The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-15

Death added its terrorS to the dlre
calamity of yesterday morning at Dur
yea. william Law. of West Pittston'
headbookeeper and paymaster Tor
Simpson a. Watkins Babylon colliery,
was seen entering the company's store
soon after the fire was discovered. AT
10 o'clock a. m. his charred and dis
membered trunk was found among the
debris in the cellar That it was the
body of q human being was only rec
ognizable from the fact that the femur
socket of a man is different in forma-
iion to that of any other animal ana
that it was William Law was estab-
lshed from the finding of his keys i'm
close proximity to the spot where the
remains were discovered.
How Law come to he entrappCd will
possibly never be definitely explained,
He was behind i'm his work and re-
manned i'm the Company's Office. which
is i'm the front of the store. until very
late preparing some pay rolls that he
would need to use Saturday. He en-
gagged room in the Pullman house.
which is a little ways up the road and
on the opposite side of the street and
telephoned to his home in PittstOn that
he would not come down until the next
day.
1t is thought that he could not have
been in bed an hour when the fire
broke out. Charles Allen. the head
storekeeper. who lived with his fam
lily over the company store, says that
when he came down he began rafting
the front door to alarm Alex Camp
bell, one of the 'teamsters who slept in
hn ST. l.. n,,Ix-
few moments when Law appeared,
coming across the street.
Law pulled out his keys and mo-
toned with them towards the end Of
the store, where the office frOntcd, in
dicating, as Allen interpreted it. that
he would attend to arousing the team
ster.
Mr.. Allen FASTENED back to the stair
way leading from the outside to his
dwelling apartments, and fighting his
way to hall rack at the landing above
secured some wraps for his wife,
daughter and mOther-in-law. Mrs
Mary BostOck. who were at this time
standing in the doorway in their night
clothes.
FEARS FOR LAW.
When a couple of hours had passed
and no one could remember having
seen Law in the crowd misgivings as
10 his safety We're entertained As
time went on and he did not show up
the alarm increased. At daylight it
was felt for certainty that he never
emerged from the burning building
inquiries were made everywhere. but
no trace of him could be found. When
a ~ h., Hn u
search among the ruins for his body
was begun.
Pumps were put in the cellar and in
an hour the water with which it was
halt hlled was taken out. After a hunt
or an hour among the piles Of charred
llmpers, mounds of cinders and the
mass of unconsumed articles that fell
from the store above, an object that
was supposed to be the trunk of a
man was discovered half protrudinr
from the bed Of cinders that covered
the cellar to a depth of three feet. Dr.
A. j. Baker was summoned, and after
ar examination he pronounced il to
be the trunk of a human being. If
was carried out on blanket and given
in charge of Undertaken Cutler Of
Pittston, who encased it and removed
II TO the grief stricken home i'm West
Pittston.
NO trace of the head, legs or arms
could be found. They were burned ipto
a powder and lost their identity i'm the
debris. The unfortunate mans knys
the same that he held in his hand
when he entered the store, We're found
near by.
The supposition is that when Law
found the teamster had made his es-
cape by the rear door, he turned his
attention to the vault, intending to
save the books and thousand dollars
in coin and small bills, which had been
placed in the safe the night before.
He had opened the vault and secured
the money, and then was overcome bv
smoke or crushed by the timbers Of
the wall nearest the Dill's livery. which
Durst inward early in the conhagration.
Ihe open vault and the finding of some