The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1879-10-25

"One dark, rainy night, after the man
had laid out there alone nigh onto
year, Frank Rays freight run into q
washout, down the road there by the
Glen brook culvert. Twas in Freeman's
wife's kitchen that evenin' q warmin'
my hands, and she was tellin' me that
the unfortinit stranger was mighty un-
easy for some time, that he had been
lookin' into her windows off and on all
the evenin' till come in. There he is
now, poor feller,' said she, but look
ed and didn't see nothin', of course.
Jest then Frank Rays engine come
shriekin' into the yard.
/" 1t seemed that the machine ran
over the break safely, but the cars went
down through and piled up promiscus'
enough. The conductor and two brake
men was killed, and two passengers
that was in the caboose, probably. That
was all the passengers there happened
to be on that night. They always
brought up more or less that had missed
the young owl down below. Twas q
dretful sad time. My wife went down
to the wreck with the wives of the men
that was killed, and there when the ca
boose was righted up. There, quite dead
in one corner of the short blue car,
holdin' her pooty baby girl to her heart,
was as handsome and pure-faced, gold
en-haired little English woman as l
ever sat eyes on. with q smile restin' on
her sweet face as If she had been q co.,
in with her last breath to the baby who
was smilin' back at her.
"My wife laid 'em out as decently as
she could in the freight-house Office,
Jest where the poor dead man had laid
land what do you thinkp She found
pinned into the bosom of the little moth
er's dress an old purse with = few small
silver pieces and letter dated at Brack-
enboro full year and half afore. l
know that letter, too, by heart-that
part ont that wasn't directions for her
about comm to Brackenboro. It said,
Dear Alice: Praise God, I've got here
all safe, and please God I'll soon have .
home TO. thee and the baby. Comfort
the old grandfather and tell him he
shall come to us by and by and sing the
songs of merry England to the children,
and that when l get a home l win set
out willow tree by the door for the
sake of the old home in England The
poor, bad written, SLED letter was sign
ed: Your faithful and loving husband,
John Leigh
"I was as weak as rat when l first
read it, and my wife said it was the true
love in the poor young husbands heart
that heart which was then but hand
full of dust-that drew this sweet, CON-
slant little wife straight to him; that
God in his great kindness would not
leave her to face 80 great q disappoint-
ment, 80 he gave her and the baby .
quick, painless death and joyful meet
ing in heaven. Wal, in the face of the
fact that 1 knew we'll enough the wom-
ans name, the coroner's jury brought q
verdick of unknown woman killed, nor
no fault of the road as before, and we
made grave up there in the white
sand and laid her in it with her baby on
her breast to sleep aside of the man that
had not doubt in my heart was her
husband"
"An' Uncle Sammy prayed bootiful,
too, for the tree souls that had all gol
home at last. I've heard Brislin say 80
Tho was my father" put in the square
little girl, .eegerly.s "That was my
ooosy agm' s9ele Dsin no min.s.sL,
reRned Inc oi9 sta.aon-sgeu.' nu%oy
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otner one, ana maos y NY uu'ys 'vo
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tree OF ,Ie'r own grown" oSo1 ON
alee. al.
snow man. saao uncie sammy
drawing 3 long Oleasn, an sals W
told ye serange ss.anss'
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