BURNED TO DEATH ON HORSEBACK.

Kumara Times, Issue 1110, 21 April 1880, Page 4

BURNED TO DEATH ON HORSEBACK.

[NEW YORK SUN. J Adam Roche, a fifteen-year old son of of Frederick Roche, a blacksmith at the Continental shaft in Scranton city, was burned to death on the afternoon of December 14, on the road between Scranton and Taylorville. He was employed around the blacksmith's shop as an assistant. Some of the live stock at the mines became sick, and young Roche was sent to Taylorville to procure some vitriol. He went on horse-back. He purchased a bottle containing a pint, and started back, bringing two mules along. Halfway between Taylorville and the mine, the cork came out of bottle, and the jolting caused the vitriol to spatter into his coat pocket. Then it slowly worked through his pantaloons, and went streaming along his limbs. The first touch of the vitrol caused the lad to shout with pain, and the last of the contents of the bottle were spilled into his clothing. His cries of agony spurred the horse into a run, and the suffering boy endeavored to throw the bottle from his pocket. This action burned his hands severely, and he clasped them to hh face, which added greatly to his agony. He lost his control of the horse, and just at the foot of a steep declivity in the road he was hurried violently into a ditch, where he lay writhing in anguish. He recovered sufficiently to tie the mules to a tree. The horse went back to the mines, and the boys father and several others went out to find the lad. When he was discovered he waa dead. The oil had eaten into his limbs, and he presented a fearful Bpectacle. His hands were badly blistered, his cheeks burned; and the vitriol had sunk to the bones of his legs The boy had torn away nearly all of his clothing except what had been saturated with oil A large wound in his head showed that he had been thrown forward from the horse. He had crawled to a £? °i\w £ ill t ide > and hia appearauce showed that he had suffered the greatest agony. s