The evening world., 1909-01-18
19-DAY SURVIVAL
IN QUAKE RUINS
. DAzES RELATIVES
Mlnissale Family Here Can
Scarcely Believe Tidings
From Messina.
FITS A LIE" GIRL SAYS.
Divided Household on Eve of
Reconciliation When Dis
aSter Occurred.

On her knees, telling her beads. Do.
ninica Minissale Is praying for the souls
bf her brother and sisters, whom, despite
all cable dispatches from Messina, she
believes to have persisted in the great
earthquake. A neighbor crazy with the
Joy Of his good tIdings, beat on the door
OF the MInlssale fiat, at No. 81 East
Fourteenth street, this morning.
'Nicolo," he called to the father,
"Nicolo, your children live"
Nicolo. who has hardly stirred from
his house since the news OF the earth.
quake came leaped out OF bed to the
door. Giuseppe, who works with his
father at piano making. only no work
has been done by any of the Minissales
since the earthquake, was right behind
his father; Pietrino and Louisa were
there, too, almost before the door could
be opened
Only Dominica, the oldest Of the fam.
ily, stayed in bed.
Refuses to Believe Tidinss.
1T is lie she said, "a lie sent to
torment us more, Have we not suffered
enough"
She took her beads from the head OF
the bed and knet with her face in the
pillows and prayed for the souls OF
Francis and Matalina, her brother and
sister, who were at school IN Messna.
and Giovanlna. who was a hairdresser.
and the mother who had stayed with
them and supported them by profits of
her little millinery store
In their night clothes, the others
gathered around the bringer of the un.
belieVable news. He showed them
newspaper dispatches showing that
Francisco, Glovanlna and Mataina had
been dug out OF the ruins alive after
nineteen days OF starvation and suf.
fering. and were on their way to re-.
covery In the Messna temporary hos
pltal. Nicolo and the others went al
most crazy. They tore the paper to bits,
while the neighbor tried to smooth II
out on the table and translate it, over
and over, to them.
1T Is not true" sobbed Dominica be.
tween her prayers. 1T is not true. Do
not believe It. The grief will kill us all
when we know 1t Is not true. After
nineteen days? 1t is'a lie. Such a thing
could never be. 1t is made up to be
printed to make people marvel But It
Is q lie"
Family Parted Through Thrift
The others did not heed her. They
hurried into their clothes and rushed to
the italian Consulate. at No. $50 Iafay-
cite street. Dominica rose from her
prayers only long enough TO watch
them go down to the street. She still
begged them not TO believe the miracle
she was on her knees again when ar
Evening World reporter went to the
house to confirm the good news. She
flew at the reporter and the Interpreter
with flashing eyes when they entered
her room.
ut Is a lie" she cried. "a cruel lie
with new grief" 'f
Little by little the story Of the family
was drawn from her between protests
that the story OF survival was untrue
and that she would never believe it.
filled with an ambition to come To
America. He had a good place In a
Messna piano factory. His wfe's mil
Ilnery shop was prospecting, Giuseppe
worked at the bench beside him. (,io-
WANNA and the other children we're all
earning their share of the famlly's Nv
ing.
Concetta, Ncoo's wife, said that the
idea OF going to America was stun and
nonsense, She would never go. She
would let well enough alone, The
family. divided In the arguments
Nicolo's desire for America grew. There
was a quarrel. MinIssale came to New
York with Louisa, who Is now eighteen
Giuseppe, who Is twenty-four PletrIno
who Is sixteen, Louisa. who Is eighteen
and Dominica. who Is twenty-five years
old. The mother, with Francisco, who
In ten, Matalina. who is twelve, and