The Opelousas courier., 1889-03-23
STRANGE FATALITY.
The Extraordinary Series of Mishap,
Which Befell a Pennsylvania Family.

Which Befell a Pennsylvania Family
A gentleman of undisputed truthful
ness and veracity gave the following
interesting bit of family history, and al
his request we will not give the name,
but the facts contained in the recital OF
the following can be verified at this
office at any time. TIC gentleman said:
"Of the family, besides mother and
father, there were nine oh ldren, six
boys and three girls. Father was a
blacksmith by trade, a skilled work
man, and lived an upright, consistent
Christian life. He was passionately
fond of his home and children, and
worked hard for their interests. AT
the proper age all of the boys learned
trades, as follows: George, the Oldest
boy, became a blacksmith; Charles, a
candy manufacturer, and later he
learned the locomotive engineers trade;
Frank, a carpenter; Richard, a printer;
Henry, q professorin a business college.
William was studying chemistry when
he met with a sudden and violent death
from lockjaw, caused by cutting his
foot while in ba.hing in the rjaer. You
can callit a series of strange Qualities
If you wish, or by any other terns ansp
yet I dare say there is no family of the
same number of ours that has passed
through an experienee in any way SIM
liar.
1.-THE father was twice confined to
the house with were illness, once wit.
smallpox and another time with typhoid
fever in its most malignant form.
when deputy sheriff OF the county
he was sunstruck while out on official
business, and fell from the sulky on to
the horse, which caused 1t torun away,
horribly mutilating father and laying
him up for several months. A yearor
two later he fell from a church steeple,
where he had been repairing a light
ming rod, a distance of ~forty-nine feg
bit from this he received no percepti-
BILE injuries. A few years later he slip
ped and broke his leg while getting off
a passenger train, and last summe he
died suddenly from heart complaint
while standing on the porch atthe back
door Of the house.
1.-THE mother died as suddenly of the
same complaint in 1876. Charles, the
engineer, died a violent death, almost
instantly, by being iniured by the cars
in 1872. In 1869 George, the black.
smith, while working at his trade had
his nose accidentally broken by a steel
hammer, which slipped from the handle
and hitting him In the face. I think il
was in 1860 or 1861 that sister Kate
broke her arm while jumping rope
Frank, the carpenter, broke his leg
while skating in the year 1872. VIII
the brother who died OF lock-jaw, broke
his arm in 1874, while picking cherries
by falling from the tree to the ground
A few hours later on the very same da.
the bandages were removed, he agar
broke. the same limb by slipping ant
falling, the break being but two inchet
above the former one. In 1885 Henry
the school teacher, while visiting
friends in the country, had his LEI
broken by being thrown from the car
rage attached to a runaway horse. Il
1886 Anna, the eldest OF the children
slipped and fell downstairs, breaking
her arm.
while this story may seem alrnos
Incredible to others, it is nevertheless
true, 6 word of ii. and tie onl,
thing / can't understand about it is
why should one family o than an
J other have such an experience. Yo
can't answer that question. neither ca
INV one alsno-On City Derrick.