The Osceola times., 1882-05-27
A CROP OF MISFORTUNES.
The Death of Soldier In the Civil War
And the Long Train OF Troubles
That Befell HIS Family.
New York Herald.


New York Herald.
The application of young woman Il
search the records of the Charity Hospit
al, on Blackwells Island, fer information
regarding the death of her relatives re
veals family history that for trials and
misfortunes has scarcely an equal. The
applicant is the daughter of asoldier who
was killed in the battle Of Gettysburg
July 3, 1868. He left widow and foul
children to mourn his loss in this city
The eldest child was girl Of eleven
years and the youngest an infant in the
cradle. The news of the fathers death
did not reach the family, but receiving
no word nor remittances from him they
concluded that he had been killed. II
was during the period that records were
imperfectly kept and it was with diff.
Guilty that any tidings could be received
in this city of those who did OF did not
"bite the dust" The little savings the
mother had boarded together soon
dwindled away, and there was no re.
source left but to 90 out to work and
earn sufficient to keep life and soul to.
gether. This the widow did, leaving the
little ones under the care Of the eldest
1t was during her absence from home
one day that two Of her children were
spirited away; the one bright little lad
four years of age, and the other pretty
blonde child named Julia, who was but
two years old. Upon the mothers re-
turn she found the eldest weeping in a
corner of the room and unable to explain
the absence of her young brother and
sister. The children could scarcely have
left home themselves, and the mother al
once came to the conclusion that they
had been kidnapped. That night the
police stations from end of the city To
the other were searched by the distract.
ed mother, but no trace OF the children
could be found. The mother worried SC
after the lost ones that she was hardly
fit for further work, and spent most OF
her time securing the streets with the
hope of catching glimpse of them some
where.
In the month Of July, 1864, Mrs. Muir.
ply, together with her oldest daughter
Catherine, were stricken down with ty.
phus fever and conveyed to Bellevue
Hospital. The day following the widow
died. and as her corpse was being remov-
ed from the building, two of her sister
were carried in suffering from the same
disease. Catherine Murphy, the child
was transferred from the hospital to the
fever hospital on Blackwell's Island, and
the records there show that she was dis
charged in September of the same year
The two aunts, who we're also transferred
to the Island, claimed, however, that
Catherine died and was buried there
but no such records can be found in the
Bureau of Vital Statistics. The aunts re-
covered from the fever, but both of them
died some years a,o from other com
plants. In the meantime the little in
fant who had been left behind during
the trouble, was taken in charge by a
relative until the aunts were discharged
from the hospital and returned to Their
homes. There they cared for the child
and, as she grew up, taught her to be
lieve that both her mother and sister had
died on the Island. Presently the child's
benefactors died, but she had grown ur
and was able to care for herself. A short
time ago she was made acquainted with
the fact that she was entitled to pen.
sion, and sought the services Of Edwin p
Brook, a lawyer, to procure the same fol
her II was necessary first for the girl
10 establish the death Of the other mem.
hers of the family before she could file q
petition for pension and bounty, and II
was in making these researches that she
discovered the fact of her sister being
alive. A transcript of the mothers death
Mrs. Mary +. Murphy, WIS secured, but
there are three children's whereabouts
yet TO be accounted for.