Helena Weekly Herald

SCHMIDT'S STORY OF HIS VISION
OF SUDDEN DEATH.

Ghastly Gambols of Giant Powder---
Death of Ferdinand Isele and John
Streicher.

[Butte Miner.]

In a comfortable room at the St. James Home, last evening was found a man who has had a more ghastly "Vision of Sudden Death" than ever inspired the weird imagination of England's great opium eater, De Quincy. His name is W. J. Schmidt, and he is one of the survivors of the horrible giant powder tragedy which blackened the morning of the Fourth of July in Butte, and brought to an untimely end the lives of two valued citizens. Schmidt's story is in substance as follows:

Fred Isele, John C. Streicher, and another man whose name I do not know, and myself were in one of the cabins just southwest of the Isele mine the night of the third of July, that is, last Monday night. We had been up all night, celebrating the Fourth. Towards morning the other man and I went to sleep on the bed. I was sitting on the edge of the bed, with my head and shoulders leaning back towards the wall. About 4 o'clock yesterday morning, Isele woke me up and said, "It won't do for you fellows to sleep that way; why, you've been asleep nearly three hours; get up, we are going to cap three cartridges of giant powder and set them off all at once."

I raised up and sat on the edge of the bed. He and Streicher were at the table about four feet from me. I could not see exactly what they were doing, for in one minute afterwards the explosion occurred and I became senseless. I knew nothing more until I was dug out. I did not even hear the noise of the explosion, but I know, of course, that the giant powder must have exploded. I certainly had as narrow an escape as a man could have. I am feeling well to-day, and think I will soon be out." Schmidt's face and hands were bruised and scarred, probably by the falling of the dirt roof of the cabin, which was a small log building covered with earth, and also quite narrow. There are four or five cabins together about a mile and a half from town.

Mr. Ferdinand Isele was a well known citizen, having been in and around Butte since 1864 uninterruptedly, with the exception of a short absence in 1867. The Isele mine, bonded to Mr. Shaughnessy, was his property and named for him. The sale of the Isele was recently completed, the purchase price being $30,000, the greater part of which Mr. Isele left in cash.

John Zehntner was the lucky survivor of this awful affair, and escaped entirely unhurt.

Within an hour after the explosion, Coroner James Thompson was at the scene of the disaster. Isele's body was frightfully mutilated, his right leg being almost blown off. Streicher was wounded principally in the face, which was unrecognizable and presented a ghastly spectacle. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death from the careless use of giant powder.

Election of Officers.

At a meeting of the Trustees of the Nellie Grant Mining Company last evening Wm. Chumasero was elected President, J. A. Johnston Vice President, S. T. Hauser Treasurer, and M. A. Meyendorff Secretary for the ensuing quarter. A committee, consisting of the above named gentlemen, was appointed to interview our citizens and solicit subscriptions for stock. Books will be opened at once, and the seal of the company and stock certificates will arrive from the States inside of thirty days.