Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-08-31
ATALE OF HORROR.

steamboat at or near Wolf Island, about twen-
ty-fve miles below the mouth of the Ohio,
for the purpose of collecting a debt from
man living about five miles back in the coun-
try, on the Missouri side, we think, With
carpet bag in his hand, he had followed
narrow path about three miles, when he
came across small cabin Yet "cabin
would not describe the place of habiiation,
for such it proved TO be. 1t was a little d.
lapidated shed with no boards on one side
and great crevices on the other sides and in
the roof. He would have passed it by, but
means from the inside told that it was occu-
pied. Wishing 10 inquire his road, he stop
ped, and stood before the open side of the
shed, and gazed upon a spectacle, which, as
he said, was present before his eyes days
afterwards and haunted his sleep. We de-
scribe what he saw, as he told us, only say
ing that strange as the story may seem, full
reliance can be placed upon his words.
There was not bed or chair in the shed,
but stretched upon the bare ground lay the
body of youngish looking woman, who had
evidently just died. Her form was almost
perfect skeleton, yet the face was that of
refined and beautiful woman. On her breast
lay an infant of about six months age, with
It's mouth TO the breast of its mother, and
dead And sitting up in a corner of the shed,
and staring the traveller in the face with
glazed eyes, was what he thought another
corpse, but life was yet in it. The figure
was that of girl apparently about ten years
old She could not rise TO her feet, and yet
she was not sick She was literally dying of
StarraiiOn By the side of the woman. and
clasping her hand, lay man covered with
blood, and apparently in dying state. Add
TO this the filth of the room and the half
naked condition of the sufferers and we
wonder not that the scene long haunted the
observer. He went in. The girl could not
speak, but the man cried "water" in a feeble
voice, and pointed 10 the girl as if 10 attract
the strangers attention 10 her. The travel.
Ter, MIR. j., of Cincinnati, fastened away,
taking with him tin pan, and says he never
ran harder in his life than he die about
half mile to small stream he had passed.
On his return, he found the man still alive,
and gave him water, which he eagerly drank.
He could then speak in whisper. He point
ed to the girl and said-"she's starving. 81
Mr.. ]. gave the girl some water, which ap-
peared 10 revive her, and she tried to talk,
but could not. With much difficulty he
/ learned from the man that there was a house
about mile distant, TO which he hurried
On his arrival there, he found only negro.
While getting some provisions and Fastening
! back with the man, the latter informed him
! that the cholera had broken out in that neigh
borhood, and the family owning him had left
! for the time being. He said the little girl of
the shed had daily made her appearance
there for provisions until about three days
back-that the man and woman had been
sick for a long time, &c. On their return,
the man was dying, and lived but an hour.
The little girl was revived by food, and be-
fore they took her away could talk. She
said she had been sick herself and could not
walk 10 the house for food, and that her mo-
I ther died the day previous, and the baby
about the same tme-and that her father
had tried to kill himself when they died, II
was horrid.
The child was taken in the house, and the
rest of the unfortunate family buried. The
! child afterwards stated her name was Mary
/ Williams and Mr.. J. thought, from wha, he
could gather, the family had formerly lived
/ in New Albany, but in what New Albany he
could not ascertain, more than as the child
said, there were great many houses there,
and it was evidently New Albany, n, Y
The negro said the family had been there
several weeks, and came, directly after his
master had left. AS there was not family
in the neighborhood, the person having also
gone whom Mr.. j. wished 10 see, the girl
who was sick and exhausted, was left with
the negro, who promised faithfully to attend
10 her. Yet there was but little hopes of
her recovery. 1t has never been cur misfor.
tune to hear more horrible tale of reality
than this.--Eransrille (Ia) Journal.
WATTS STREET.-A Frenchman stopped a
lad in the street 10 make some inquiries o
his whereabouts.
"Alon fren, wat is re nome of zis streelF
4, "Well, who said 'twant?n
"Wat you call zis street,"
"Of course we do ~
"Pardonnez have not re name you cal
him."
eyes, Watts you call it'
elbow you call re name of zis street ln
AWAITS street, told yer"
"Zs street Z"
"Watts street, old feller, and don't yer g
ter make game o. me"
''Sacre! ask you one, two, tree severa
times oitin, viii you tell to me re name of q
street-eh gu
awaits street, told yer. Yer drunk, ain
yer"
"Mon little fren, we're you lif, eh I"
A NEGRO living with a white woman