Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1884-06-18

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beach, one of the few who ever reached
it. When no saw me feebly struggling
no crept down to the waters edge, and,
reaching out his hands, tried TO aid me-
slowly crept up little way out OF
the water, but he was so weak that,
falling backward, would lose my hold
and sink again.
AT last ! was lying on the dry sand.
How good it seemed to lie there, il only
Ineed never move again. Ny compan.
ion spoke roughly yet kindly to me,
telling me that it was sure death to IL.
main there. l refused to move, but,
being much stronger, he compelled me
to get up, and, half supporting me in
his arms, dragged me unwillingly
along. A farmer met us and almost
carried me across the fields to low
two-roomed log cabin In the smaller
room, containing two beds, was at last
permitted TO lie down. The long black
neck of bottle WAS inserted between
nv lips, and drank AMI drank until it
was gently removed. The dsaught
warmed me.
II alternated between consciousness
and Inconsistencies, but remembered
much that passed about me. A large
man with tall hat. black satin vest,
and heavy gold chain came in and lay
down upon the otherb bed. He certainly
had not been in the water, and l won.
dered if he had been saved in boat.
4 man in the next room was exclaim.
ing mournfully:
mime Gott! Mine Gott Mine
monish is all gone. Mine monish is all
gone. Mine wife is gone. Mine son is
gone. Oh, mine Gott, mine monish is
all goner
Again and again that mournful wall
went up. Then heard the tall man
call ont wrathfully:
Wont some one kill that d
Dutchman?'
Then dozed of again. When I
awoke, more people were coming in,
bearing woman, and they were saying
she was the only woman saved. l
heard them say that eight men swan
ashore, and twenty were saved in boat.
Only twenty-eight saved out of over
400! Toward evening they put us all
in heavy lumber wsgon-on beds Of
straw-to take us, they said, to 'Lloyd's
tavern, three miles away Jolting
along over rough road, the pain in
my chest and limbs became unbearable,
and remember nothing more.
Days afterward awoke from what
seemed long sleep. found myself
lying on bed in strange room alone.
The sound of voices came in through
the open window and from the halls,
where people were constantly passing
to and fro. They were talking of q
great disaster, of dead bodies lying in
heaps on the sand waiting to be
claimed, and of others being buried in
trench, There was something about
county lines, OF coroner's quarreling
over fees, of thieves in boats at night
stripping the drowned bodies, and tear
ing rings from fingers aud ears. Those
monotonous voices were forever talking
about that one thing.
We'll, what If they were dead? The
dead were at rest. What had to do
with that shipwreck! Why did not
some one come to me? What was l
doing here in this strange room? Why
was SO stiff and sore, so full oil pain,
so weak l could no. move? fell asleep
again, and when awoke still the same
voices were talking about poor drowned
bodies, thieves, coroners and boats; and
then came O din recollection that had
known something about that shipwreck.
II all at once came back TO me clear
and distinct. Soon afterward O man
came with broth and nourishing food.
of which / ate with relish while he
answered my questions. This was
Saturday and / had left Buffalo on the
Sunday preceding. Lloyds tavern was
fifteen miles from the city Of Cleveland.
mu I get up. How could I lie here?
! must get into the air. ] must
go home. Home, Why, at home
doubtless they mourned me as dead. /
had been dead for days to them. ]
begged the man to bring me some
clothes. He brought some old gar.
ments much too large for me, with an
old black slouched hat, and helped me
to dress, for was too weak to stand
alone. He then placed me comfortably
in an easy chair and told me b. rest
awhile Al length. feeling rested and
stronger, ! arose and moved slowly
across the room toward the open door.
:" saw a gray-headed old man com.
ing toward me, poorl, dressed, with an
old hat in his hand, and a stubby beard
on his face. ! thought that perhaps
he also was one Of the shipwrecked.
| spoke to him kindly. but he did not
reply, and still advanced. stopped.
Ire stopped also, We stared at each
other. spoke again. His lips moved,
but not sound left them. | drew
forward chair, and sat down. lie sat
down also, staring half fearfully at me.
Great God was that myself? That
white could il be mine? No. il
was wig. Some one was playing a
ioke upon me lput mp my hand No.
it would not come on.
Il went back and laid down upon my
bed, very weak. utterly disheartened.
Later I was driven slowly down 10 thu
beach, and saw all that was left of the
steamer few blackened spars and the
charred hull. Many people were ex
aiming, either from curiosity or fol
identification the bodies ~ they were
brought in. There was o long trencl
in the sand, in which were placed those
not identified. II appeared that thu
steamer had been wrecked on o county
line, and two coroners we're there
quArreling over the bodies and claim