The Osceola times., 1886-08-21
a SHOCKING SIGHT.

Poverty Disease and Death, supplemented
nv storm, Reduce Family Of Movers by
TI,t-Boat on the Ohio River to the Direst
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS at Last, But TOO Late
for some of Them.
EVANSVILLE, Ind, Aug. l5.-AOout
noon Yesterday Township Trustee Sple-
gel was notified that his services were
wanted at the river. He was directed to
a small family boat lying near the water
works. The craft was nondescrpt
vessel, and bore evidence of hard usage
Its bow was STAYED in and nearly the en-
tire roof blown off, but If the outside
was, uninyltng the inside was even more
so. The cabin of the boat is about ten
feet long aud twelve feet wide, aud ~
this miserable cooped.up box were twelve
persons whose every appearance was an
evidence of pinching and gaunt poverty
Hollow-eyed. emaciated and with scarcely
a rag of covering they lay upon the bare,
dark floor of the boat, huddled together
and all conteuding with that dread dls'
ease. malarlaI fever. In the midst OF
them Iay the dead body OF an aged woman,
.
of rae carpet had been thrown, the living
occupants being too i'll to remove the
/ bsdy. .-.,
| Trustee Spiegel at once sent for patrol
wagons and removed the sufferers to the
I hospital, and then sending for the cor
/ oner an inquest was held, a verdict ol
death from malarial fever being rem
dered
/ Mr.. George Bush, one OF the occupants
| of the boat, was seen at the hospital last
night by a reporter. He was very III, but
able to give a clear narrative Oi the tern.
| ole and sickening experience to Whlch
/ they had been subjected. The story Is
/ beyond parallel, and was as iollowS'
Until three weeks ago George and John
| Bush, brothers, were farmers in Mead
/ County, Kentucky, about twelve miles
from the mouth Of salt river. Their
/ land was poor, and it was with difficulty
| that they obtained sufficient food to keep
| the wolf from the door. They finally be.
came disheartened and determined to try
/ to better their condition further West.
| To this end they constructed a small
| boat, and on Sunday, July 2j, both
( families, consisting OF the brothers, their
wives and nine children, thirteen in all,
| together with their little belongings, em-
| barked on the boat, and showing off,
| started on their terrible trip down the
/ river They reached the mouth Of salt
/ river late Sunday night, and when Mon
/ day morning broke were in the OHIO.
! Two weeks ago Nancy Bush, aged Gtty-
/ seven, Georges wife, was taken Ill with
malaria, and not being able to procure
| necessary medicines, it soon developed
/ into typhoid-malana. The other men,
/ bers were stricken down one by one, un-
/ I'll finally all were helpless. IN this con-
dition they were oyertaken on Thursday
night by heavy storm which tossed
| their craft about like an egg shell,
/ throwing them from one end
/ of the boat to the other
/ Their possessions were all swept away by
the waves and the roof taken of. Dur
/ ing this fearful night Mrs. Bush sud.
l denly grew worse, and began pleading
| feebly for water which no one could give
I her, and Just as day broke she died I'm in
| tense suffering and agony. All day Fri
| day they drifted with the current, the hot
/ sun beating cruelty down upon the little
group Of sufferers. The approach of
I darkness gave them some relief, tHt an
/ oycrpoWering thirst aud hunger nearly
/ deprived them of all reason.
Yesterday morning they had dritcd
nearly opposite the city, when some fish.
/ ermen, who were out Juggling, saw the
] apparently tenantless boat aud boar dcd
/ it, discovering the condition of the people
| on 1t. They secured lines and ran the
/ boat ashore, after which the authorities
were notified, with the result before stat.
/ ed
/ All the sick people were being tcnderlv
cared for last night, but hopes are only
Z entertained for six Of them, the fatal and
/ fetid atmosphere, tainted with the dead
4 corpse, having had its deadly effect on the
/ remainder. Mrs. Bush was buried last
/ evening and the boat burned.