The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-02-18
EBENsBURG, PA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY IS, 1871.

cold and feeling Clara shiver, went and
got shawl from the adjoining room, and
threw ii carefully over the poor girls
shoulders.
'Do not give way to your fears, 1 ex~
claimed in her ear, the only way | could
make my words distinguishable above the
awful roar; ''the storm is doubtless at its
height, and will soon abate"
She grasped my hand nervousl7, but
made no reply. Some time after this my
friend, Mr. Palmer, came hurrying inso
the apartment, his pale face and CULVER
ing lips clearly expressing his fears.
This IS terrible!'' he exclaimed; 'ster-
ribe. Already the house rocks, and
| fear it will soon be down with crash.
buryiRg US under its ruins :"
lie was Immediately followed by his
wife, leading two children, boys of seven
and ten. She touered TO seat, sank
| down, and began to cry and wiring her
| hands in hopeless despair the children
screaming in terror and clingng to her
for protection.
Clara now got up, staggered forward,
and threw her arms around her neck
The mex; minute the eldest born, lad of
seventeen, accompanied by his sister, two
years younger, rushed into the apartment :;
and the girl, with loud cry, Immediately
ran to her mother, knelt down by her side,
and buried her face in her lap. 1t was
pitlful sight, tina; group Of five-four cling
ing to one as if their only hope, in that
dreadful hour, and she herself utterly
Frustrated and as helpless as an infant
During the next quarter of an hour the
servants, to the number of ten, all negroes.
made their appearance, crying, and look
ing as if they feared their last minute had
come. All drew together for sympathy,
and all met there in the time of tribula-
| tlon as equals before God. With horri-
ble death staring all alike in the face, how
| little is thought of the distinction Of race
or color! Who, with dread eternity
! opening before him, dare claim superiority
over his fellow worms of the dust
Still the wind increased in fury, and
! the house trembled and shook in the most
frightIul manner. Suddenly the western
! wall fell in upon US with a crash, the CELL
! ings came down in fragments, the light
was instantly eXtinguished, the wind
swept over us with an awful power, and
whlried US about among the ruins as a
child might have knocked about It's toys
No description can do justice to such a
scene, and imagination itself must fall far
short Of TIE horrible reality
For myself | had been hurled back
into one corner, and found q human body
resting heavily upon me- / heard wild
shrieks, thought of Clara, and attempted
to use. AT that moment a flash of lights
nin9 showed ne it was negro who had
fallen against me; and putting my hand
to his head l made the awful discovery
that part Of 1t acas gone-having, as |
atterward conjectured, been carried away
by falling beam. The man was dead.
and probably never knew what hurt him.
AS soon as possible, | got out from under
him but the wind blew with such vio-
lence that could not keep my feet, and
was obliged to move about on my hands
and knees. | had been considerably
bruised, but was not seriously hurt and
| now endea|ored to find Clara, and rem
der what assistance I could to the living.
The rain was falling in torrents, and
against which we had DO protection, for
the whole house was a mass of ruins
Only by the frequent flashes of lightning
could we see anything for during the
intervals the darkness was impenetrable
L succeeded in reaching the group have
mentioned as clinging together, and found
Mrs. ralmer, three of her children, and
Clara, surrounded by, may say wedged
! traU nf h,t oil
living and only injured by bruises no
worse than nay own. Their escape from
instant death, all Of them. seemed little
less than miracle. Fearing there might
be no safer place for them than where
they were, advised them to remain there
for the time but as Mrs. Palmer was
nearly distracted about her husband and
son. who had not been seen or heard from
since the fall of The building | continued
my exploration among the debris as well as
possible, being in constant danger from
the shifting fragments, and seeing only by
the lightning's glare.
Throughout that long, terrible night, the
wind increased in fury till near morning
and it is surprising that any life was pre-
served. | did not succeed in finding those
| sought but discovered two more dead
bodies of the blacks, and two others serl
ously injured, to whom | could render nj
assistance whatever. l also came upor
: two others-female servants-who were
crouched down together, and did not ap
pear to be injured, but who were SO stupi
fled with fear that could get 10 intellieen
answer from them.
In attempting to return to Mrs. Palme
, and Clara, as | WAS clambering over
pile of rubbish, the wind suddenly caugh
, me up from the ground, whirled me rounc
and round, carried me distance of owe
two hundred yards, and then deposited
me as gently on the earth as | could hav
! put down child. | was SO completed,