Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1900-11-01
THE LATE HURRICANE.
W. R. Cruce Tells of the CAL
weston Horror and Its.
Awful Work.

DEAR Ed. Press: 1t seems inn
possible to say anything about the
storm and tidal wave that brought
destruction to Galveston on Sept.
Sth, that has not already been told
But my dear friends, no human
mind can picture, no tongue can
tell, no hand can write or fully de-
scribe the awful situation that Wis
tied this beautiful city on that
memorable night. The scenes told
by eye witnesses are heart rending
and though it is now more than 6
weeks ago, the entire population
that remain are in u state of hys-
terra. 1t is almost impossible to
see woman who is not clothed in
deep mourning, it's not necessary
to ask if they lost some dear rela-
tive. One family of forty all pas
Sed over the great river together,
all swept into the treacherous gulf
not one remained.
Today / talked to an intimate
friend, whose dear old mother pas
sed away last spring. He was at
that time at his place of business,
and | had Just asked him, George
how is your mother?" he replied
that she was we'll; almost before
words were ended the telephone
rang and the sad message was,
Your mother is dead! She had
passed away peacefully while sit
ting in the old family chair, and
forever after that this chair has
been to this son the dearest posses
sion on earth.
When the storm seemed to be at
its worst he thought of this old
arm chair, and the dear one who
was resting peacefully; he pulled
the chair with him to the second
story e.s the water had driven him
from the first.
Seating himself lie felt that he
had tried to lead a useful life,
christian life, and had resigned
Ibis fate to his God.
Another poor fellow whom | had
known for years, who lived with
his fathers family and whose hous
with all their earthly possessions
were swept away went out the next
morning to look for his sweetheart
but it was difficult to locate the
,snot where her house had stood.
Finding no trace of her he con-
tinued to search and just before
night he was rewarded. Poor
Charlie buried her lifeless and
clothesless form where he found
it.
One poor man looking over dead
bodies on the beach at last identi-
fed the right one. Brushing the
tangled hair from her face he pres
sed his fevered lips gently, caress-
ingly to her cold white cheek and
then with mad rush threw his
body into the gulf and was drow-
ned.
Pardon me, but one can see too
much by coming here, tell my
friends to keep away, at least for
while. l managed to pick my way
through houses packed, twisted,
and jammed together, and over de-
bris fifty feet high to the approach
to the beach.
| can never forget the scene.
Where once l had strolled, pick
ling up here and there beautiful
shells and pieces of sea moss, now
Hay piles of burning sticks and
planks, into (which the searching
parties piled dead women, men,
and children and the bodies Gre
mated; it was all there, before my
eyes How could / stand thisY
OF course | moved on, only to find
myself approaching a similar cir
cumstanced.
Yesterday they found and burned
forty bodies and over twenty more
today. The air in the city is very
bad; however, you cannot possibly
imagine how bad.
A six story building fell at $3.50
this morning in the adjoining
block to the fremont. Some one
asked if the awful crash walked
me up. 1 told them no, that had