Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1850-09-06
OF ADVERTISING.
A Tale OF Horror,

! w ME travelling couple Oh weeks since,
we heard from the lips of friend, one of
the most heart>rending recitals we have lis
tened 10 for a long time. He was put off
from steamboat at or near Wolf Island,
about twenty five miles below the mouth of
the Ohio, for the purpose of collecting
debt from a man living about five miles
back in the country, 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.
Get "cabin" would not describe the place of
habilation, for such il proved to be. 1t was
little dilapidated she'd, 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 occupied. Wishing to inquire
his road, he stopped, and stood before the
open side of the shed, and gazed upon
spectacle. which, as he said, was present
before his eyes days afterwards, and haun-
ted him in 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 his words.
There was not bed or chair in the shed.
but stretched upon the bare ground lay the
body of a youngish looking woman, who
had evidently just died. Her form was al
most perfect skeleton, yet the face was
that of refined and beautiful woman.-
On her breast lay an infant of about six
months old, with its mouth to the breast of
its mother, and dead. And sitting up in
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 raise 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 a man covered with blood and apparent
ly 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
in. 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 at
tention to her. The traveller, Mr.. j., of
Cincinnati, fastened, away, taking with
him tin pan, and says he never ran harder
in his life than he did 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 pointed
to the girl and said--Sshes starving" Mr.. J.
gave the girl some water, which appeared to re-
vive her, and she tried to talk, but could not
With much difficulty he learned from the man
that there was house about mile distant, to
which he hurried. On his arrival there, he found
only a negro. While getting some provisions,
and Fastening back with the man, the latter in
formed him that the cholera broke out in the
neighborhood, 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 long
time, &c. On their return, the man was dying,
and lived but an hour The little girl was re-
vived by food, and before they took her away
could talk. She said she had been sick herself,
and could not walk to the house for food, and
that her mother died the day previous, and the
baby about the same time-and that her father
had tried to kill himself when they died. 1t was
| horrid. The child was taken to the house, and
the rest of the unfortunate family buried. The
child afterwards stated her name was Mary Will
liams and Mr.. ]. thought from what he could
gather, the family had formerly lived in New AL
bany, but in what New Albany he could not as
certain, more than as the child said, there were
great many houses, and it was evidently New
Albany, N. Y. The negro said the family had
| been there several weeks and came directly af-
ter his master had left. AS there was not
family in the neighborhood, the person having
also gone whom Mr.. ]. wished to see, the girl
who was sick and exhausted was left with the
negro, who promised faithfully to attend her
Yet there was but little hopes of her recovery.
| 1t has never been our misfortune to hear more
horrible tale of reality than this.-Euansrile
! (Ia.) Journal.