The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-08-10
A 'Cale or Horror.

Tale or Horror.
While travelling a couple weeks since, we
heard from the lips of a friend one of the
most heart-rending recital: we have listened
to for 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 a debt
from man living about five miles back in
the country, on the Missouri side, we think.
With carpet bag in his hand. he had fol-
lowed narrow path abou. three miles, when
he came across a small cabin. Yet "cabin
would not describe the place Of habtaiion,
Tor such it proved to be. 1t was 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 occupied
Wishing to inquire his road, he stopped, and
stood before the open side of the shed, and
gazed upon a spectacle, which as he said was
present before his eyes days alterward, 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 his words.
There was not bed or char 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 almost a
perfect skeleton, yet the face was that of a
refined and beautiful woman. On her breast
lay an infant of about six months age, with
its mouth 10 the breast Of lis 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 il. 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
starvation. BY the side of the woman, and
clasping her hand, lay a man covered with
blood and apparently in dying state. Add
to this the filth ofte room and the hali-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 IL feeble voice, and
pointed to the girl as if to attract the stran-
gers attention 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 a
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" she's starving" Mr.. J. gave
the girl some water, which appeared 10 re-
vve 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 neighborhood. and The
family owning him had lcii for The time being
He said the little girl of the shed had daily
made her appearance there .or 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
revived 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 previ-
Gus, and the baby about the same time-and
that her father had tried TO Kill himself whel
they died. 1t was horrij. The child was
taken to the house. and the rest of the unior-
tunate 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 ascer-
tain. more than Us the child said, there were
great many houses there. and 1t was evil
IDENTIFY New Albany, n. \. 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 person having also gone whom Mr.. J.
wished to see, the girl who was sick and ex-
hausted was left with the negro. who prom
ised faithfully to attend her. Yet there were
but little hopes other recovery. lthas never
been our misfortune TO hear more horrible
tale Of reality than this.
HUsHED UF.-Some time since we men,
E.,t t1..f e