The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-29
5.S s. {: HORROR /. { /.
After the Galveston Storm Lucidly
81 Told by an Eye Witness,
DEAD DEAL BODIES EVERYWHERE.
Pressed into Service by the Soldiers.
I Quick Death Of a Ghbul-sights
CHASTITY In the Extreme-Tidal
Wave Struck the City Broadside.

E CHICAGO. Sept. 2s.-Michael B. Han.
cock, unnerved by the scenes OF horror
he witnessed among the ruins OF Gal.
weston Tuesday. fastened to leave thr
stricken city, and arrived in Chicago
Thursday afternoon. Sights OF the
dead bodies are constantly before him
and, according to his statements, he has
been practically without sleep since he
first set foot on the island. He is The
first Chicagoan to reach this city after
viewing the results OF the terrible tidal
wave which swept half OF the city OF
Galveston Into the sea and drowned
nearly 5000 persons.
Hancock. who Is a Pullman car porter,
has u run from Chicago to Austin, Tex,
but when he reached the end OF his
trip, he heard of the disaster at Gal
weston and decided to so with a relief
party leaving Austin that night. Tho
relief train was able to proceed only as
far rs Houston, and from there the
goods were transported to the coast ard
put aboard a small excursion steamer.
Stopped by Pickets.
Hancock was accompanied by his con-
ductor, Frank Alphons. Although they
were with the relief party, they were
stopped several times by the plckets at
the steamer landings. After much LIf-
hculty they gained u View OF the city
and the dead
While In the midst OF their sightseeing
they were accosted by United States
soldiers and commanded to assist In the
recovery and burning OF the dead
bodies. Felgning to acqulesce, they
managed to draw away from the SOL
diers, and then made run for the
beach. a small boat carried them to
the mainland. and they made a forced
march OF twelve miles before they were
able to obtain vehicle to take them to
Houston. Reaching Houston late at
night, they started at once for Austin
and the north. Alphons stopped at ST.
Louis and Hancock came straight
through.
a Scene Of Horror.
When seen ut his residence Thursday
night Hancock said:
THE sights in the wrecked city Of
Galveston were the most horrible have
ever witnessed. Dead bodies were
everywhere. Part Of the city had been
blotted out. For distance OF two
miles along the bay houses had been
washed away and only the foundations
left. The water had not yet entirely
receded, and where business blocks and
fine residences had once stood were
simply holes marking the foundations.
These were filled with floating debris
and bodies of the drowned.
The sight was CHASTITY to the e1-
IRENE, as the working parties would ar
rive OF one OF these holes and start to
drag the bodies OF the dead from the
pools of dirty water. Every: one was
expected to work at recovering the
dead. md the soldiers corra1led Alphons
and me and told US that We would have
to assist In the work. AT that time we
were standing watching q party Of FIVE
men working under u guard. They
were 1assoing the bodies and pulling
them out on the higher places, and then
pillng them on boards preparatory to
burning them.
Just Us some Of the regulars were
guarding Us terrible outcry arose
from the men engaged in the rescue
work. Running quickly to the scene OF
trouble. we saw one OF the workers was
in the grasp OF one OF the soldiers. An-
other soldier was covering him with his
rifle. The man.. q Mexican, dressed In
shabby clothes and wearing dropping
sombrero. was standing sullenly eyIns
the crowd, with one hand In his pocket.
His captor grasped his arm suddenly
and dragged his hand from the pocket.
and five mutIIated fingers which he had
hacked from corpses dropped TO ths
ground, Each had one or more rings
on 1t.
Cry for His Life.
with the sight OF these evidences OF
crime before them the workers seemed
to SO mad, and with cries OF Lynch
him!' Burn him! made for the unfor-
tunate wretch. Before that he had been
standing stolid and unmoved. but the
approaching danger shook his courage
and ne sunk to the ground pleading fol
mercy. But there was no mercy for the
monster. and the men werp only pre-.
vented from killing him then and there
by tho Interference OF the soldiers.
leave him to u.s. said the corporal
in charge OF the party as he ranged his
men around the prisoner. We will at,
tend to his case and with that he had
the Mexican marched over and placed
against n post not more than fifteen
feet from the bodies he had muulated
Selecting four soldiers as a firing party
he lined them up 10 feet from the doom.
ed man, and with the word Fret -four
bullets pierced the ghoul's body and h
fell dead. Such was MEASURE of thu
speedy Justice which Is being meted ou
to vandals In Galveston. Besides thi!
case heard OF several more where the
guilty men were given the benefit Of Q
short court-martial, then sentenced te
death and shot.
Make n Rush for the Beach.
II told Alphnns that I did not wan
any OF that kind of work. and that
never could stand tho notion OF hand.
ling the bodies, and suggested that We
escape. He agreed with me. and We