Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-08-26
A TALE OF HORROR.

While travelling a couple of weeks since, we
heard from the lips ola friend one OF the most
heart-rending recitals we have listened TO for a
long time He was put off from steamboat at
or near Wolf Island, about rs miles below the
mouth of the Ohio, for the purpose OF collecting
debt from man living about five miles back
in the country, on the Missouri side, we think.
With a carpet bag in his hand, he had followed
A narrow path about three miles, when he came
across small cabin Yet 'cabin" would not
describe the place of habtation, for such it prov
ed to be. 1t was little dlapdated 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
him that il was occupied Wishing to inquire
! his road he stopped, and stood before the open
side OF the shed, and aazed upon spectacle,
which. as he said, was present to his eyes days
afterward, and haunted his sleep. We describe
what he saw, as he told us, only saying that
stlange as the story may seem, full reliance can
be placed OIL his words.
There was not bed Or chair in the shed, but
stretched upon the bare ground lay the body OF
youthful looking woman, who had evidently
lust died. Her form was almost perfect skee-
ton vel the face was that of a refined and beau
iiful woman On her breast lay an infant about
six months old, with lis mouth 10 the breast OF
its mother, and dead And sitting up i'll cor
ner OF the So, and staring the traveller III the
face with l5zed eyes, was hat he thought an
other corpse. but life was yet III it. The Inquire
was that of a girl; apparently about ten years OF
age. She could not rise to her feet, and yet she
was no, sick. She was literally dying of star
walton! By the side Of the woman, and clasp
ing her hand lay man covered with blood and
in dying state. Add to this the
filth of the room and the halt 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
'swatel' in feeble voice, and pointed TO the
girl as if to attract the strangers attention to
her. The traveller, Mr. j., of Cincinnati, has
tened away, taking with him tin pan, and
says he never ran harder in his lie than he did
about half a mile TO a small stream he had pass
ed 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-"she's sarving.o Mr.. j..
gave the girl some water, which appeared to re-
viTe her, aud 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 ne found
only negro.
While getting some provisions: and fastening
back with the man, the latter informed HIM
mat the CHOierd nau broken our iii tids HelSH
bcrhood, and the family owning him had left
for the time being. He S: id 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 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 Ii
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
Williams, and Mr.. J. thought from what 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 ev-
identity 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 a family in the neighborhood, the per-
son having also gone whom Mr. J. wished to see,
the girl, who was sick and exhausted was left
with the negro, who promised faithfully to at
tend to her. Yet there were but little hopes of
her recovery. 1t has never been our misfortune
to hear more horrible tale of reality than this.
Evansuule Ia.] Journal.