The Portland daily press., 1897-10-20
BROKE HIS NECK.
Michael COnley Found Dead in New
Y. nj. G. A. Building.

He Entered the Building for Some Un.
known Purpose and When Found Was
Lying on the Cellar Bottom Dead,
man named Michael Conley who il
employed at the tannery and lives with
his brother Thomas Conley on Sumner
street fell off staging into the cellar
of the new Y. M. G. A. building about
half past nine last night and broke his
neck. He laid in the cellar over an
hour before the police were informed OF
the accident by the mans brother. Drs.
King, Lord and Pudor were on hand as
soon as the police arrived at the spot and
after making an examination decided that
the mans death had been instantaneous,
as his neck had been broken in the fall
of ten feet into the cellar
Michael Conley and Thomas Foley were
together last night and at 20 minutes
past nine o clock were coming up High
street together. On the corner of High
and Congress streets the new Y. M. q. A.
building is being erected. The High
street side of tho building is very dark
and the sidewalk is piled up with all
manner of lumber and building material.
A door opens into the building from this
side. The first floor not being completed
a few planks are laid on the beams into
the building and these form a very treach-
erous and dangerous pathway. 1t is as
the black pit itself in this doorway, as
not ray of light penetrates the interior
of the building.
Ten feet below these p1anks is tho bot
tom of the cellar which is strewn with
broken pieces of granite. Conley, accord
ing to the story of the man Foley, who
was with him, started across the street
towards this door way. Why he entered
the building Foley did not say and did
not seem to know. He claimed that
neither Conley or himself had been drink
ing during the evening. Foley after Con-
ley had gone through this door way
waited outside for, him minute. After
a second he heard the dull thud of a
falling body inside and rushed to the
doorway to listen. There was not a
sound to be heard. He called to his COM
panion, but got no response to his cries.
Some men who were passing at the time
came across the street and joined Foley
in his search for the missing man, but
he was not found.
The dead mans brother, Thomas L.
Conley lives on Summer street. Michael
lived with him and here Foley hurried 10
tell Thomas of his brothers disappear.
ance in the Y. M. G. A. building. Thorn.
ets CoHlSy uurfieu up 10 Ghe new DulluiHR
and thereby the aid of a match, found q
rickety ladder leading down into the
BOTTOM of the ce' lar. Nearly an hour had
elapsed since Foley had seen Conley
enter the door way, and Thomas was not
surprised when he found his brother lying
at the bottom of the cellar with his eyes
staring upwards and his heart stilled in
death. Conley and those who were with
him scrambled out of the cellar and ran
to Williamson's drug store and tele-
phoned the police station for assistance.
The patrol wagon with Turnkey Emery
and two officers hurried to the spot.
There they found Conley as he had fallen,
his head resting against the stone wall
of the cellar and his neck broken.
Coroner Rich was sent for and took
the body to Thomas Conley's home on
Summer street. The coroner examined
Foley, who told the story as given above
What Conley entered the cellar door for
and bow he came to fall into the cellar
no one knows.
A coroner's inquest will be held
some time today.
CoDley is said to have been a very quiet
and hard working young man. He was
not married