Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-11-18

ing Account in Detail of one of the
that ever Occurred-A Terrible His
tory, More Wonderful than ko.
nance.
correspondent writing from PaoIi, Indiana,
says: Should live to be a hundred years Old,
the horrible scene witnessed BY Inc on SATURDAY
last will never be effaced from my m ,mOry. |
see II before me now, and since that day have
been haunted ever since in dreams by of
uptu' ned faces and anguished ewes, straining
to watch in its descent through the air the body
OF human being, which in few seconds was
dashed, mangled and bleeding, upon the earth
at my feet. would have written of il before,
but the sight so unstrung my nerves that WAS
rendered utterly incapable even of collectingmy
thoughts, much less OF putting on paper DELHI
crate account of the facts in the case To see
man whom scarcely a minute before had spo-
Ken to "a a friend, jerked up into the clouds and
then hurried down again, his hair streaming
wildly behind him, like that of Lucifer hurled
over the battle mt nts OF demonstrating falling,
whirled, doubled up, and then spread out, MS
arms apart, as If rushing to embrace death,
might well unstring the strongest nerves; and
when TO this are added the agOniZed cries of the
dying mans wife as she clutched nv arm and
shrieked: "My God my God! will he die?" l
wonder that even yet, with these things in my
mind, L am able to record what l heard, felt,
and saw.
You have doubtless received by telegraph a
brief dispatch telling how Professor Wilbur, the
wel-kGOwn aeronaUt, fell while attempting TO
climb into his balloon and how he was killed,
but facts so meager are but an aggravation. L
II
CURED. The Agricultural Association of this
county had been holding its annual fair for
some days, and no greater interest attached to
II than Is commonly connected with such eXhi-
billions OF the industrial products of large AMI
hourishing community. The farmers came in
their wagons, bringing with them their wives
and daughters, all dressed in a gorgeous array
as their circumstances would permit. The large
pumpkins and enormous squashes, the new
patent churn and washing machine, and the
country boys Longing about and gazing in OPEN
vnl I'M N r.4nNl ar
who displayed with all the elOIGence OF a Cicero
his lnfalible tOOthache eradicator, received their
due share of attention, and before long the
interest in the fair was on the wane. But il had
been announced that on Saturday, the last day
of the exhibition. Professor Wilbur, the great
American aerOnaut, would make an ascent in
his balloon, as he had done one week before
at croydon. 1t Is not often that the inhab-
ltants OF Orange county have an opportunity of
witnessing such sight, and, curiosity being on
up-toe, II Is not to be wondered at that when
Saturday arrived the fair ground was full almost
TO suffocatiOn, while on tile outside of the en-
closure great crowd had assembled to witness
the flight OF the great ship OF the air. Itwas the
gayest day OF the week; everybody was in holt
day dress, the girls looked their prettIest the
farmers their forid, and the country beaus we're
be-neckted and invested i'm colors wing NOT
only with the rainbow, but with the utmost
powers OF anoline. The center OF attraction was,
oil course, the iHcl0sed space where the balloon
was to be inflated, about which gathered an
eager crowd, looking ut everything connected
with the expected event, studying the ropes
peering about to find where the gas was to come
from, and Fostering the amabe professor with
ques iions "a to how the gas was made, what
made the balloon go up, and other things of the
sUrt. The professor laughed good naturedIy
eNrianlns as much as possible, and everybody
was Jolly in the anticipation OF witnessing that
to the m most unusual OF things-a balloon as
cension.
AT about o'clock IN the afternoon the inha-
ton of the balloon was commenced, and as the
bag swelled out almost to bursting and strup.
gled TO be free, everybody was on the gut rtre
those remote fIom the spot straning their necks
climbing into carriages, and even upon the
fences to see the car. 1t had been Announced
that the editor OF the Orange County Union
would accompany Professor Wilbur in hisascent
ana great things were expected from the report
which his well-known ability as a descriptive
writer gave every reason to believe would be
forthcoming in the next issue OF his newspaper
l was standing beside the professor, Laughing
and holding necessarily dlsjOnted converse.
ton with him. tor he was busy with prepar ations
for his Hight He had just nodded his head and
said laughingly, well. gOod-by, old fellow. I'll
into the car, and the professor, who had hold
OF the rope fastened the car to the body of the
balloon, shouted LET go." But he had spoken
too soon and was unable TO reach the car, but |
still unWisely kept the rope in his hand and en-
deavOred To climb to his place, succeeding only
50 far AS to get one arm over the rim of the baS
ket, where lac hung dangling and struggling His
motions and the fact that the basket came i'm con-
tact with rope which had fastened the balloon
10 the earth while t was being inflated upset the
ground, and MIR. Knapp fell stunned to the
ground. But there was no time for caring for |
him now for terror held everybody spell bound
A shout OF admiration went up from those who
were too far distant from the scene to know what
an accident had befallen the adventurous and
who supposed that the ascent was being made
sans eoEtTetemps But to those in the immediate
vicinity OF the ear the sight was an awful one,
and Tor a moment everybody seemed paralvzed
with terror, and stood rooted to the spot without
ntteTing cry or word. The balloon lightened by
q n I'd ,r;tb i
fully increased velocity, and a scream of terror
which chilled the blood Ofthe hearers came down
from the upper air, where the doomed aeronaut
hung utterly hopeless of escaping death. At NV
side stood a woman who, as / afterward heard
was the Professors wife. Her eyes were bursting
from their sockets, and her face pallid and
CHASTITY with fear She clutched the air as il for
and with one hand grasped nv arm
still looking upward at the balloon which,
swifter than an arrow, shot through the air. I'd,
up, II went, growing smaller and smaller in it,
flight, and then, with increased velocity il gave
a sudden start and shot yet faster towards the
clouds.
Then a speck was seen far up in the air, grow
ing larger and larger rs it fell. 80, my God,
cried the woman, who clung to me with iron
grasp, she will die-he will be killed., Vet
her eyes remain fixed upon the falling body. At
first it seemed like the stick OF a rocket coming
down with the speed OF light; then il was doubled
up like ball, then seemed TO unfold and whirl-
ing about with gyratOry motion, with hands and
legs spread out. 1t seemed an age while the man
Was falling, for before he loOsened his grasp the
balloon must have been at least a mile froIl the
earth-and what an age to the poor wife who
watched her husband rushing toward her and
death with the speed OF light When about
half a mile from the ground his body ceased its
gyTatory motion, assumed a perpendicular posi- |
ton. and came down head first 1t struck the |
earth some distance from us, and then re-
bounded, falling within a few feet of where il |
struck. Then, from paralyZing fear. the crowd |
broke forth into shrieks OF terror, women ran |
wildly about screaming and actually tearing
their hair, and rush was made for the spot |
where the man had struck the ground. There |
was an indcntatiOn not less than eight or ten |
inches deep, and filed with blood and brains |
which had burst from the skull when, like a |
cannon bali let drop from an immense height il
crushed into the earth. The dead man wa
then taken up and carried to the Albert House |
where the poor wife, who had often safely trav-
eTsed tina air with her husband, cared for it,
Literary Pair.