The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-01-25

IS uIa, cur sne nelped me uenu uie
wounded. Those terrible cries, shall
never forget them! A few feet from
mother and me / saw a little English
girl, face all cut with glass and right
arm hanging limp and broken. She
was crying bitterly for her mother.
secured a quantity of bandages and
splints from the hospital at the SOL
diers' barracks after a lot Of trouble
and dressed the wounds Of the child
1 tried to comfort her, but she was in
consolable for the loss of her mother
She had indeed lost her mother, poor
child, for we found the woman, still
young and pretty, dead beneath a
beam that had crushed her In the par
lor of her home. A few feet away was
lying the body of her other child, a
boy, who had been crushed by falling
masonry All the natives were crazy
with fear.
My Red Cross training stood me in
good stead. I went into the ruins of
Kingston to help those still living. l
could not tell what saw. Everywhere
We're ruins. Houses had tumbled down
like houses of cards. Overhead there
was somber haze, while here and
there could be seen protruding leg OF
arm, eloquent of the tragedies enacted
while the earthquake convulsed the
island
There was one tragic case that near
ly made me faint Beneath the ruins
of a little cottage we stumbled upon
the bodies of mother and her six
children. All had been killed at the
same time. While we were examining
each body IN the hope Of discovering
some spark of life we were aroused by
frantic, hoalSe voice behind us. 1t
was filled with grief unspeakable.
Then a soldier thrust his way among
us, cast one awful look at the bodies
and then staggered back, his hands
pressed over his eyes. Not sound
did he utter, but his great, strong body
shook convulsively, and never have
seen such evidences of silent suffering
upon a human face. He turned slow
ly away, seemed to hesitate moment,
and then, before any of us could inter
vene, deliberately killed himself by
shooting himself through the head with
his revolver. Naturally l was COM
pletely upset by this occurrence, and
the scenes became SO trying to the
nerves that l was warned by physi-
clan that had better deslst. would
have stuck to the work If l had been
alone, but l had my mother to think
of as we'll IS my father at home.
Food was scarce, and finally agreed
with Mr.. Longley that we should take
the first vessel that would bear us
back to the States. We found that
there was little chance Of our getting
out of Kingston by Water, So great was
the confusion and to such an extent
was all shipping demoralized, but Mr..
Longley found that the Admiral Far
ragut was going to sail from Port An
tonic, so we decided to get there at all
hazards.
The only train leaving that night,
the night of the day on which the
earthquake occurred, was one that was
almost entirely taken up by the in
jured men, women and children. They
were being sent to the improvised hos
pital at Spanish City. An officer on
duty at the train recognized me. He
was SO charming that l plucked up
sufficient courage to tell him OF my
plight. He at once gave me permis-
sion to board the train with my moth
er and Mr.. Longley, saying he was
sure that I could be Of inestimable