The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-08-19
From the Herald.
AT THE MORGUE,

AT THE MORGUE.
Into the Morgue went the crowd of
old and young, gray-headed men and
aged women, men in the prime of life
and girls scarce past their teens. As a
friend would be recognized among the
bodies loud waiiings would break forth:
muttered ordinations Of grief and
terms OF endearment would fall from
the lips of father, who exerted all his
powers OF manhood to hide his grief: q
bfOken-hearted wife or mother would
give loud vent to her grief and call in
agonized terms for one word in re-
Spouse from her darling one, now cold
and stiff in the embrace OF death
As soon as the bodies were recog
nized they were. removed to the dead
house and yard aud enclosed in the
rude pine collins, now stained with tie
blood which had dropped from the
gaping wounds Of more than one pre-
vious tenant. In this yard the scene
was narrowing IN the extreme Friends
and relatives who had not yet seen the
remains, recognized already by some
member OF the family, sought eagerly
among the collins piled up there for
the remains of some relative or friend.
When their tremulous hands, remov-
ing the cover, disclosed to view the ia
mIiiar features OF the one they had
last seenin the full possession Of health
and yIgoT, the sobs of hardy men and
tie ShTleks of women filled the air and
caused strong men whose natures had
become hardened by SUGGESTIONS OF
sad sights to turn their heads away and
wipe off the unaccustomed moisture
from their checks.
Some of the bodies were calm and
placid looking, seemingly sleeping,
save for the death foam unwiped from
their lips, while others We're fearfully
scared and burned, some almost past
recognition.
As the two bodies of Louisa Elsasaer
aged louryears, and her brother George.
aged fifteen Years, were picked out
from amongthe others their uncle and
several other relatives hung teuderly
over their bodies, particularly that OF
the baby, which was sadly burned, and
in loving accents called upon them,
Louisa. mein Gott, O. Louisa :" and
then the utterance became clicked with
tears, and as their frames shook with
anguish the silent, deep-seated grief, SO
strongly marked upon then honest
German faces, will not 50 soon be for
gotten by those present.
Next came an old Irishwoman, ac-
companied by a policeman and one or
two others, looking for family of four
"a father and wife and two little ones
several coffin lids being raised At
al, r., l., 1,
search, or, rather, two Of them-Mrs
Smith and Annie Smith, q child ofnine
years OF thereabouts. Pen cannot de
pict or convey an idea of the uncer-
tainty SO plainly to be seen upon their
countenauces us, under the direction
OF some klud-hearted employee they
hurriedly sought the hospital wards,
trusting that they might there find the
other two
In one Of the wards, tossing upon the
bed, swathed in cooling bandaoes, they
found the little infant of nine months,
but the father, Bernard Smith, could
not be found. Then their uncertainty
gave way to dread despair, and with
hearts bowed down by weight Of
woe . they left to seek tidings OF him
elsewhere
The heavy, death like smell prevail
ing around the dead-house and yard,
where 50 many bodies were, was almost
empowering, and to many who had
looked frequently upon death before,
it became almost more than they could
bear, particularly when was added to
the other influences the outspoken
grief and passionate outbursts Of be-
reaved friends.
Professor James r. Wood, so well
known at Bellevue Hospital College
and throughout this city, said to the
writer of this article-''In all my expe-
rience here, and it embraces some
thirty years, l have never seen any
thing like this; it has moved me as
nothing of the kind has ever moved me
before.
A NJ T. II I. 4.