The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-28
MESSAGES FROM THE DEAD
Showing How Braveiy Imprisoned Miner
Can Die

| Showing How Braveiy Imprisoned Miners
Can Die
Scranton, Pa, Nov. Pillow do men
feel when about to die-rot after being
wasted and weakened by disease, nor
when the blood IS heated by the strife
of battle, Gout when they see inevitable
death approaching them and know that
| in a certain number of minutes it will
seize them? There was colhery disas-
| ter at one of the Scranton mines recent
| ly, and one OF it's ten victims seems 10
! have demonstrated how miner can face
! the certain approach Of death, for with
| fortitude he wrote with steady hand in
MS grmy notebook words Of consolation,
advice and cheer to his wife and child
rem UP to the moment the hand of death
was upon him, and MS message from a
living tomb was ended with a quivering
scrawl The question is answered by the
most remarkable record preserved by an
old Lackawanna miner, native Of Sax
cny. BY the disaster, which was at a
colliery in Saxony, many miners lost
their lives. OF those wlfo were not kill
ed outright by the explosion, but Were
preserved for the more terrible death of
suffocation one wrote messages to their
friends. None of the messages reveals
bitterness against the fate that the
men could not avert. The old Lacka-
wanna miner is a survivor of that cas-
ualty, and has copies of these messages
which were found in notebooks and on
scraps Of paper on the bodies of the
doomed men when E1ey were at last re-
covered. There is a strange pathos in
some of the lines scrowlei by these
h-besieged men in the gloom Of their
narrow prison. a youth, JanetZ, had
pinned to his coat leaf from his note
book. on which We're written these last
words to his sweetheart:
Darling Rika: My last thought twas
Of thee. Thy name shall be the last
word my lips shall utter. Farewell"
Lying next to young Janetz a miner
named Moretz was found. On a paper
in mis- cap was written:
"Janetz has just died. Reiche is dy-
ing and says: Tell my family 1 leave
them with Cod Farewell. dear wife.
Farewell, dear children. May God keep
you,''
The miner Reiche. wllen his body vas
found, clu;ched in his graii a scrap Of
paper On il was written:
Dear Sister: Meyer in the village
owes me ten dollars 1t is youds. 1 hope
my face will not Goe distorted when they
find Us. 1 might have been better TO
you Goodbye"
The absence of all selishness is ap-
parent in all the messages. MY dear
relatives" wDote the miner Schmidt, !
while seeing death before mel remen-
Der you. Farewell until We meet again |
in happiness"
The miners who died OF suffocation had
evidently been driven from one place OF |
refuge 20 another, acconding to tie eTstry |
IN the notebook of one namel Bahr.
This Is the last place We have taken |
refuge" It read II have given UP all !
hope. because the ventilation has been /
destroyed in three separate places May |
God take me and relatives and dear |
friends who must die Win me, as well I
as our families. under His direction"
Dear wife wrote Moller. take good /
care os Mary. IN a book in the bed |
room You Will find 1hzler. Farewell. /
dear mother, til We NEE; again"
Mary was re miners only caili, 'who !
"<1S OlL4ld- - -Ai4--i -i11-ia1- = S11-A-- 49,
TO his brother, who was a miner, bur d2d /
been unable 20 work thsh day;
Thank God fo- his geodness brother. |
Thou art safe
''Ne more toll in darkness wrote |
Fre.tch Kind wife. rear or un5o-n |
babe 20 fear God Bless thee, FARE 4
weG.''
There are other messages breathing 4
the same spirit. The uniform ssraia OF i