Butte semi-weekly miner., 1886-05-12
A WONIAN'S CURSE.
The Awful Manner In Which 1t Was Full
filed.
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

There are not a few people who have 6
vivid recollection of the terrible river hor
| ror, when the two splendid steamers, thu
Omitted States and the America" col
lided on the Ohio, near Florence, anc
burned to the waters edge, each witt
nearly 200 passengers on board the night
OF December 4, 1868.
Among the passengers that night on the
"United States" was Colonel George C.
NOrthrup, now city passenger agent of the
Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis
Railroad, and the Grand Commander o
DeMoIay Commandery OF Knights Temp
lar. To a party OF friends, at little So
cial gathering in the Office OF the new Grand
Theater one night, Colonel Northrup told
the following story in connection with that
tragic affair, and as it has never been
printed it is worth it now:
II was never superstitious in the slight
est" said the Colonel, "but I witnessed one
thing that came near making me believer
in almost everything Of that nature. 1t
was in November, 1868, that the incident
occurred. ! was working for the Pennsyl.
vania road at that time and had my head
quarters here, as now. 1t was a custom oi
ours to visit all the boats when they landed
in order to catch onto some Eastern bust.
ness, and on the day speak ofseveral of US
went to the wharfboat as usual. Thesplen-
did steamer Ameri'a had just landed, hav-
ing come do n from Cincinnati. We walked
into the office an6 sat down near the stove
to wait until things got straightened up.
While we were sitting there v omar. and
two children entered. They were all poorly
dressed, and carried bundles tied ,.p in
handkerchief, which stamped them as
emigrants. They had a decidedly foreign
appearance, and it developed when the
woman walked up to the clerk that she
was an Italian and could not speak word
OF English. She endeavored to make
known her wants, but t. clerk could not
understand her. While the pantomime
was going on an italian who cou,d speak
English happened to enter: The woman
made known her wants to him. 1t appears
that she had purchased emigrant tickets at
Cincinnati for st. Louis, and was to have
taken passage on the United States, which
went to her destination. Through mistake,
however, some one put her aboard the
America, which only came as far down as
this city. She was allowed to keep her
tickets, and what she wanted the clerk to
do was to take her back to Cincinnati for
nothing, SO she could Q her ticket to St.
Louis, as they were not good from any
other g, artirg point. The clerk refused to
comply with her reque-t and she grew ter
ribly excited. Walking to the stove she
took the poker and laying it on the floor
proceeded to 60 through number OF mo-
tions with her hands, at the same time ut
teriDg some words. She kept this up ,r
several moments, then started for the
cabin door. Before reaching it. however,
she stopped, and taking off her boys cap
threw it on tn fl ,or and went on through
another exhibition OF pantomime, winding
up with the same words as before, then
walked out, crossing the gang-plank, went
up the levee. We asked the italian what
she meant, and he replied she had cursed
the two boats which had been the means
Of her failing to reach her proper destina-
lion, and prayed that some harm might
befall them. 1t was not thirty days after
ward until the terrible collision occurred, 1
Ind both of them were burned. No one
zno ~s how many persons were lost that
1ight. All the books of the United States
we're burned and the record OF passengers
destroyed. 1t is thought, however, that
about eight lost their lives. Ever since
hen, when recall that night, l cannot
lelp thinking Of the Italian woman's curse
md wondering at the coincidence l have
,ever seen or heard of her from that day to
his"