Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-05-30
M5he1M1nnzAS.
rreREsom AJ.HAm,LTon

~ ee iSEWfHOM W Al. n n NJ L IN |
topeka, May %, '77.-Courier:: In
my last, written from Emporia, on
Monday, | expected to have reached
Sherman's body that day. did not,
however, get away from Emporia
until 5 p. m, Tuesday, and met the
east-bound train with the corpse at
Florence, which is about 100 miles
east of Ellinwood. 1 returned from
there, arriving here yesterday after
noon. Contrary to what / had heard,
the body was simply enclosed in an
ordinary wooden casket, and in bad
condition. had it taken to an un-
dertaker's and put in excellent shape
and enclosed in fine metallic casket,
the railroad company paying all ex-
penses, amounting to $500. saw the
body after it had been thoroughly
deodorized, and it was easily recog-
nizable.
have not seen nor heard Of the
Grays since l left home. I learned
that Byron Clark's injuries, though
painful, are in no sense dangerous,
and that he would be about soon.
saw the baggageman and two
other gentlemen who were in the
wreck, and talked at length with
them. The accident occurred be-
tween Z and s o'clock Friday even
ing, the 18th inst. It was growing
dusk, but not dark. The place where
it occurred was an embankment,
say fifteen feet high, across gulch.
There was no culvert. The tremen-
dous rains had collected body of
water in the gulch, which had risen
so as to run over the track, and this
had worn away the embankment
down to its full depth, for space of
about q rod. The rails and ties were
still lying, almost naturally, across
the chasm--not having fallen in-and
so the engineer was deceived until
he got so close upon it that it was
impossible to stop in time. The en-
CINE plunged in, and turned over ;
a rail went up through the tender,
hosting it and turning it clear over
to one side; next, the baggage car
dropped into the chasm, and the pas
senger car following telescoped the
baggage car. In this car it is sup
posed all the killed-three in number
were sitting. At all events, Sher-
man was in this car, beyond question.
Contrary to what 1 expected when
I learned by telegram the character
of his injuries, he was, at least by
times, sensible, and conversed with
his attendants. I suppose he COM
municated to the Grays his wishes,
but have learned nothing about it.
He suffered terribly, but all say he
bore up with remarkable fortitude.
For hours before he died he told
those around him that he could not
live, though the physicians endeavor.
ed to cheer him up. The fact is, his
head was so terribly crushed that il
is wonderful how he lived SO long,
or that he knew anything. The
Grays and Billy Carnes were in the
rear car, and received no injury.
There were, in all, four passenger
cars. Beyond Emporia the road runs
up the valley of the Cottonwood, and
the whole valley was under water
Even when 1 went out, on Tuesday
the water, in places, was running
over the track, though it had then
fallen many feet-I should say al
least six feet, some said twelve. Most
of the rains fell away to the north OF
the road, up the river, and came down
in sudden deluge, hence the sur.
prise to the officials of the road. The
train bearing the body east, on Tues
day, was the first one that got through
from the scene of the disaster. The
Lawrence dam went out last night,
and the whole state is flooded.
am weary, and cannot write more
now, and whatever of bungling reci-
tai there may be in this letter, please
overlook. OF the cause of this, my
melancholy errand,. the violent and
sudden death of one so young, SO
amiable, and SO promising, and as ii
were, of my own family, cannot
write. Nine years of most intimate
social relations in my home, has fixed
so indellibly upon the minds of my
self and mine, his image and pres
ence, that years alone can gradually
wear away our sorrow.
should say here, before closing,
that in my personal intercourse with
the officers and employees of the road
. have been most kindly treated.
A. II. HAMILTON.