Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-05-25
TURNED UP ALIVE.
A Man That Was Mourned Dead Ar
riyes in Hazleton o. X.


After being mourned as dead for ten
years Cooney Gomerhart turns up alive
and well, is the interesting information
in the Plum Speaker of Friday last.
Many people still remember the cavein
which occurred-a at the Laurel Hill mine
in 1888 and the consequent settling of
the earth at the east end of Broad street,
when many houses were shaken thereby
and some of them tumbled completely.
The excitement which followed at the
time was intense and number of people
were supposed to have been fatally in
iured. Another incident of the affair
and which was widely advertised at the
time was the disappearance of Cooney
Gomerhart simultaneously with the
crash.
1t was generally believed that he had
been caught in one of the presures and
carried into the mines. Search for the
man was continued in the vicinity of the
caven for sometime afterwards. With
out success however and when it was
given up it was the opinion of all that
Gomerhart was a victim of the crash
and was lying dead somewhere beneath
the surface.
After ten years absence the man
comes back to the surprise of all. The
story of his disappearance and expert
ence since reads like fairy tale.
On the night of the accident he was
an inmate of one of the houses " hich had
collapsed and was partly drawn into the
earth. When the building fell he SEEM
ed to have lost his mind Terrified he
crawled from the debris and without
waiting to learn the fate of his compan-
ions he rushed wildly from the scene.
In the excitement which followed his
disappearance was not noted.
After the people had recovered their
senses and an investigation made,
Gomerhart was found to be missing. A
vigorous search for him was at once insti-
tuted. The house in which he had been
was removed from the hole but no trace
of him was discovered. The crevices in
the earth were thoroughly searched.
The work of examining the holes as far
as practicable was kept up for days.
The theory advanced was that the
man had fallen into one of the cracks
which subsequently closed up. This
was accepted as final. His relatives
were almost frantic with grief and
mourned him as dead. In the mean
time Cooney had left Hazleton far
behind and was travelling westward.
Just where he was found he did not
know until he found himself in an hos
pital in Cincinatta recovering from an
attack of fever.
He then had faint recollection of his
narrow escape from death at Hazleton
and in some way mixed it up with his
being in the hospital. 1t was sometime
after that he learned that he had been
picked up on the streets by policeman
who found him i'll and suffering from
fever.
To recall his experience at home
would be to send cold chills through
him. He resolved to try and forget it.
He left the institution without telling
anyone of it, and did forget it to the ex
tent that he did not communicate with
anyone here and left the circumstances
surrounding his departure mystery as
far as his friends we're concerned.
He travelled westward, remaining only
in each place long enough to earn money
to carry him further away. In this
manner he kept drifting about aimlessly
until he finally settled in North Dakota,
where he has been engaged for the past
five years.
About a month ago his thoughts re-
verted to home. He had overcome the
horror of his experience to such an ex-
tent that he could consider it quietly.
He finally decided to come east, but did
not acquaint anyone with his intention.
He left Dakota ten days ago and arriv-.
ed here yesterday.
His ten years absence made great
change in his appearance. Besides he
had long ago been given up as dead, and
no one knew him as he stepped from the
train here. After inquiring for his
friends he was finally successful in locat-
ing them.
When he arrived at the house of his
parents he was greeted as a stranger.
When he introduced himself they were
half inclined to treat him as an imposter,
but when he made it more plain to them
the greatest surprise was created. His
return was like the resurrection of the
dead, and both his parents wept for joy.
List of Patents.
Among the patents granted to Penn
sylyania inventors last week reDorted