Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-14

her hutlike home over the hill, and one of
the physicians, who had been on guard at
the mouth of the shaft since Saturday, in
the vain hope that some of the unfortunate
miners may yet be living, restored her to
consciousness. When she came to she
seemed sullen and silent. Kindly neigh
borS tried to solace her, but their words of
sympathy fell on unappreciative ears. She
neither ev1nced sorrow nor made reply to
anybody. She was left in the hut with her
five little children. The latter, all uncon-
sclous of the tragedy which had made them
fatherless and wrecked their mothers
mind, were romping over the rough pine
floor, their childish voices ringing glee-
fully.
The neighbors went back to the shaft to
watch the progress of the rescuers.
THE DAZED MOTHER
Mrs. Bethune sat for hours staring
blankly at the floor. Her little ones tugged
frantically at the skirts of her dress, re-
peatedly calling her, and tried other child
lsh expedients to attract her attention. She
did not seem to notice them. Her bereav-
ment was so intense that she could think
of nothing but the mangled body which
was lying in the improvised morgue
Toward dark Mrs. Bethune seemed to
recover from the trance. Jumping from
her chair, she walked over to the rude bed
and taking sleeping infant in her arms
she pressed it closely to her breast. The
child woke and screamed family, as if
frightened at the maternal embrace, but
when it saw its mothers face its fear
seemed to vanish. 1t cooed joyfully and
buried its pudgy fists in its mothers hair
Mrs. Bethune then approached her other
children, kissed them one by one, and in
return they caressed her fondly.
Come with me-" she commanded.
breaking the silence for the first time. She
passed through the narrow door and the
children toddled on behind
Up the side of the hill they all climbed
The younger of the four was helped by his
mother and eldest sister, a pretty miss of
nine years. When they reached the brow
of the hill Mrs. Bethune struck off to the
right, following path which led direct to
the Morgue. The place was surrounded
by grim-looklng miners who were carrying
lighted lanterns, and weeping, and hyster-
lcal women and children who were search
ing vainly for the remains of tn cir loved
ones. Such
PICTURE OF HUMAN MISERY
As was presented to the poor woman was
calculated to make stouter hearts faIter,
but Mrs. Bethune was apparently unmoyed
by it. Commanding her Oldest children to
remain near the narrow entrance, she went
inside and picked her way cautiously
among the lifeless bodies until she reached
that of her husband. She knelt down be-
side it, removed gunny- that covered
the blood besmeared face, and then poised
the infant so that its innocent blue eyes
could take in the revolving sight The
baby cooed and waved its little arms de-
lightedly Then the mother returned to
l. n1,, -,
house. She led them into the ghastly
place, one by one, until all had seen the
bloody features of their father, and then
she led them home again.
THE ELDER CHILD's FEARS AROUSED.
The first thing she did after she had mar
shaled them into the hut was to put them
| to bed; the next. to start roaring fire in
| the stove. The infant and the three others
next to the Oldest, tired by their exertions,
quickly went to sleep, bat the oldest girl
! could not sleep. Her mothers strange be-
havior had frightened her, and in vague
way she was sensible of the fact that the
poor, demented woman contemplated some
fearful crime.
Aside from her fear on that score, how
ever, the sight she had witnessed at the
Morgue-her dead fathers mangled body,
the rows of corpses that lay stretched in
the mud on either side of it, and the heart
rending anguish of the women and chill
dren-had left such an impression on her
mind that sleep was out of the question.
So she lay very still and watched her
mother, who was sitting close beside the
stove. Mrs. Bethune scarcely moved for
three hours, and only once during that
time did she avert her eyes from the floor.
She passed her hand over her eyes in a
dazed fashion. The motions seemed to
arouse her, for she jumped to her feet and
began to gesticulate wildly.
WATCHING HER MANIAC MOTHER.
The girl was alarmed, but she remained
perfectly quiet, believing that her mothers
frenzy would soon pass away and that she
would relapse into her trance-like condi-
ton again. But the woman seemed to
grow wilder and uncomfortable, and instead
of ceasing the motion of her arms in
creased. She continued the pantomime for
several minutes before she finally stopped,
and then she walked over to the corner
nearest the stove and picked up coal oil
can, part of the contents of which she de-
liberately poured over the skirt of her
dress. The remainder of the oil she emp
tied upon the bed where the children were
sleeping, peacefully unconscious of threat
ened harm or danger.
IAE AOlhEh FEARFUL DEED.
The elder girl had viewed these prepara-
tions with terror, and was preparing to
spring from the oil-soaked bed and fly for
her life, when her mother lighted piece
of paper and deliberately applied the flame
to her dress and threw the blazing remnant
upon the bed.
In an instant nearly all the interior of
the hut was ablaze The girl jumped from
the bed and bolted for the half-op door.
Her mother, whose loose dress was burning
fiercely, caught her in her arms and tried
to prevent her escape. The girl fought
like tigress for freedom, her struggles be-
ing strengthened by the death-shrieks of
the other children, who were writhing in
the flames that were fast consuming the
madly burning hut. =
Mrs. Bethune passed her arms around
the struggling chilG's body, aud, unmiud-
full of the fire that was slowly burning her.
endeaYored TO hold her, but her strength
soon gave way before the awful torture.
The girl finally made one more effort to
tear herself away from the maniac and
succeeded. Released from the arms of her
mother the girl staggered through the
door and fell headlong into a ditch. from
which she was rescued few minutes later
by party of miners who were attracted to
the Bethune house by the flames.
Inc poor glrl was terribly burned, and
the doctors who first saw her said she
could not survive the night, but when they
began to treat her wounds they expressed
hopes of her recovery.
The miners made game fight to save
the hut and inmates, but the fire had
gained so much headway that they had to
give up and stand by and see it burn.
When it was all consumed they ran
through the glowing embers until they
found the charred bodiess of the four chill
dren and Mrs. Beth1ne. They were found
huddled together
The bodies were carried to the deadhouse