The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-05-02
WITNESS OF IA TELLS
OF TITANIC TRAGEDY
AND HIS own ESCAPE
Lone Traveller From Sweden
Describes Events in Ships
Dying Moments.

lying moments.
Hawarden, Ia, April 2s.-one of tho,
survivors of the Titanic, a boy Ia years
Old, arrived in Hawarden yesterday nm,
his way to Alcester, S. D, where his
father is. ms
The boy, whose name is cerv,n
sWenson, travelled from Sweden,
her children. entirely alone - I'VE co,a or
rade, several years older, hae meant 10
accompany him, but decided to trayeI,
on a Scandinavian boat. The bow. who,
does not speak a word Of English was,
entertained last night at the home Of
Mr.. Elmer johnson, of the Arm ~
through Mr.. Johnson an interestines
story is given of the young trayeler'si
experiences.
Sailors Joke of Accident.
CerVin was a third cabin passenger
n was asleep in his bunk at the time
Of the collision. He and three men who
Shared his compartment We're aroused
by the sailors, who however, talked
.]oklngly of the accident, saying that
they had stuck o ma sandbar. Ceryin
went up on deck. where many passen-
gers We're standing about with life belts
on. The sailors made fun of them for
wearing them. There was not much
VI SASllClIlSlll, u DIS Ine Off,.
hcers began to fill the life boats. neo-
pie rowded UP and they We're handled
very roughly by the officials, as thew,
a to do to keep any discipline. Ger
win himself tried repeatedly to get into
a BOAT but again and again was!
With handbags, suit cases and all sorts,
OF light baggage which passengers had
meant to take with them in the boats
but they We're not allowed to do so.
FINALLY the boy managed to get into
a BOAT and was allowed to stay. There,
were 81 persons in this boat, mostly
women and children. They We're all
very quiet, ever when the ship sank,
which they plainly saw, being as the
boy put it Just about a kilometer away
when 1t went down." A kilometer is
hye-eighths of a mile.
Men Shoot Themselves.
He declares that he saw a man.
officers, shoot himself. He put his,
u right in his mouth and shot" He
also says that there was considerable
shooting on deck. After they were in
the boat, they heard many shots. The
three men who a peer his ROOM
mates, he never saw again, but in his
llfeboat was a young Swedish woman
the only one in the boat to whom he
could talk. She had been married but
Two months. Her husband was also a
passenger ana was drowned. After
about six hours in the life BOAT thew
We're taken on the Carpathia. All had
been very still till then, but as the ship
approached, the woman screamed and
cried and went crazy" as Cervin nut
1t. They did not seem to know what
they We're doing and many of them
had be taken aboard the ship by force.
In the other boats, they We're the same
way On the Carpathia he was nut
IN the Storage with ''dagoes and
Chinese and thought he had pretty
poor quarters, though thankful for any
Treatment in New York.
On reaching New York he was taken
TO the Swedish Lutheran Emigrant
nome, which is in charge of Rev. Lila!
a prominent minister of that domina-
tlon. Here he staid while in New York
He was given two suit cases full Of
clothing, an overcoat and S25 in cash
by the relief committee. He tells of
countless ~kindnesses that he has re-
celVed in New York and on his way
here and says he thinks this the great
est country and the Americans the
k1ndest people in the world,
The boy is described as an unusually
shreWd. bright lad, and to this he
doubtless owes his life, as he was
among the saved entirely by his own.
efforts. He left by the early train for
Alcester near which place his father is
working on a farm.