The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-10
PLACED In ICE
s-.,;. WHILE ALIVE
Dead Miners Friends Accuse Ashland
Hospital Authorities Of Cruelty.
CLAIM THAT BODY WAS WARM
Afiidavits Made That when the Sup
posed Corpse Reached Home the
Toes Twitched--Dr. Biddie Denies
the story.

Shamokin, Jan. 9.-The residents OF
Excelsior. a small mining village near
here, are greatly excited. They de-
clare that Lucas Homiak, an injured
mine worker. was shipped to his home
In an ice box before life had really
left the unfortunate mans body. John
GlOwa, postmaster at Excelsior, and
Daniel Fodorchak. aud zacharias Hor-
oszak, went before Squire Kearney to-
day and made affidavit that they be-
lieve Homiak was still alive when the
icehox was opened at his late home
and Glowa adds that he saw Homiak' 3
toes twitch violently. that his body
was still warm and that he could feel
the moisture of the supposed dead
mans breathing on his hands. This
affidavit was sent to Coroner Shindle.
of Sunbury, who arrived in town last
evening, and has already started an in
vestigation into the mystery.
Lucas Homiak, aged 30 years, u har-
dy Russian mine worker at Excelsior.
While working in the colliery there,
Tuesday afternoon. was buried beneath
a heavy fal of coal and was removed
TO the Miners hospital, at Ashland, on
the evening train. His right arm was
left leg was horribly crushed below the
knee, but amputations could not be-
made on account of his critical condi-
tion. The hospital authorities report
that Homiaks pulse was fot below 140
at am time, after his arrival there.
and he sinking rapidly Wednesday
morning when his wife called and was
ellowed to see him.
Shortly after midday, however. Mrs.
Honiak was informed that her hus-
band was dead and she decided to
bring his remains home with her that
afternoon. The body was watched for
a half hour, then washed. placed in an
iCeboN and hauled to the Ashland sta
tion, where II stood a full hour. wait.
ing the arrival of the train that car
ried it to Excelsior, distance of twen-
~ miles. Friends of the dead man
carried the box to the Homiak home
where il was placed in the center of
the parlOr. where Jacob Lowerchok re-
moved the lid and created sensation
by declaring that the man was still
alive. A dozen other Russians passed
forward and now unite in decla ring
that LowerchOk and Postmaster GlONa
are right i'm their terrible assertions.
ICE HAD MELTED.
They add that he lived at least five
minutes after the box was opened, bu,
admit that he did not recover con-
sciousness during that time. When the
undertaken arrived the body was pre-
pared for burial, and burial was made
yesterday. Homiak's friends maintain
that suspended animation in his case
must have been mistaken for death, and
declare that the ice surrounding the
remains had almost entirely melted
when the lid of the box was opened
and It's cooling effects had broken
bringing the unconscious man tos
DR.. j. G.. Biddle, superintendent oi
the Miners hospital, says in regard tc
this case:
When Homiak was brought to the
hospital he was suffering so much that
he was not washed all over the body
and his pulse was never below l4C
beats. The resident physician stayed III
with him until l1.30 at night thinkins
that he would recover sufficiently tc
admit of amputation or even washing
He was watched all night by trained
nurses. The next morning the nurses
We're changed. DR.. Biddle himself saw
'hS patient at III U CLOCK IN tne morn.
ing, when he was pulseless. Shortly
after this his wife was admitted anC
when she was going away. the trained
nurse told her to wait, because hel
husband would be dead within an hour
A short time after II o'clock he was
seen by two of the resident physicians
one saying that Homiak was only
breathing about twice a minute, ant
that he was pulseless.
"A few minutes later another resi-.
dent physician examined him and pro.
nounced him dead. He gave direction.
to the orderly to let the remains la,
about ten minutes, and watch them and
then proceed to wash the corpse. Two
orderlies, experienced in the work
washed the remains. which consumed
about twenty minutes time and the,
both say that the man was dead. TIL,
trained nurse also says that he wa.
dead. A shroud also was put on tn,
corpse, Its chin tied up tight as is Gus
tomary, and it was taken to the deac
house The dead house was not warm
and the remains We're placed in an ic,
box shortly afterward, and at 2.3
o'clock on Wednesday afternoon tn,
body was shipped to Excelsior"