The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-03-02
4 CiIILD'S AGONY.
Affecting Incident oI the Catastrophe In
Cincinnati.

Affecting Incident oG the Catastrophe /,
| Cincinnati.
Decidedly the most affecting after
scenes which the catastrophe gavcrisc to
were to he witnessed in the antc.room
Of the second floor Of the opcr-hou,c, t,
which the bodies Of four Of the dead ha,
been removed, In the first Of thcS
rooms, at the southwest corner of th,
building, were stretched on the floor til,
bodies Of Aanic May Runzi and Frcdcr
lex l.occh while in the next room lay
the corpscs Of Harry White and Hattie
! Leslie. In the front room there were
none but curiosity--cckcrs present It
view the melancholy sight, but in the
rear room half an hour after the panic, Il
scene was enacted that brought tears to
the eyes Of every man in the room.
Mr. Leslie, the father of the dead girl,
had been hastily summoned from his
place of business at the corner OF Fourth
and Race streets, and when he entered the
room the first person he encountered was
his little cight.yclrold son, who was
wringing his hands in an agony of grici
by the side of his sisters corpse One
look at the remains suiliCcd to prove to
the trembling father that it was indeed
his child, and then with lervcntly ut
tered "My God, that hctokcncd the
overwhelming grief with which the sight
had inspired him, he began weeping and
fell into a chair, as helpless rs the boy
that stood beside him. As the little fell
low noticed the terrible effect the sight
produced upon his father, he burst into
a fresh fit of weeping, and fell upon his
knees before hi, parent, with the cXcla-
nation, "Oh, father, ! was always good
to her, wasn't I?'
You wa', my son. was all the pa
rent could reply for an instant, and then
the hoy said;
Father, | tried to save her, pull
ed two little girls out of the crowd my
self, and then got Hattie in my arms,
when a big, heavy man came along and
knockcdhcr away from mcand trampcd
ON her.
Then followed another dcIugc of tears,
and the parent upon recovering said
My son She was the only onc!'
"lcs, father" replied The boy, "but
she is in heaven. She was 80 good that
! know she must he there, and and
oh, | can never be happy again without
her"
"Ycs my son, answered the father
with desperate attempt to appear re
signed, "shc has gone to another and a
better place ~
"Oh, Gathcr,' then cried the boy,
"what will mother say when she hears
of this?'
This question caused the parent such
anguish as to again throw him into
paroxysm Of gricf during which he
walked the floor with his hands cIaSpcd
to his forehead, and never dared to
glance at the spot where, in plain attire,
with muil' and gloves resting upon her
bosom and an expression Of peace ON her
countcnancc, lay the child who hut an
hour before had been rejoicing at the
treat which she owed to his affection.
The boy meanwhile, with an carncstncSs
that was pitiabIc in its tcrvcncy, picd
the hy,tandcrS with questions a, to how
his sister had looked when they found her
body; whether she had worn an cXprcs-
sion Of pain or whether the position IN
which She was found indicated that
she had expired speedily and without
suffering.
Mr.. Leslie, unable longer to bear the
sccnc and deeply affected by his sons
conduct, said Come, my boy, We will
90. Thank God that you, at least, are
spared to me- As they started from
the room the hoy broke away from his
father, and, rushing through the crowd,
cried out: "l.ct me see her again; let
me see my sister, Then, aS room was
made for him, he knclt at the side OF
hi, dead playmate, and looked long and
in her face, as if he could not
realize it was death he saw imprinted
there. lie was weeping violently now,
and as the tears rolled forth they
fell upon the pallid face that never more
could brighten in recognition of his ai-
fcctionatc tenderness. Suddenly he
cried Tct me kiss her. then knclt
lower, and pressed his lips 10 those
of the dead Il dozen times, Whlle lie
murmured ooh! Hattie,
Hattiew
Mr.. Leslie at last took the boy gently
by the arm and led him unresistingly
away. As he did this the son between
his sobs cried, "Oh, father, when kissed
her her lips were so cold" Just at this
time Mr.. White, the father of the dead
boy, whose body was lying in the room
also, came in and as he pressed forward
to gaze on the remains, the crowd in the
room intervcned between Leslie and his
son and the form of her they held 50
dear. Instantly the boy was on his feet,
and rushing forward, arranged his sister ;
clothes so as to cover her completely aud
then cried out, Father, have you got Z
handkerchief to put over sisters face?
The handkerchief was handed him, he
adjusted it carefully and was then lifted
upon his fathers knee, where he wept As
if his heart was broken.