Aged Man Freezes to Death.
Joseph Riggel, an aged resident of Allegheny township, died Wednesday morning as he was being removed from his home, where he was found freezing by Philip Slick, a neighbor. Riggel had been living alone. He had been ill and had been unable to summon assistance. The house, a small frame structure, was without heat and Riggel had no food for days.
Philip Slick lives on a farm adjoining the little tract upon which Riggel had made his home. He had not seen the aged man for several days and Wednesday morning decided to see if there was anything wrong. He found the door of the house partially open and, going to the room in which Riggel slept, he found the man dying. Riggel, it is said, was frozen stiff. Slick summoned other neighbors. The old man was wrapped in blankets and clothing and placed on a sled to be taken to the Slick home. He died on the way.
Riggel was born near Loretto on January 25, 1840. He was baptized by the famous Prince-Priest Gallitzin in the old Catholic church which stood near there. |
