The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-11
BODY BLOWN INTO SHREDS Man Found Dead in a
 Freight Car. FOLLOWED AN EXPLOSION Believed to be Peter MaSillie
 of Michigan. No Evidence to Show How or Why Explosion Which Killed a Tramp in Railroad Yard
 Occurred.
 
FOLLOWED AN EXPLOSION
No Evidence to Show How or Why

The body of a white man believed to be Peter Masillie, a tramp, was blown to pieces yesterday afternoon about R:SO o'clock by the agency of some high ex- plosive in 8 manner unknown.
 The accident occurred in a refrigerator car in the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road yards in North Montgomery.
 A verdict of cause of death Unknown to Coroner was returned by Coroner w. H. Tice, who investigated the explosion.
 The freight train, of which the car in which Masillie died formed part, pulled into the Louisville and Nashville yards shortly after noon. A few minutes later an explosion was heard. Part Of the top of a refrigerator car was blown om ana the doors started from their sockets. Trainmen rushed to the place and into the car. The car was empty. Men climbed to the roof of the car and peered down the scuttle hole. There lying prone on the galvanized iron floor of the refrig- orator, lay the body of white man, blown nearly to atoms.
 The scene was revolting. The sides of the refrigerator were clotted with olooo The clothes of the man were in shreds. NO one unaccustomed to such grewsome scenes could gaze on the mangled figure of the human being and forget that he had seen lit
 Coroner Tdce was hastily summoned. With the assistance of several railroad men. the body was wrapped in ~cloth and drawn through the scuttle hole to the top of the car thence to the ground be- meath.
 A union working card issued to ''Pe- ter Masillie," by the Electrical Workers Union at Grand Rapids, Mich, was found in the torn clothing. It testified that Mastllie was an electrical worker In good standing with the union. Other papers were found on the body but they were torn to pieces by the explosion and could not disclose any information concerning the stranger.
 Eff :orts to discover the cause of the explosion were fruitless. None of the train men knew that the man was in the car. It is believed, however. that he came to Montgomery from Birmingham in the refrigerator in which he met his death Dynamite or other bi gexplosive must have been in his possession as the rail- road men were confident that none was on the train.
 After the explosion there was distinct smell of dynamite or powder In the car. A sack of tobacco, a box of cigarette pa pers and matches law near the hand of the dead man. It Is probable that the ig- nition of a match to light a cigarette caused the explosion.
 Railroad men advanced the theory that the man deliberately crawled into the refrigerator and caused the explosion con- templating suicide.
 The stranger was between 20 and 2t years of age. His complexion was dark He had black hair and eyes and lofty forehead
 No effort was made to locate relatives or friends of the dead man.
 The remains were taken tc the office of the Coroner where they were cleansed and prepared for burial. Today in the potter's field all that Is mortal of the stranger will be laid to rest