Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-05-20
AFTER LONG SEARCH.
Finding of the Body of Thomas
Taggart, one of the Paul
Jones Victims.
THE INTERMENT AT INDIANAPOLIS.

Cruel Fate of Beautiful Girl, Whose
Death Caused Great Sorrow In Rock ISL
and, Where She Frequently yisited-Re-
mains Swept on a Sand Pit of Br eton ISL
and and Located by Luggerman.
The remains of Miss Florence Tag
CART, daughter of Mayor and Mrs.
Thomas Taggart, of Indianapolis, who
| was lost in the terrible Paul Jones
disaster early in January, were laid
at rest this week in the Indiana capt.
tai. Miss Taggart was a beautiful
and lovable girl, and in few cities.
save her home, did the news of her
cruel death cause more deep sorrow
than in Rock Island, where she had
been a frequent visitor, being niece
of Mr.. and Mrs. E. &. Frazer.
The restoration of all that was
mortal of Miss Taggart to- those who
loved her so tenderly was as marvel
Gus as the end of the Paul Jones'
cruise had been awful. On sand
pit, six miles seward from the fur
thermost point of Breton island, the
body was found by Capt. Steve Pub,
a luggerman, four months after the
Paul Jones went down. A big log,
half i'm bedded in the sand, partially
sheltered the frail remains. Upon
this log the waves spent themselves,
and the wind-driven sand grains COW
cred tine body slowly. One hand
stretched out aloft, as if to signal the
chance voyager, and it was this hand
which called the attention of Capt.
Pub. There was something about the
loneliness of the girlish remains which
appealed to the luggerman, and rev.
erently he finished the work of the
wind, tenderly covering the body with
SAID.
The spit upon which the body
found Judgment was narrow. A hun
dred yards to the one side or the 9TH
er and the body would have been
swept outward, to toss in waste of
waves. Tickle fate, however, guided
the waif, and right in the path which
Capt. Pub was destined to tread few
days later all that was earthly of
Florence Taggart was arrested and
held until the other links of the chain
were forged which gave back the dead
to those who had loved her. 1t was
chance in a million, says the New
Orleans Times-Democrat, that the
body should have been tossed where
it was, but the mills of the gods grind
as surely as they do slowly and ex-
ceedingly small.
No Question About Identity.
There can be no possible question
about the identity of the remains.
The waters had not denuded the body
of clothing and the waist was identi-
fled by both Mr.. and Mrs. Taggart
Then there were several small bits of
jewelry, pin and necklace tiny
golden alligator, the gift of Gen. Miles,
which fastened the belt. There was
no possible room for n mistake.
Mayor Taggart said it was great
relief to both himself and his wife to
recover the remains. To the mothers
heart especially, it was consoling to
rescue the body of her daughter and
bury it in consecrated ground. In
spite of the fact that it was four
since the Paul Jones went
down the remains of Miss Taggart
we're remarkably we'll preserved.
The Paul Jones left Pass Loutre
lighthouse Jan. 3, and she probably
sank the afternoon of the same day.
While on the trip just ended Mayor
Taggart was taken to the hull of the
craft, which was blown in
and found Judgment in Bird Island
sound. The bow, where the gasoline
tanks had been located, was torn off
but otherwise the hull was prac-
ideally intact. What he saw made
it positive that the Paul Jones had
been wrecked by the explosion of one
IF tho Gasoline tankS
That the remains of Miss Taggart
we're found practically fully clothed
established the fact that the explosion
took place during the day. 1t is not
1T all improbable that the bodies of
The other victims of the disaster have
been cast up on some of the desolate
Islands that skirt the Mississippi and
Louisiana coasts, but the chances are
-hey will never by found. Mayor
raggart alone conducted the search,
and as f to reward his tireles love
,he remains of his daughter were
given back to him by the sea.