OBIT: MEYERS Family, 1904, Garrett, Somerset County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich 
<millich84@hotmail.com>

Copyright 2009.  All rights reserved.
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_________________________________________ 

Cambria Freeman, Ebensburg, Pa.
Friday, April 22, 1904
Volume XXXVIII, Number 17

Six Perish in Fire  
Extermination of Miner's Family Blamed on Italians Working in Mines
Sheriff Arrives at Garrett

Somerset Mining Town in Turmoil because of Incendiary Fire and 
Threatened Violence - Twenty-five Deputies Are Sent from Somerset.

  Somerset, Pa., April 20 - An outbreak even more disastrous than the 
riot at Boswell in last January has been hourly expected at the town of 
Garrett, the second of the mining operations of the Garrett Coal 
Company, the Somerset Coal company and other lesser operations.  
Trouble has been brewing there ever since the inauguration of the 
miners' strike five months ago.
  A number of the striking miners at Garrett own homes there but 
recently the Garrett Coal Company erected a number of houses and the 
bringing in of new men to occupy these houses and take the places of 
the strikers in the mines has worked the latter up to a high state of 
excitement and resentment.
  The Garrett Coal company has made a formal demand upon Sheriff 
Coleman for protection.  Heretofore, the sheriff has refused to 
exercise his authority in the matter until called upon to do so by the 
authorities of the town, but when he learned of the threatening aspect 
of affairs he organized a posse of 25 deputies. Three months ago the 
coal company secured through Judge Kooser an injunction, restraining 
the strikers and all other persons from interfering with the company 
employees.  This injunction is still in force and the present condition 
of affairs at Garrett is open violation of it. It was to enforce the 
requirements of this injunction that Sheriff Coleman went to Garrett 
and he went to arrest every person violating it.
  A horror that may or may not be connected with the strike situation 
at Garrett was the burning to death of two women and four children in 
their homes at that place.  The victims were Mrs. Rosanna Meyers, her 
two daughters, Lucinda and Annie, aged 30 and 8 years respectively, and 
her son, Richard, aged 5 years. The two other victims were young 
children of Lucinda who was unmarried.  The house was a one and one 
half story log building and the women and children were sleeping in the 
upper story.  Mr. Meyers and Jonas Sullivan, a boarder, were asleep on 
the first floor.  They were awakened by the smoke and the noise made by 
the fire and had barely time to save their lives by rushing from the 
building.
  The victims in the upper story perished without help and their bodies 
were all reduced to ashes. The origin of the fire is unknown. Meyers, 
the head of the household, was a miner and until recently he worked for 
the Somerset Coal company.  Lately he has not been working and it is 
said that he has been supported by the miners' union.
  When Sheriff Coleman reached Garrett he arrested two Italians who 
were charged with setting fire to the Meyers house.  The only evidence 
thus far against the two Italians was a statement made by Meyers in 
which he alleges that they called at his house several days ago to buy 
some butter and that when told that Meyers would not sell butter to 
scabs they left swearing vengeance.