Bisbee daily review., 1909-02-24
TIE ussEE DAILY REVIEW BEE
WELL CAVES IN AND KILLS
 THE DIGGER
(Globe Belt.)


 Alfred Willis Middleton. the Miami Flats rancher who was buried by 2 cdye-in in the well he was repairinf on his ranch. was taken out at day break yesterday morning-dead. Tht funeral will take place Sunday after noon at 1 o'clock.
 The inquest was conducted by Cor oner Hinson Thomas at ? o'clock yes terday afternoon, with jury compos d of Will Rose, Frank l.. Gates, w c. Duncan. W. D. Fisk. J. F. Briggs n. L. Rigdon and Paul J. Brand, am the verdict was that the death va: wholly accidental.
 Ed Arhelder, the rancher who wa working with Middleton on the we at the time Of the accident, was tn first witness called. He said that f had gone down into the well Monda' morning and did not think 1t safe, anf so refused to work in it. Middleton when awakened and informed of thi, decision, said that be would go i'm tlse well, scouting all thought of da' ger and ignoring the entreaties of h wife. who had been frightened by ID statements Oi the witness.
 Middleton worked at the bottom z the well through the well until Thur Jay afternoon. when he met his deat
 lie was replacing the old curbing vii new timbers and by Thursday afte
 noon had put in three new sets timbers, six feet 10 each set. and VT pI pIeparing to put ,n another. He hs ! built a platform across the last sf
 of umbers put in, about fifty feet Q llow the surface. and had taken ou
 about eight feet of the old curbir | above the new work. He was staD' ing on ton of this platform when th | l! and from behind the old curbing D, gan to flow down from behind-th, old curbinS did not slip down, as pro viGusly stated
 MT. Middleton vas overwhelmed D! tho rush of loose, damp sand that GOV
 cred him up five or six feet over lii head. The unfortunate man wai thrown to one side Of the we'll ul azainst the curbing. with his hea' slightly under the woodwork. an here the sand piled up around him nolding him fast so that he could no move a limb. pressing against hin so that he could not draw a singi breath. and be must have dIed almos instantly of suffcoation. So tigntl vas the man pinionel by the weigh of lhe sand and so fast that he rt mained practically as he had stoo Shen the caying began. and the ha on his head was left beneath the loa Of sand exactly as he had worn it. Just before the caye-in,' said th ! witness. "Afr. Middleton had called Q for new posts. got the posts and ha lowed down the well. Are You ready out I did not get any answer. l iC cUwn the big rope as fast as 1 COui land called down 10 nIin 10 take hoi oi it, but I did not get any answer [ that, either Mrs Middleton had hear the sand falling and was very muc excited, and that may be why I di s not hear anything in the well. IL wa ] between 2 and Q o'clock in tho afte \ noon when the well cayed in. Tn we'll was about one hundred yard ! iom the bed Of the creek. iu streak ! sand and clay. Middleton had bee ! working on it since he went on th | Diace. about six years ago.
 c. ". Smith. the next witness. tc l tiied that he got to the well at abD, 2 o'clock in the afternoon and con ucnced work as soon as possible. H | thought that his uncle must have die | almost instantly from sufIOcatiOn, . the sand which rushed in upon an ] around him was loose, damp, riT, a sand. with scarcely a pebble in making it impossible for air to pen lrate through it. He said that he la ! gone down info the well and thougl ! it strange that his uncle should nav z gone into it to work. as all the wa down there were evidences of shii ing sand. lJ had been necessary spike and fasten all timbers befOl the body could be taken out. 1 Robert Jennings. son of Mrs. Mi Glcton by her first marriage, was dee ly moved as he was called to tell the death of his stepfather and spOi ] with tears in his eyes. Like Arhel 1 er he had failed to hear any souI from below after the cave-in and sa l that the old curbing from above h. l remained where it was, but the saI had slipped in from behind it throu- i the opening at the bottom.