The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-03-24
baggage and able to take care of them
selves being brought.

to anchor, when before we realized oui
danger we found ourselves broadside on
the bows Of the Anson. There was q
shout from both vessels, which was in
stantly followed by the Anson's ram
tearing into the Utopia. We were about
quarter of o mile from shore at the
time" The officers in talking about
the catastrophe say they will never for.
get the scene that followed the collision
of complete and cowar6ly panic. They
yelled frantically and fought madly to
reach the forecastle. A few of the
married men dragged their wives with
them, but the bulk of the single men
were needless OF the pathetic appeals of
the women and children. The fore
castle and rigging were soon crowded
and the vessel began to settle down
Presently an explosion, with deafen-
ing report, occurred in the forecastle,
killing many and throwing others into
the sea. Luckily the masts held and
remained some yards above the water.
AS the vessel touched bottom from
forty to fifty persons We're rescued
manliness occurred among the people
in the rigging. Many men and nearly
every woman clasped their children to
their breasts, but they were gradually
overcome by sheer exhaustion and cold
and were compelled to drop the burdens
and often followed themselves. Those in
the lower rigging who were exposed to
the full force of the waves were swept
away before the first OF the Anson's
boat was able to reach them. Some of
of the men had tied themselves each
his wife or child, hoping to be able to
float until they were saved. Several
bodies so tied together were washed
ashore dead. The majority of the Ital-
beasts than like reasoning men.
PaternaI Cruelty.
THoMAsvILLE. Ga. March 16.--A
horrible case of paternal cruelty has
just come to light here. Coroner John.
son was notified Monday morning to
go to Patten and hold an inquest on
the body Of Thomas Thompson, negro
boy of about 12 years Of age, who had
been whipped to death by his father
Peter Thompson.
The coroner proceeded to the scene OF
the crime andheld an inquest. The fol-
lowing is the evidence of Daniel Ponder,
the principal witness: On Monday
morning, March the 9th, 1891, about G
or o'clock, Peter Thompson broke a
switch off of cherry tree and COM
menced to whip deceased. was about
thirty or forty yards off. Peter struck
deceased several times, when the boy
ran to his mother, who caught Peter
and tried to stop him.
Peter struck him again OIL the right
side. and the boy fell, and as he started
to get up his father struck him again,
and told him to go to his plow. The
boy started to do as commanded, in a
half bent position, with his hand to his
right side. lie went about forty yards
and fell upon his face. When / went
up, his father had him in his arms and
he was dead. Peter seemed grieve,l,
and said he didn't know he was whip
ping him hard enough to hurt him,
and said, THE Lord knows L didn't in
tend to kill him." The switch was
worn to stub when he struck the last
two Acks. The jury returned verdict
that the deceased came to his death by
two strokes of stub of switch in the
hands of his father, Peter Thompson.
Thompson has been arrested and put
in Jail here.