Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-09

OF death was upon him, and his message
from a living tomb was ended with Z
quavering scrawl. The question: y I'll ~
swered also by most remark, "a ''s :, :, !
cord preserved by an old LAckawhn,in '
miner. a native Of saxony. BY the dis
aster. which was at q colliery In Saxony,
many miners lost their lives. VI those
who were not killed outrignt py ,ne 81,
plosion, but were preserved for tne mot },
terrible death OF suffocation. some wrote
messages TO their friends. None OF me
messages reveal bitterness against the
fate that the men gould not avert ne
old Lackawanna miner Is a survivor VI
that casualty, and has copies or tnoss
and on scraps Of paper on the Douies
Of the doomed men when they We're az az.
last recovered. There Is q strange patnos
in some OF the lines scrawled by ines ).
death-besieged men in the gloom OF 'ne,i
narrow prison. youth, Janesz, nau h p.,i
on which were written these last words
TO his sweetheart: .,
"Darling Rika: My last thought was OF
thee. Thy name shall be the iast "oia
my lips shall speak. Farewell
Lying next to Janetz miner nameu
Moretz was found. On paper In nus
cap was written:
"Janetz has Just died. Reiche Is dying
and says: Tell my family l leave mem
with Cod Farewell. dear wife. fare
well. dear children. May God keep your
The. miner Reiche. when his pody was
found. clutched In his hand scrap oi
paper On IL was written:
Dear Sister: Meyer In the vIiiage OWES ,,,s
me ten thalers. 1t Is yours. 1 hope my
face will not be distorted when they ma
US. / might have been better 10 you
Good-by."
The absence of all selfishness, Is appa-
tiyes." wrote the miner Schmidt, while
seeing death before me / remember you.
Farewell until we meet again In happi-
ness"
evidently been driven from one place Oh
refuge TO another, according to the en-
try In the notebook OF one named Banr.
This Is the last place where we nave
taken refuge" IL read. Il nave 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 with me. as well as
Dear Wife" wrote Moller, take good
care of Mary In book in the bedroom
YOU will find a thaler. Farewell, dear
mother, till we meet again. ns
was blind. A miner named Jaehn wrote
to his brother. who was miner, but had
been unable to work that DAY: ...
-, Thank God for His goodness brother
no more toll in darkness" wrote
Freitch. kind wife, rear our unborn
babe to fear God. Bless thee! Farewell!
There are other messages breathing lne
same spirit The uniform strain of piety
running through them all Is explained by
the custodian of the records. The miners
of Saxony are reared I'm strict religious
school, On entering mine they peuuon
Heaven for protection through the day,
and on leaving 1t at night they return
thanks to God for guarding them and
bringing them safely through the dangers
Of their toll.
III never head the simple messages of
those doomed miners without wet eyes,
said me old Lackawanna miner. Il can
picture TO myself the scene or the rougn-
handed but soft-hearted men spending
their last moments, not in raging against
fate, nor in wild cries for, mercy and
screams of remorse, but in writing these
farewell messages to their loved ones,
who were even then bewailing tnem as
dead