The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-02-01
MRS. PAWLEY's EXPERIENCE.
Former Newberrian Writes From
Cuba Of Her Experience During
Recent Disaster.

| peiIy Iol SeNeral years, ana Is pleas
antly remembered by her friends
here, who will be interested in the
| following letter from her:
| TO the Editor of The State:
II the scenes of horror and distress
III Kingston after the earthquake
could be written in blood the readers
Of the world would scarcely nave any
conception of the situation as it real
ly was.
| The writer of this article has many
; friends in South Carolina who will
! doubtless be Interested in her mar
row escape. She had gone with her
mother and baby Of ii months and
little son Of five years to spend three
months III Kingston. We rented
lovely house completely furnished
from a gentleman whose family had
gone abroad with the exception of
nephew, whom he loved better than
his life and whom you will read of
later. We had been settled only few
days when IL friend Game down from
New York with her little babe to
spend some time in Kingston also.
We invited her to come to our home,
which she did. We were living so
smoothly, so comfortably in beautiful
Kingston, almost every day we would
say "isnt it lovely to be here sur
rounded by everything that makes
life worth living;" the sun so warm,
the shade trees so large and grand,
the gorgeous roses and flowers of
every description for each "pen,"
rs they call the palatial residences in
Jamaica; had beautiful flower gar
dens and servants; we had on all sid
es some wishing to work for us for
food alone; the negroes being great
ly in the majority, were always look
ing for work,
In one sense of the word we were
living in the lap Of luxury, but it was
not to last long, for on Jan ID twill
we ever forget the dateq Never! 1t
will be remembered for all timc-the
horrors, the indescribable terrors) at
about 3 p. m. our next door neighbor
sent and asked us to come over for
few moments. We were just going to
have our afternoon nap, but decided
to 60 over. On leaving their house
the earth began shaking. My friend
said, Run into the street, [ first
ran to get my little son lie and I tried
to run. On reaching the gate we were
both thrown down and the large gate
posts, eight feet high, were thrown
on us, one pinning me down by my
skirts and my little son just able to
pull his feet from under the edge of
the other without any injury. God
only knows why We were not killed
instantly. On regaining my feet I
ran to our driveway and there, what
do you thinkI saw9 Our home i'll
ruins thick brick walls all crushed
to the earth and not a soul III sight.
I raised my hands to heaven and with
eyes and voice | asked God to save
my baby and my mother; where were
they9 Could it be they were buried
alive under the ruinsq Readers can
you imagine our hclplessness 1 sank
to the ground, unable to walk; would
get up only to fall again. was chok-
ing and my heart seemed to stop beat
ing altogether. l pictured my loved
ones lying. bleeding, dying, beneath
the house,, / arose again and saw my
mother coming out Of the ruins; where
she was caught in the door and tho
walls falling in on her from the
sides. She only knows that God
saved her in q most miraculous way. l
then saw my baby and nurse, but my
friends baby, where was he9 On
reaching the spot her nurse was to
be seen, but no baby. She had run
] and left him to perish. My mother
and the nurse found the spot where
the baby was left, but there was no
trace Of him, they moved the brick,
rock and dirt; they heard a little
moan; they worked until there was
sight of the little white dress; they
at last succeeded in extricating the
little body with only cut on his
head and several bruises, but not SER
iously hurt.
In all the homes near us ours was
the only one where all escaped with
their lives; two doors below five
were killed ;next door, two funerals