The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1898-02-19
Little Atlas Fate.

cidents in the annals of our local
history is chloncled in the sad
fate of little Alta Battalora which
occurred last Sunday night on the
l.. & n. railroads excursion train
while en- route to New Orleans.
Mrs. Miller of the latter place ac.
compaied by her ten year old
niece little Alta, after spending
an enjoyable day "over the lake."
was returning home on the exeur-
sion. She noticed that her little
Charge was looking tired and
Sleep and divining that she was
hangry offered her a sandwich
that sho had prepared before leav.
ing home. The little child com
planned of thirst, whereupon Mrs.
Miller gave her u glass and told
herto go to the cooler in The other
end of the car. This is the last
that she saw of her beautiful |
neice.
1t is presumed that the child,
finding that the cooler was empty,
had proceeded to he other coach
behind, and in stepping out on
the platform, lost her balance, and
wa violently thrown to heground
by tho s,eiftly wing train. Can
anyone it}ngiu the horrors that
presented them ol. To the sweet
little child when he fo,,nd, in that
brief moment, herself face to face
with one of the most horrible
monsters of death. Imagine the
terrible picture with its dreadful
outlines as it was painted before
the minds eye of that innocent
little child in the moment when
she found herself being precipit-
ated from the train to the hard,
cold ground il the darkness be-
yond. We can but hope that her
death was instantaneous; still we
cannot help the thought that pro-
badly the poor child was not kill
ed by her fall and was drowned
in that small trench of water with
no one near to help or hear her
heart-rending cries for assistance
while she was battling with her
feeble little hands to save her pure,
sweet young life froIi so awful
death out there alone in the cold
coils of an awaiting death that
quickly wound it's It's octopus-like
arms around her little heart and
drew her away from even the gaze
Of the far-off stars when her poor
strength was exhausted and her
heart grew feeble from such
fright that must accompany such
position.
Within the tram Mrs. Miller
noticed the absence of her little
1cice and nj once went in search
for her. The conductor was quick
ly made aware of the loss, and as
the lady persisted in saying that
her neice was kidnapped, search
was instigated, which proved
fruitless and the train was stopp-
ed and "backed up" for mile
or so near Lake Catherine. This
search proved fruitless also, so
the train proceeded to New Or
leans, Mrs. Miller stopping at
Lake Catherine to procure help
in finding the missing child.
A search was at once instituted
along the track and it was not
until the next afternoon that the
poor lifeless and bruised corpse of
little Alta was brought to the sur
face of the trench of water where
IN she fell; Mr.. Charles Green and
son were dragging with hook and
line when the latter's hook caught
something which when brought to
the surface proved as above stated.
The discovery of a glass led TO
the patient dragging of that partic-
ular spot, with the above success.
The scene brought bitter tears
to the eyes of all who gazed on
tho little corpse as it was exposed
on the roadside. The train that
brought the remains to New Or.
leans was met by a large crowd of
curious and sympathetic people
and handful of police.
Tendarly the trainmen hand
ed the little corpse to the ground
and after the train left, the stretch
er was borne to the undertaking
establishment of Sheen {; Son, on
Elysianfelds avenue, where the
body was embalmed and prepared
for burial, and removed to the
sanity residence on st. Claude
near Kelerec streets where the
unhappy and grief-stricken moth
er again gazed upon her her child
not that beautiful child that
had kissed her goodbye thirty
hours before with her rosebud
lips red with the warm blood of
healthful and happy life-but be-
fore her lay in its coffin only the
cold remains of her loving little
flower, its life petals shattered by
the hand of death.
The announcement of the inten.
tion Of Hon. j X. Vardaman to
become a candidate for governor
of Mississippi has been unani-
mously received most favorably
by the state press, but criticism
is most severe where he has in