Litchfield enquirer., 1850-09-05
:Mt0rRlIaup.
A SAD NARRATIVE.


 The Evansville Journal, Indiana. has the following tragic narrative of recent adventure of a traveller near the conflu. ence of the Ohio and Mississippi:
 While travelling a couple weeks since, we heard from the lips of friend. one of the most heart-rending recitals we have listened to for long time. He was.put off from steamboat at or near WoK Island, about % miles below the mouth of the Ohio, for the purpose of collecting debt from man living about 5 miles back in the country, on the Mis- souri 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 habitation, for such it proved to be. It was little di- lapidated shed with no boards on one side, and great crevices on the other side and in the roof. He would have passed it by, but moans from the inside told that it was occupied. Wishing to in- quire the road he stopped, and stood before the open side of the shed, and gazcd upon spectacle, which, as he said, was present before his eyes days afterwards, and haunted his sleep. We describe what he saw as he told us, only saying, that strange as the story may seem, full reliance can be placed upon lis words.
 There was not bed or chair in the shed, but stretched upon the bare ground lay tLe body of youngish looking wo- man, who had evidently just died. Her form was almost a perfect skeleton, yet the face was that of refined and beau tiful woman. On her breast lay an in- fant of about six months of age, with its mouth to the breast of it's mother, and dead. And sitting up in the 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 a girl about ten years old. She could not rise to her feet, and yet she was not sick. She was literally dying of starvation. By the side of the woman, and clasping her hand, lay man covered with blood and apparently in a 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 iD. The girl could not speak. but the man cried " water" in a feeble voice, and pointed to the girl as if to attract the strangers attention to her. The traveller, Mr. J.. of Cincinnati, hastensd away, taking with him a tin pan, and says he never ran harder in his life than he did about half a mlle to stream he had just passed.
 On his return. he found the man still alive, and gave him water, which he ea- gerly drank. He could then speak in whisper: He pointed to the girl and said" she's starving" Mir. J. gave the girl some water which appeared to revive her, and she tried to talk but could not. With much difficulty he learned frem the man that there was house 1 about mile distant, to which he hur> ried. On his arrival he found only a negro. While getting some provisions and hastening back with the man, the latter informed him that the cholera had broken out in the neighborhood, and the family owning him had left for the time being. He said the girl of the shed had daily made her appearance there for pro visions until three days back that the man and woman had been sick for long tune, &c. |
 On their return, the man was dying. and lived but an hour. The little girl was revived by food. and before they