The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-01-23
MYSTERY SOLVED
airl in Male Garb in Boyertown
Fire Identified.
UNIDENTIFIED DEAD BURIED
Over 10000 Persons Attended Ser
vices over the Rename Of Unknown
Victims - Two Women Reported
Dead Found Alive.

vices over the Rename Of Unknown
Victims Two Women Reported
Dead Found Alive.
Boyertown. Pa. Jan. 2O.-The bodies
OF twenty-four unidentified dead who
lost their lives In the Rhoads Opera
House fire were buried IN Fairview
cemetery in this place.
Upwards Of 10000 persons attended
the services that marked the intermeut
, OF the fire victims. who were buried
In one long trench. dug In a circular
shape. No eulogy was delivered It
the grave. the ceremonies being OF
the simplest sort. Four ministers rep
resenung as many denominations. read
the plain burial service Of their respe,,-
tive churches. Each body was encased
In plain coffin and they lie separated
In the ditch by brick walls. In time a
monument. marked with the names of
those reported missing since the fire.
and who are supposed to have been
burned to death. will be erected in the
centre OF the circular mound which
marks the one big grave.
In connection with the missing. IL
developed that one more person has
been reported lost to Coroner Strasscr.
than has been indicated by the bodies
found. so that It is apparent some per-
sons may have been entirely consumed
In the flames that swept the Inflated
opera house
The mystery surrounding the finding
OF the body OF woman dressed In
mans clothing in the fire has been
solved.
Mrs Rebecca Diamond. coming hero
from Philadelphia in answer to a tele
gram from Coroner Strasser posi-
lively identified the body OF the sup
posed stranger as tina; of her daughter
Rose. and announced that the coro.
ner's dispatch had reached her Just in
time to prevent the burial Of another
as her daughter.
Frank England. a cousin Of Rose
Diamond. came here from Philadel-
phia and declared that the signet
ring. bearing the initial letter r" the
diamond earrings. necklace and the
bracelet found on the body were those
OF his cousin Even in the case OF this
the authorities would have been in.
clined to believe that the Jewels hal
been stolen from Miss Diamond in the
course OF the evening BY the stranger
but for the fact that the earrings were
fastened in the ears
Then the question arose. why. II the
body were really that OF Miss Diamond
she should have been attired IN trou.
sers. A number Of men who had gath
arntl %
night Of the entertainment were inter
viewed. and each declared that he
well remembered the arrival OF the
pretty girl and that there certainly
was nothing about her to suggest a
disguise.
Coroner Strasser then wired 70 Mrs
Diamond. in Philadelphia. whore she
was about to inter the supposed body
OF her daughter. The funeral was i'm
mediately halted and Mrs Diamond
boarded the first train for Boyertown
Immediately on examining the jewelry
she announced that Il was undoubt
eddy that OF her daughter. and ar
ranged for the exchange OF the bodies
II then developed upon the authori
ties to arrive at some explanation al
the clothing found upon the body. An
inquiry was Instituted 70 find out its
exact condition when found. and the
manner in whOch the clothing wa
fastened 10 II. As 4 result of this the
opinion was expressed by the coroner
and the borough officials that the girls
body had lain under that OF a man
whose clothing dropped from his body
and onto that of the girl and becam.
fast there, while soaked With water
and then subject 20 the great heat. u
IL freely admitted that there are
points Of this explanation which d.
not explain, and which are not salts
factory. but in view OF the positive
statements OF all those concerned
and especially the fact that Rose Dia
mond's earrings were in the ears OF
the mysterious corpse. IL was concea
ed 10 be the only one possible at the
present time.
The ashes In the ruined building are
sacred 10 the people OF the town and
they cannot bear to see them thrown
arr old place fearing there may still
be parts of bodies in them. A grave
will be dug in a remote corner Of the
cemetery. and ali the ashes dropped
in H. A layer of mortar will be poured
| over them
Miss Lizzie Ziegler. aged sixty-fivs
years. and her adopted daughter. Miss
Annie Stauffer. whose deaths were an
nounced in connection with the theatre
fire, are both alive and not injured in
the least. The formers brother. Sam.
uel X. Ziegler OF Oakbrook, and his
family FASTENED to Boyertown when
they read the announcement of the
death Of the two women. When they
reached the home OF Mr.. Ziegler's sister
the latter was doing her household
work. Sheriff NJ. T. Ziegler, of Ian
caster. is also q brother OF Miss Zieg-