Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-02-19
SPLENDID PRESERVATION
OF THE DEAD AMAZING
Miners Who Perished in Awful Dis
aster Last December Found to Have
Begun the Drying Up Process.
Man Bossina the Work is Shot
Down by Discharged Employee.
(By Associated Press.)

CHERRY, ILLS, Feb. 1S.-An at
tempt to lsssassinate one of the st.
Paul Coal Company's bosses added TO
the tragedy of Cherry's mine disaster
today. Melas Manditch, dismissed
employee, stepping up behind Charles
Anterior, a newly appointed top boss
at the ST. Paul mine, in which nearly
300 men were killed last November,
whipped out revolver and crying:
ITO pay you back" fired three shots.
Atherton fell probably fatally wound
ed.
The shooting occurred during the
work Of recovering the 166 or more
bodies which have been entombed in
the mine since the fatal fire of No
vember 10. Eleven bodies had been
brought up. AtheTton was Standing
at the mouth OF the shaft ordering the
hosting of the todies. About the
mine entrance stood circle OF
widows and orphans. all eager TO
learn whether the next body would be
theirs. Suddenly three shots were
fred in rapid succession and, man
CdSnCu AODl thN NAOV0, tto'iho e~@~
spectators in confusion.
WouId-be Assassin Caught.
A hundred miners, headed by Sher-
in Skoaglund, ran after the assassin,
while the crowd shouted: Lynch
him; shoot him."
The fugitive was captured IN the
main street of Cherry, the revolver
still in his hand. Manditch said he
shot Anterior because the latter had
refused TO give him a job. Later
mob surrounded the lookup and to-
night the prisoner was taken TO
Princeton. Ills. for safet:.
Among the eleven bodies recovered
today was thst CT John McGill, a boy.
When the alarm OF fire spread
through the mine last November Nc
Gili's father strapped his son to him
and ran several hundred feet before
he fell unconscious. The father was
taken out by rsAcrers end revived.
The boy could not be taken out be-
cause of fire. The father is now
working to help clear the mine.
Bodies MJmmified.
To the amazement of veteran mine
inspectors the bodies entombed when
brought to the surface were found 20
he almost perfectly mum mified.
The mummifisd condition was
brought about by the bodies having,
during the three months, been in a
part OF the mine which was dry and
warm and the bodies were going
through slow process of drying up
This is ore Of the most remark
able instances of a disaster which
has been full OF wonders" declared an
old mine inspector.
The mummies are IN such good
preservation as If they had been taken
out Of the ancient tombs Of Egypt.
Fire Still Raging
Fighting through FIRE and the dead
ly black damp. which ever since the
disaster has stood between them and
the I65 or more bodies still entomb-
ed in the mine. the Sescuers found
the eleven bodies in what is known
as the second level. They were about
LIS feet from the main sirshsft- The
EscH- instead OF TctItdti1- W itnfOeCt
Tarts Of the mine. evidently had made
q desperate effort 10 escape when the
fire broke out and they were among
the first TO die.
They were fcc1d with their arms
stretched forward aud face down,
iseving been suffocatcd as they ran
pro, ably BY a gust Of heat and gas
Shut In alright chambers when the
mine was finally sealed up they re-
main d IN a kind Of an oven In which
the temperature wes a little above
bloodhcat
foenfifcztion Difficult.
Their clothing Vas 20 badly sccrch-
cd and their features 30 badly dishg-
urcd by falling rock that ideotifca-
ton was difficult. Fire II stu raging
In the mir~. a new tunnel CT entry
$50 feet long had 90 BE- ca' asound
a ere area before the bodies ~rre
reached. As soon a. this opcDinz
r<as made. work vas hcEun on bar
reading with concrst c al the rrc
area. Fstir other s'cdics we're sccn IN
tbc ssrmc piacc aud these WI IT,
l..r.ss.~fss ..r