West Feliciana sentinel. (St. Francisville, La.) 1876-1877, 1877-07-28

the blue sky abovc-thc calm waters
beneath--the lovliness of nature all
around, and moro than these, two fond
and loving hearts throbbing with mutual
hopes, all at once u terrific convulsion
rent the calmness of that balmy morning
"a convulsiOn that shook the house,
that cast us prostrate and stunned on
our knees, that filled the air with chok-
ing clouds of vapor, smoke and debris,
and forever darkened one happy homo at
least The boilers of the unfortunate
Silver Star had exploded. I cannot call
to mind distinctly, what occurred imme-
diatcly after, we We're too stunned and
frightened for Il few minutes to note any
thing. / remember shrieking and rushing
frantically back into the house, as all
did, all-except poor Lucille When we
had in some measure regained control OF
our senses, we sought her; there, OH the
balcony she still stood, one arm clasped
convulsively around a pillar, the hand OF
the other pressed to her heart as if to still
it's beatings; pale and rigid, every trace OF
color blarched from checks and lips, her
eyes distended and almost starting from
their sockets with horror, yet fixed on
the fatal scene. from whence the smoke
and vapor were slowly clearing away on
ly to reveal its horrors more distinctly.
We spoke to her; her mother clasped her
in her arms and called in anguish on her
name; her weeping sisters lavished every
term of endearment upon her, in vain,
II
ed her; like one of the statues that adoril-
ed the pleasure grounds below, as Shast-
ly, as motionless, as inanimate she re
mained. 1t was the calmness of despair,
the apathy of those whom hope has for
ever forsakcn. "If she could only weep,
it would relieve her,' said the kind
hearted old physician who was summon
ed. ''rhis state is more terrible than
the widest frenzy, in this condition L
fear for her reason" "My child. my
child" cried the poor mother, distracted
with grief, "speak to me, speak but one
word,n but she was deaf to all appeals.
Mr.. Delmar, his sons, the wedding
guests that had already commenced to
arrive and the hands from his, and the
adjoining plantations, were quickly at
| the scene of the disaster, striving to res
cue the few that yet survived, alas! they
| were but few, and to relieve the snlf2rlnTs
of the wounded. Poor young Harvey's
body was found some hours later on the
bank above where it had been hurled by
the force of the explosion ana scaldcd al
most beyond recognition. His sisters
| body was also found, but of the mother
no trace could be seen, doubtless she
sank with the hull of the boat In the
evening some one brought Il ark dress
and proposed changing it for the brida.
attire which Door Lucille still Wore, and
of which DO one had as yet thought of
disrobing her. Then, and not untilt then,
we detected Il change in her. When we
uupinucd the vail, the vail we had put
Oh her that morning i'll such joyous anti
cipaton Of happiness, she started and
jseemcd to become at once conscious OF
What we were doing, IL shiver, long,
lonw shuducr convulScd her whole
frame for Il moment, then suddenly
sprin~inm to her feet, with Il cry that
peals in my ears oven now, a cry L pray
God l may ne"cr, never, hear again, Sc
a~onized was it, rs if body and soul were
being wrenched apart, its blood-curd!in2
echo haunted me for years and years at
forwards, she seized the silken tissue in
one hand and with the other snatched
the orange wreath from her head, faded
it was. but fragrant still, and threw both
under her feet, then tossing her white
arms wildly in the air she shriekcd
"Bripr the black vail, the black vail, fiji
garb for me now, you would have me be-
lieve it was sent through mistake, how
could have known thon, that everythin:
was black, black, black around me-" an'
again that awful cry, pealed through
the room ending in shrieks of trenzie'
laughter, the laughter of maniac. How
we lived through that terrible night
1 know not. Tho poor mother, frantic
with grief, could render us no assistance
the weeping, shuddering sister and awe
struck servants fed from the scene of suf
ferinm. Down stairs the hall and parlor
rcsembled Il no'ync, so many dead bodle
were stretched out on hastily constructe'
bicrs. Up stairs that poor girls mania
shriels echoing on the night air, all mad
up such q night of horror, that were l t.
live n thousand years l could never forget
Itreouired al ofMr Dclmar's strength an
that of his two sons to control poor Lucille
she was so frantic, and for several month
following she was as violent, gradual
however, she became as you see her now