Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-01-25
FUNERALS OF
FIRE VICTIMS
Boyertown to have Memorial For
Unidentified Dead.
PEOPLE BOWED WITH GRIEF

Boyertown. Pa, Jan. 20.--Boyertown
has at last come TO realization Of
the horror OF the holocaust that wiped
out l73 lives Every person living here
turned out 60 pay their last respects
to the victims OF the Rhoads Opera
House disaster II was one long pro
eession OF carriages In every street
funeral corteges. moving toward Fair
view and Union cemeteries. were to
be seen.
AT the burial grounds the stream oil
carriages and mourners waited for
hours TO get in The grave disgers
did not get their work done and fl
was necessary in many cases to halt
the funeral until the graves could be
made ready There We're not hearses
enough 10 go around nor undertakers
enough to eyre for the dead
II was common sight at the eeme.
teries to see corteges standing IN the
various avenues waiting for the men
20 finish graves or waiting for the
minister. Twenty-Five funerals were
held Friday and sixty Saturday
The bodies OF twentyfour undenU
fed dead were buried In the Faiyiew
cemetery in this place
Upwards OF 10000 persons attended
the services thar marked the intermetd
Of the fire victims. who We're buried
In one long trench dug In circular
shape. No eulogy was delivered II
the grave. the ceremonies being OF
the simplest sort -Four ministers rep
resenting as many denominations read
the plain burial service of their gespee
tive churches Each body was eneasea
in plain coffin and they he separated
In the ditch By brick walls In time
monument marked with the names Of
those reported missing since the ire
and who are supposed TO have been
burned TO death. will be erected in the
centre of the circular mound whieh
marks the one big grave.
The mystery surrounding The finding
OF the body Of womau dressed in
mans clothing in the tre has been
solved
Mrs. Rebecca Diamond coming here
from Philadelphia n answer 70 teie
gram from Coroner Strasser. posi-
lively Identified the bodr OF the sup
posed stranger as that o. her daughter
Rose and announced that the eor0
ners dispatch had reached her just In
time to prevent the burial Of another
as her lighter
England. cousin ~ Rose
ond. came here from Phiadel
ring. bearing the initial letter "R the
diamond earrings necklace and tho
bracelet found on the body were thosa
of his cousin Even In the case of this
the authorities would have been in
clined to believe that the Jewels had
been stolen from Miss Diamond 81 the
course OF the evening by thu stranger
but for the fact that the earrings were
fastened in the ears
Then the question arose why II the
body were really that al Miss Diamond
he should have been attired III trou-
sers A number of men who had gath.
cred about the door Of the hall the
night OF the entertainment We're inter-
viewed and each declared that be
well remembered tho arrival u the
pretty girl. and that there certainly
was nothing about her 10 suggest
disguise.
Coroner Strasser then wired a. Mrs
Diamond In Philadelphia where she
was about to inter the supposed body
OF her daughter The funeral vas i'm
mediately halted ana Mrs Diamond
boarded the first train for Boyertown
Immediately on examining the je~elry
she announced that Il was una0ubt
eddy that OF her daughter and ar
-anged for the exchange OF the bodies
II then developed upon the author
ties 70 arrive al some explanation 81
the clothing found upon the body An
inquiry was instituted 20 find out IT'S
exact condition when found and the
manner In whoch the clothing was
fastened 10 H. AS a 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 became
fast there, while soaked with water
and then subject TO the great heat II
is freely admitted that there are
points Of this explanation which do
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
niond's earrings were in the ears OF
the mysterious corpse Il was conced-
ed to be the only one possible at the
present time.