Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-03-07
ST. PIERRE SURVIVOR.
Joseph Sibarace Tells How
Pelee Buried Him Alive.
ODD PASSENGERS FROM MARTINIQUE

Negro, saved al the West Indian
City's Destruction. says he Was
Entombcd E,enr n@ys In "A Eaot Dam
weon-Aahes sirscd In. searching
nlm-Esescued by . Priest.
Joseph Slbarace. sad to lie The only
survivor OF the Inhabitants oi 81. II.
ere. Martinique. who were ii tnat city
when the terrible eruption q Mont Ie.
lee occurred. arrived IA Sew Aogk the
| other day. ragged ard scared, 10 tho
steerage If tie steamship Eontaaelle.
He was iii d dun geon &c the 81. Pierre
prison at The time of the catastrophe
ssxs the New York TlAes.
When seen on board the vessel before
the representatives Of a circus could
provide him with better and warmer
| clothing, lie presented a pitiable spoc;a'
Gle. He had Oh d rather ancient straw
latt, was harafootoa. wore a suit of
clothes OF the t~ainneat texture and q
| thfeadbare aud ragged overcoat The
bare feet were SCARED with frightful
marks Of the experience he had under
gone. willie those parts OF his body that
were visible were burned in numerous
places, the white scars on the black
skin giving him an uncanny appear
| ance. lie N about twenty seven years
Of age.
In Ills peculiar West Indian French
the NAN. talking through an iuterpre.
ter, tried 10 tell hls story
81 Vas Just a month before the 81
| plo iaI le sild. ''that | was lmpris-
oAed. I i'm II carpenter and had been
working III st. Pierre. One day | got
into n quarrel with Il man over some
| thing-l have forgotten what~and the
end Of tt was that In the fraeas stab
bed him and was arrested. At first
was put to work on the roads with the
other convicts. | continued to do my
time Ia that manner until about four
days before The eruption, when ! got
into d fight with one of the convicts
and best him over the head. For beat
ing THAI fellow | vas placed IN the sec
ond tier of the dungeons. and that Is
why / ana here 20 tell the story OF that
awful thing that took place four days
later.
sWhen Pelee exploded, | thought II
was thunder. but when the noise grew
louder and louder | heard the terrible
shrleks and cries from the people
above, all of whom, | afterward found
out. had been killed by the hot mud
and ashes from the mountain. | knew
something awful was happening. Very
soon tho dungeons commenced 10 get
hot, and the straw Ia MY cell caught
fire from the mud and cinders that got
in from above. | stamped the fire out
with my bare feet time and time again,
and that Ii why they nre so awfully
SCARED. Then the hot ashes and Gin
ders kept falling through, burning my
bare shoulders and arms and face, and
for hours-I thought 1t was months.
the awful agony kept up.
"At last, after what seemed an age,
the ashes and cinders stopped falling.
/ tried TO get out of the place, but the
passageways were all clogged with
ashes and debris, and / had TO 20 back
to my hot cell. All this time the burns
were paining me almost to death. SO
hot was the little dungeon and so
frightful was the torture | was UNDER
going that 1t was almost as bad as |
imagine hell must be.
After a long time, although ! was
almost dead with hunger and thirst,
not to mention my suffering from the
burns all over my body, | heard knock
ing above me, and then, al the knock
Ing kept getting louder and louder, ]
knew that somebody was trying to get
me out. AT last a little light came
through the hole that was being open
ed up, and | saw the good face of Fa-
Their Marie looking at me. He had
four soldiers with him, and they help
cd pull me out into the daylight. Then
/ saw the awful sight. st. Pierre was
gone, dead people were lying all around
and from Mont Pelec smoke and ashes
were pouring out. The sight drove me
mad. and the next thing | knew | was
In the hospital at Fort dc France.
Then / caught The yellow fever a
lest my mind again.
"wlcn / recovered from that, ass
ed for a lawyer. / thought thai
would have to be pat back in the dsa-
geoa. The lawyer told me that lad
suffered enough and was free again.
This is all KNOW"
lie was taken TO Ellis island 10 pe
passed hy the immigration authorities
before being allowed to land ana take
his place among the freaks Of q well
known circus.