Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-03-30

ceeding, until an entrance could not
be effected by the door way. Then a
doorway was cut through the gable end
of houses for the beseiged to crawl in
to to &c, shelter beneath their own
roofs. until finally the flood rose to a
height that shut of this meagre refuge.
Such cases as these apply to the poorer
classes, whose scanty means compelled
them to remain in their own houses as
long as possible. There was
NOT A HOUSE IN THE PLACE
that was not submerged in from three
to ten feet of water. All the business
houses suffered considerable loss of
goods. One or two of them attempted
to keep their trade going while they
sold goods from platform high above
the tops Of their counters. Dunaway
q Co, proprietors of a large drug
house, were heavy losers. A great
deal OF the cattle had been shipped
away by rail, but some fifteen or
twenty head belonging to different
parties were saved by keeping them
on floating platform. Mr.. Dickson,
large planter near there, lost several
head Of cattle and hogs and a mule.
Mr.. Lewis and his family were in a
two story frame, which he had pro
cured through a colored man, Harry
Smith, who has been boarding the
railroad men of the town.
off it had not been for that colored
man and the railroad boys 1 don't
know what we would have DONE" said
Mr.. Lewis. "They furnished us with
money and provisions when we hadn't
a cent, and 1 wasn't able to move off
my bed. One of the saddest incidents
Of Arkansas City was the drowning of
colored man and his wife. They
were compelled to abandon their house
and were fsrrying their goods to the
depot in dug-out. One load had
been transported in safety. Then they
took their two children and left them
in care Of neighbor while last trip
was being made to get the remainder
OF their worldly effects. The lew
little household articles were loaded
into the canoe when a violent rain and
wind storm set in just as they were
leaving, capsizing the boat and drown
ing both man and wife. Their bodies
were found few days afterwards and
were buried on mound near by"
1t was not before the waters began
to fall that Mr.. Lewis embraced an CD
portunity to embark for st. Louis on
the steamer Providence. On the way
up they rescued a man and wife. with
their three children, who had taken
refuge on the railroad at Catfish Point,
THE ONLY DRY SPOT OF LAND
above water for fifty miles around.
They hadn't thing but their clothing:
even their bedding was lost in the flood.
Their greatest loss was probably team
Of horses, that had been carried away
by the current which cut through the
levee at that place.
Mr.. Lewis spoke in very compliment
tary terms of the kind treatment he
had received from the officers of the
Providence, who furnished him with
money 10 pay the rent in advance for
the miserable shelter with which he is
provided. Being a stranger in the
city, he was at great trouble to find the
place he did. In search of information
he called at the mayors Office, where
ne met Mr.. McGrew, but this official.
from the preachers account, not only
failed to give him civil answer, but
opened TRADE Of abuse on the unfor.
tunate refugee, whom he mistook for
beggardly tramp. In his present stu
alton Mr.. Lewis seeks health and en-
ployment to relieve his distress, rather
than charity.