The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-06-06
,aDA Of lbs r!vss. Ing damage. ia

orv nearly half mile In Wlutlis.l'". ilecn siscFa
,Irar-not a stick of timber Or :. nick on top cg
mother being left To tell the S.qry. Il is HE
most complete wreck that the io,asJis4ati ion Could
portray All day long men omen, anil chill,
lren were plodding about the desoiaie waste
looking in vain to locate the boundaries of their
former homes. Nothing but wide expanse of
drifwood remained, however. for their eon,em>
plation 1t is perfectly safe to say that every
house in the city that was not lQcated well upon
the hillside was either swept completely sway
or wrecked so badly that rebuilding VIII be alb
soutely necessary.
Every hour or so forces Of men working on
The various heaps of debris finds numbers of
bodies buried in the wreckage. 1t is believed
that when the flames are extlngusheii in tie
wreckage at the bridge and The same is re-
moved hundreds and hundreds Of victims will
be discovered. In fact, this seems certain, as
dozens Of bodies have already been found on the
outskirts Of the huge mass of broken timhers.
Reports from outside points are also appearing.
Up to 8 O'CLOCK lopight one hundred and
signify bodies had been embalmed at Ninevah
and there is report that 200 more have been
discovered half buried in the mud on the island
between New Flofence and the place named
Atlhe Fourth Ward school-house over 100 yies
tins have been laid 9ai ios identlheatlon. In
lssny cases they have been recognized, while in
many more they bear the simple word Gun
known" Shocking sights have been SO COM
men that they have lost their terror, and the
finding of body here attracts little OF no at
ten,lon from the great crowds that constantly
line the river banks and crowd all other access-
BILE places
As this is being written hundreds Of hQmeless
men, Women. and children are sleeping on the
hillsides under tents that were sent from Pitts
burgh and other places. The Pennsylvania
railroad has succeeded in getting train
through TO the city, and provisions enough TO
meet immediate wants have arrived. 1t will
require several days yet to ascertain definite
idea of the loss of life, but it will certainly
REACH up 10 The thousands EyeFY honf brings
fresh evidences Of the fact that The disaster
eclipses anything of the kind in the eounlry's
history, and no can say what the final results
will be. Later in the night the second case OF
attempted lynehing was witnessed near Kern
VILE A man was obsFfYsd stealing YalHaRlf
A rope was placed around his neck and he was
ierked up into the air. The rope was tied &c
The tree and his would-he lyncheTs left him.
l3gstanders euf him doMn nefore lie was deatdi
| Other men did not interfere and the man va:
so badly scared that he could not give his name
| if he wanted to.
| Just as the shadows began to fall upon the
ea i last evening party OF thirteen Hunga'
| earians were noticed sealthily picking then
way along the banks of the Conemapgh towards
| Sang iiqlloM. Suspicious ef tneir' pnrp4se,
several farmers armed themselves and started "
pursuit. Soon their most horrible fears were
| realized. The f1ungarians were out for plumber
| Lying upon the shore they came upon the dead
| and mangled body of woman upon whose
person there were number Of trinkets of jew
elry and two diamond rings. In their eagerness
to sesure The plumber the lInpgmians got into q
squabble, during which enc of1he number seY:
cred the finger upon which were the rings ans
started on q run with his fearful prize. The re-
voting nature of the deed So wrought upon the
pursuing farmers, who by this time were close al
| hand, that they gave immediate chase. Some
| of the Hungarians showed fight, but being outs
numbered were compelled to flee for their lives
| Nine of the brutes escaped, but four were lit
orally driven into the snrging river and to then
death. The iphHnlan npnsief whose atfaslons
| act has been described was among the number
| of involuntary Suicides Another incident Of
| even greater moment has just been brought 10
| notice. At $50 o'clock this morning an old
| railroader who had walked from Sang Hollow
| stepped up TO number of men who were con-
gregated on the platform station at Curanvile
| and said "Gentlemen. had | a shotgun with
| me half an hoYr ago would noy be u murderer
yet with no fear Of ever having to suffer for my
crime. Two miles heloW here | watched three
men going along the banks stealing Jewels from
the bodies of the dead wives and daughters OF
men who have been robbed of all they held
dear on EARTH"
He had no sooner finished the last sentence
| than five hurley men, with looks OF terrible
\ ba,r foca on
their Wey 10 the seems at plumber, one Wllh q
coil Of rope oyer his shoulder and another with
| a revolver in his hand. In twenty minutes, SO
it is stated, they had overtaken their victims,
who were then in the act of cutting pieces from
the ears and fingers from the hands Of the bodies
of two dead women. With the revolver leveled
at the scoundres the leader of the posse shouted
sThrosy up your hands or Pll blow your heads
OFF, With hlanched FACES ana trembling
forms they oheyed the order and begged for
mercy. They were searched and as their pockets
were emp,ied of their ghastly finds the indigna-
ton of the crowd intensified, and when the
bloody finger of an infant encircled with two
tiny gold rings, was found among the plunder in
the leaders, pocket, a cry went up, "Lynch
them Lynch them!'' Without moment S
delay ropes were thrswn around their ueeks and
they were dangling TO the limbs OF tree, in
branches of which an hour before was entangled
the bodies of dead father and son. After the
expiration of half an hour the ropes were cut
and the bodies lowered and carried tq q pile OF
rocks in the forest on the hill above. 1t is
limited that an Allegheny county Official was one
Of the .mast prominent factors in this lustilable
homicide.
FREDERICKsBURG's TORRENT.
FREDERICKSBURG, VA, June 1.-The terrific
and disastrous rain>storm which commenced
here Thursday night about 10 o'clock and con-
tinued with undated fury until midnight last
night was the iercest and most destructive ever
witnessed, and last night the streets were flooded
and traffic ceased. To add to the horrors the
city was in utter darkness, as the gas and cleo
tric-lght works were entirely submerged, and
those who were forced out to guard their prop
erty had to use the utmost caution,
At 2 aiclaek yesterday eYeplpg The kappa-
hammock began TO rise, and in a short time soon
covered the island, and it was then noticed that
the rapidity of the rise was unprecedented, and
little did those who retired early dream of the
sorrow and desolation that would greet them
upon the awakening this morning. The first
grave fears were entertained were about midi
night when the water had risen to the height of
the great floods of 1856, 1877, and 1878,
Those living near the river. and who had re-
tired, then began to move out, for in many in
stances the water had already entered their
easements. AT 80 the raging torrent increased
its fury and at 2:3O had carried away Seqt'a
bridge from shore to shore.
AT this time all the loWer part of the city had
been inundated and people were moving from
their houses in boats, the streets being covered
TO a depth Of three to five feet, and small houses
were being borne nladly on by the rushing
waters TO be broken INTO pieces as they were
drawn into the rapid gulf. At o'clock the rise
was so heavy that grave fears for the business
portion of the town were entertained.
The fire alarm bells were then sounded and
the citizens rushed madly from their houses, ex
pectng to see blazing flame, and were utterly
astonished when told why the alarm had been
given. Eager hearts and willing handg theI.
began to Help the istresseii. and ICON every
house on sophia street had been nuded OF it's
contents, which were carried to places of safe
tv. As the hours wore on the turbulent waters
kept Apace with ito record and Mt 10 o'clock to-
houses and completely swept the lower por-
ton of the city, including a large number of
small houses, the warehouse, with n large lot
OF pei ishahle nerehahdtse and the large boat
h0nse OF the Rapganhnnoek ioat Club.
Things al this time were indeed bee ing
serious. as the Waters were rushing on to Main
street. and the number OF private and business
houses located on this street were almost en-
street had lock ed he doors and left their houses
to the mercy of the waters BUSINESS had al
most completely ceased, Up To this point 10
death had OCCURS l. and the pc ,p'e were on
The Paris