Dreadful Affair, 1852

 New Jersey Mirror 30 May 1852

One of the most heart-rending and melancholy casualties that it has ever been our lot to record, occurred on Saturday afternoon, the 8th instant, on the old Burlington road, a few miles from Camden. 

A young man, named John Malone, engaged in the distillery of a Mr. Woodruff, was sent to clean something in a vat or cistern, which was nearly or quite half full of boiling water. He had placed a board across the cistern, and was busily engaged at his task, when a colored man, named Polk, stepped on the board, which, under the pressure of his weight, gave way, and precipitated both into the reservoir of boiling water. 

The colored man caught hold of the top of the vat, and escaped without serious injury; but Mr. Malone sunk in it nearly to his arms, and before he could be extricated, was literally cooked, so that when they stripped him of his pantaloons and drawers, his flesh pealed from the bones. He lingered in great agony and pain until between 9 and 10 o'clock, on the same evening, when death put an end to his misery. The unfortunate young man was about twenty-one years of age, and was formerly of Easton, Pa. This sad circumstance cast a gloom over the entire neighborhood.