quarter of mile below the bridge
Its walls are standing, but inside it is filled
with mixed broken benches and ruined
images. In it were found the mangled body
of P. Eldridge and the remains of several
negroes.
The distance to ST. Columbia Catholic
church is a half mile. The streets to it are
filled with broken houses and the people in
those that are left standing, were busy
shovelling mud from the first floors. The
scene at st. Columbia church was awful.
Forty OF fifty bodies had been carried into
it and laid on the muddy seats.
THE WOUNDED BY THE DRIFT.
There were several dispensaries opened
by the physicians from the neighboring
cities, for the treatment of the wounded,
the number of which runs up into the
thousands. Over 800 patients were located
Sunday morning. Among their 800 patients
the doctors have many with fractured
skulls and nearly all have broken bones. One
man had a heavy iron bar driven through
his leg beneath the knee, separating the two
| bones. A thigh amputatiOn was made. A
woman had her knee and the lower part of
her limb crushed out of all shape. Thigh
amputatiOn was necessary. Dr.. Milligan
reported at 6 ?. M. that seventy-six bodies
had been taken out at Kearnsville and
eighty-fve above the silk-Works. Chief
Evans of the Pittsburgh fire department az
rived this evening with engines and several
horse-carts, with full complement of men.
A large number of Pittsburgh physicians
came on the same train. Mr.. Grouse,
proprietor of the South-Fork Fishing Club
Hotel, came to JOhnstoWn this afternoon.
He says that when the dam of the Cone
maugh lake broke the water seemed to leap,
scarcely touching the ground. 1t bounded
down the valley, crashing and roaring, car
rying everything before it. For mile it's
front seemed like solid wall twenty feet
high.
/ LYNCHING THE ROBBERS OF THE
DEAD.
| Just as the shadows began to fall upon
the earth last evening party OF thirteen
Hungarians were noticed stealthily picking
their way along the banks of the Cone
maugh towards Sang Hollow. Suspicious
of their purpose, several farmers armed
themselves and started in pursuit. Soon
their most horrible fears were realized.
The Hungarians were out for plumber.
Lying upon the shore they came upon the
dead and mangled body of a woman upon
whose person there were a number of
trinkets Of jewelry and two diamond rings.
In their eagerness to secure the plumber the
Hungarans got into a squabble, during
which one of the number severed the finger
upon which were the rings and started on
run with his. fearful prize. The revolt
ing nature of the deed so wrought upon
the pursuing farmers, Who by this time
were close at hand, that they gave immediate
chase. Some of the Hungarians showed
fight, but being outnumbered were com
PEELED to flee for their lives. Nine of the
F brutes escaped, but four were literally
> driven into the surging river and to thel1
death. The inhuman monster whose atroc-
!, ious act has been described was among the
number Of involuntary suicides. Another
: incident of even greater moment has Just
been brought to notice. At $50 O'Clock
this morning an old railroader who had
walked from Sang Hollow stepped up to g
! number of men who were cOngregated Oh
: the platform station at Curanville and said
''Gentlemen, had [ a shotgun with me hall
F an hour ago [ would now be a murderer
+ vet with no fear of ever having to suffer fol
: my crime. Two miles below here l watched
8 three men going along the banks stealing
! ieWelry from the bodies of the dead wives
= and daughters of men who have been rob
. bed of all they held dear on earth"
S DETERMINED MEN.
i He had no sooner finished the last sen
I tence than five buTly men, with looks OF