The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1889-06-20

pot at the Pennsylvania railroad station.
An outdt was made mp and given her, but
after examining the dress she approached
the agent in charge and asked II he would
exchange it for a black one. Il have lost
all my family" she added, by way Of apol.
ogy. as the tears streamed down her
wrinkled face "and would like TO have n
black dress II could get one. Ny husband
and four children are in that awful pile by
the stone bridge, and I am alone now" A
black dress was fouad for her.
In many cases whole families perished In
q small room of the school-house lay hvs
little children. A big boy sat by oontem-
plating them. They were his brothers and
sisters His father. Squire Fisher. and his
mother were drowned, but their bodies
have not yet been found The children
were in the attic and would have been
saved but a locomotive was hurled through
the house and knocked 1t down Tho sur
vtying member Of the family has since COM
mitted suicide.
The sights and sounds heard that night
were the most painful that human beings
wero ever called upon to endure. In the
darkness could be distinguished human be-
ings floating by the town on house-tops and
RATS Some were crying for help. others
were praying aloud for mercy, and few
were even singing as IL 20 keep up their
courage. About o'clock big raft swept
by the village within leo yards of the shore.
There was an entire famil-- on il, and they
| were singing Nearer, My God, TO Thee.
In the midst of their song the raft struck
large tree and went to splinters OThere
wero one or two wild cries and then silence.
Mrs Mary Fem stood by muddy pool Of
water trying to find some trace OF once
happy home reporter asked her con-
cerning her loss. She said she was left
alone, her husband and seven children be q
ing swept away. She continued:
we were driven by the raging food into
| the garrett but the waters followed us there.
Inch by inch it kept rising until our
heads were crushing against the roof 1t
/ was death 10 remain. SO | raised win
| dow and one by placed my dar-
! l!ngs on some driftwood, trusting TO the
| Great Creator. As liberated the last ono, my
| sweet little boy, he looked at me and said:
| Mamma you always told me that the Lord
| would care for me: W II He look after me nowr
| saw him drift away with his LOVING face
! turned toward me. and with a prayer on my
| lips for his deliverance he passed from sight
| forever. The next moment the root crashed
! in and fioated outs de TO be rescued fifteen
/ hours later from the root of a house in Kern
Vile. II could only find one of my darlings !
! could bow 10 the will OF God. But they are all
gone"
Near the center of the city were three
persons pulling apart the debris as best
they could They were an elderly woman,
young woman. quite pretty, and little
girl, all dressed in mourning. A reporter
stopped 10 watch them for a moment,
when suddenly tho little girl cried: 20,
mamma, here's something" Both women
hurried over as the child held up
water stained photograph album.
Yes. that's ours" cried the younger
of the women as she feyerishly
seized it and began to turn the dirty and
water-swollen leaves All three sat down
on an uprooted tee near by, and they
went through Gs album, Utterly re-