A HORRID DEATH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 263, 27 May 1880, Page 2

A HORRID DEATH.

Adam Rocho, a fifteen j r ear old sou of Frederick Roche, a blacksmith at the Continental shaft in (Scranton city, was burned to death on the afternoon of December 14th on the road between Scranton and Taylorville. He was employed aronnd 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 horseback. He purchased a pint, and st-rted back, bringing two mules along. Halfway betwe.n Taylorville and the mine, tae cork came out of the bottle and the jolting caused the vitriol to spatter in to his coat pocket Then it slowly worked through his panta'oons, and went streaming a'ong his limbs * Ihe first touch of the vitriol caused the la ! to shout with pain, and the last of the contents of the bottle were spil ed into his clothing. His cries of agony 6 lurred th" 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 hies 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 hurled 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 tae mines, and the boy’s father and several others went out to find the lad. When he was discover 'd he was dead. The oil had eaten ini* his limbs, and he pn suit'd a fearful spectacle. His hands ,were badly blistered, his cheeks burned ; and the vitriol had sunk to the bones of his legs. The boy bad torn away nearly all of bis clothing except what bad been saturated with oil. A large wound in bis head showed that be had been thrown forward from his horse. He bad crawled to a tree on the hillside, and h;s appearance showed that he had suJcred the greatest agony.