Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1907-06-27


noon an incident took place
which those who saw it wish
never to look upon again. Their
faces grew pale and their hearts
sick with fear, not at what hap
pened, for all turned out well,
but at the horror of what was
expected to happen. 1t was a
scene which the hundreds along
the beach, gathered there from
all over the state, will never for
get, and tale they will often
tell.
Among the hundreds of visit
ors, some for the summer, many
more just down for the week end
excursions, was Mrs. Jas. P.
Moody of Waco. Mrs. Moody
had come down the week before
to spend month, having with
her two children, a bright little
boy, James, 5 years old, and a
pretty little girl, Minnie, of 2
years. The mother and the little
ones were enjoying the breezes,
the surf and the delightful quiet
of the town. The husband and
father, busy in his office at Waco,
expected to run down a time or
two to spend Sunday with his
family. About 5 o'clock Sunday
afternoon, when the surf in
front of the Del Mar hotel was
crowded with jolly bathers and
the whole beach was lined with
people watching the sport with
great enjoyment, this incident
happened. At just the time, too,
when gaity was at its height and
such a narrowing, awe inspiring
scene was least expected.
The little tot, Minnie, was
sitting on the sand playin gwith
shells and laughing in childish
glee at the bathers, her little
brother was in the shallow wa
tiers of the bay with some other
children, wading about, and the
mother sitting on the veranda of
the hotel. Just then an Italian
vendor Of toys came along, hav-
ing in his hand a great bunch of
toy ballons.
Minnie, of course, reached for
the pretty elusive red and blue
balls and wanted one. The Ital-
ian, thinking to please the child,
and not dreaming of what really
did happen, laughingly reached
down and tied the string holding
the balloons around Minnie's
waist. She clapped her hands in
childish glee and scrambled to
her feet.
All at once, to the complete
surprise of every one of the hun
dreds who saw the child and to
the utter establishment of the
Italian, the little tot was lifted
from her feet by the balloons
and breeze turned them toward
the sea. So complete was the
surprise of the Italian and others
too, who were standing not so
far away, that not a move was
made till the child, carried by
the balloons, was above their
heads and so out of reach and
slowly rising and drifting out
over the bay.
The mother began to wiring
her hands, crying out, "Oh, my
baby; save her, somebody, save
her."
In few minutes the beach in
front of the hotel, the pavilion
near by and the pier running out
into the water were all crowded
with people. The child, fastened
to the balloons, was rising higher
and higher, now above the masts
of the schooners and drifting
further away, stretching her lit
tie arms toward mamma and
crying to be taken back. Wom-
en- began to become hysterical
and mems faces to pale as they
saw what was really happening
the little child being carried out
to sea to land when, where and
how no one dared surmise. Nor
was there any help. The chic
was out of reach. The balloons
were fully inflated. They would
hold for hours. Soon it would
be lost to the sight of the boats
ready to follow and at any time
the breeze, growinb stronger al
the while, might become strong
wind and carry balloons anc