Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-01-24
the ACCIDENT.
The Terrible Tehachepi Tragedy Be-
ing Forgotten-Mrs. Downey's Re-
mains Not Yet Found-The Luck OF
Mr.. John Templeton.

ing Forgotten-Mrs. Downey's Re-
mains Not Yet Found-The Luck OF
Mr.. John Templeton.
Never has the ephemeral character OF
human emotions been so strikingly ex-
emplified as in the recent fearful rail-
way accident near Tchachepi. When
the news reached this city on Saturday
morning last the people were thrown
into state OF feverish excitement from
which it appeared as though It would be
months ere they would recover. A
"looker-on in Vienna" would have con-
Guided that the violent shock which the
feelings of the community underwent
in hearing the details Of the tragedy
was one which would be felt for many
long days. And yet within four days,
before the whitened bones and charred
remains of the victims Of the terrible
calamity are buried, all recollection of
the siekening occurrence seems to have
faded from the public mind. Yesterday
the silence of everyone on the subject
was painfully noticeable. There were
but few persons on the streets to be
heard discussing the horrible calamity ns
had been uniformly the case on the pre-
ceding three days. Nothing short Of
hecatombs of human life can feed
the public appetite for sensations more
than few hours. The general indilfer-
ence was shocked, however, later in the
day, when the rumor commenced to DO
bruited about that serious doubts and
had again arisen as
to the identity of the remains
Of Mrs. Downey. 1t was a har-
rowing mistake by which Mrs. Cassell's
body was brought to this city and the
remains Of Mrs. Downey taken
to San Francisco. But an infinitely
more distressing condition Of things was
developed yesterday. 1t appears that
the casket supposed to contain the re-
mains of Mrs. Downey was opened in
San Francisco when the the error of
was made known in that
city. An examination of the corpse
resulted in the startling conclusion that
The body was not that of Mrs. Downey,
but was that of man. This discovery
was at once wired to Mr.. Thomas Z. |
Rowan who immediately telegraphed an
Urgent appeal for positive informa-
ion and implored that every pos.
'ible doubt should be removed.
Up to a late hour last night
Mr.. Rowan had received no word in
lnswer. Thus the matter remains in
! most distressing uncertainty. which
will possibly never be unraveled.
TRAVELLERS LUCK.
The mails, ever since the occurrence,
AVE been bringing in numbers of letters
o those who were known to have been
by preceding trains. Anx-
GUS inquiries of the fate Of supposed
ravelers have also como in large mum.
'ers. The telegraph office has sent ont
N astounding number Of messages
skiing after persons believed to have
'een on the ill-starred train. Among
he numerous incidents Of the narrow
scapesof people intending to come South
m that particular day. but who came
me day sooner or postponed their coming |
o late day, the fortunate misfortune
4 Mr.. John Templeton has been much
poken Of Itappears that Mr.. Temple
on, who waa on his way back to this
ity to visit bis parents, got off the
rain OF Fresno with a companion to get
omething to eat, being informed that
he train would not start for fifteen
The two, upon coming back
o the place where they had left the
rain, found that it had gone. OF course,
he usual blaming Of fate for their hard
uck at missing their train ensued How.
yer, when news Of the disaster reached
hem their grumblings changed to
ejoicings.
The bodies, or parts of bodies, remain.
ng at Browns undertaking establish
nent are still unidentified. No dispp-
ition has yet been made Of them and
very possible means Of identification
viii be exhausted before they viii be