St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-01-27
A HERO OF THE FLOODS.

Nowhere throughout the overfIL wed
river bottoms Of the West did the de-
vastat NO Gods of 1881 come upon peo-
pie with such calamitous swiftness, or
cover the country to such depths, as in
the valley of the far-reaching and snow
fed Missouri. Long and b tterly remem-
bered by hundreds, whose homes were
swept away with scarce a moment $
warning, will be the icy overflow Of that
calamitous season.
From all its numerous tributaries,
from the trickling rills of the snow
capped mountains to the broad and
sluggish river Platte. the bands of ice,
suddenly loosed, letforth watery torrents
toswell the mightier river, till itpoured
down to the Mississippi with a destruc-
tive haste that has never been witnessed
before
Many tired farmer who went to his
rest alter hard days work, and
dreamed for time. perchance, of
grow ng crops and abundant harvests as
the result OF his labors, arc e to find his
farm a watery waste, the angry river
already at his very door, and his live.
stock sWading and swimming distracted
~ about amid hoating masses of ice,
brnshwood and the debris of other
inundated farms above. In vain he
sought to save bis horses; his cattle, or
his household goods; it was often all
he could do to save en- his wife and
little ones. -
Upon broadaRd well cultivated farm
on the Nebraska side Of the Missouri
there liVe1 tamil named Wilson, in
frame house that stood in grove of
large but scattered trees near the bank
OF the stream.
Cultivated fields and well-feneed stock
pastures extended back across the inter-
Wales. The soil was dark and extreme
ly fertile, the land lying but little above
high-Water mark, on which account the
spring freshets always caused Mr.. Will
son considerable uneasiness. The old
est settlers Whereabouts, howe ser, had
never known this tract to be entirely
covered; and this, with Mr.. Wilson's
own experience. had. as the years went
by, considerably lessened his first mis-
e wings.
Therefore the great flood Of 1881
found Mr.. Wilson wholly unprepared,
and at the time OF It's coming both he
and his wife were absent from home.
They had felt little reluctant about
leaving home, as the river was swollen
nearly To the high-water mark, but
urgent business com elled them to ride
to the nearest railroad town. some thirty |
miles away. from which they intended
to return on the day following.
Mrs Wilson carried her Youngest /
child, and there remaih es at home Hen
nv, lad Of fifteen. and two little
daughters aged ten and six years, with I
the hired man. Rudolph.
Rudolph had relatives living two or
three niles back from the river. and
when the chores were done at night he
left the house. telling Henry that he
was going o er to see his olks, and
would be back at ten o. clock.
The boy and his sisters had been left
alone of an &. ening before. They were
not afraid, and went to bed by nine L
o clock. to sleep soundly. as such child
rem will.
s When the boy aWoke the next morn
inc he found the sun peeping in at his
window, and leap ng out Of bed he
ca led to Rudolph. as his father was in
The habit of doing. But Rudolph did
not answer.
Rude must be up and doing the
shores thought Henry; and then