A cap was found which proved that a young man named Marvin was lost. He
was the only son of a widow, and her only support.
A simple string was all that another had, to prove that a body was that
of a mother. It was a present from a daughter, and was tied about the
hair, and had not been burned.
A key, identified by a duplicate sent by his partner from Chicago, was
the proof that E. P. Rogers was on the train.
A coat was recognized as belonging to Mr. J. Rice, of Lowell.
A pair of initial sleeve buttons were found which proved that Boyd
Russell, of Auburn, N. Y., was among the lost. The body had burned,
diamond pins and badges and valuable jewelry had disappeared, but these
remained.
The father and friends of Miss Minnie Mixer after long search had given
up all hope of finding a single trace of her remains. At last her
mother came and identified a chain which had been her daughter’s.
The watch of Mr. G. Kepler, of Ashtabula, was identified.
A wife did not know her husband was on the train. She missed his
letters. She heard that he had gone to Dunkirk. She searched the relics
and found his knife.
A lady from Toronto, a Mrs. Smith, came searching for her husband from
whom she had heard just as he left Buffalo for Detroit. He had seven
thousand dollars on his person. A pocket was fished up from the stream.
It contained the pocket-book and the name and a bank certificate, but
the money was not there. A letter was discovered among the relics. It
bore no name except that of the writer, as the envelope was gone. A
brother from Massachusetts came. He found no trace except the letter.
He went to Chicago and sought some of the survivors and still did
not satisfy himself. He returned and consulted the author of this
book. Only two persons were saved from the car which he was in. They
described the occupants of the car one by one. “In one seat,” said
they, “was a gentlemanly man, quiet in manner, and intelligent.” He
was going to “South America by way of California.” “That’s my brother,”
was the tearful answer. In a low toned voice and tender accents we
talked, and it seemed as if the brother could not rest until all was
told. Yet there was but little to be said.
An old lady was on the train who was from the east. She was described
as sitting in the middle of the car, a young man with her. He was
teaching school at the time in Illinois, and had spent his vacation
in going after her. She was seventy-nine years of age. Her angular
features and loud voice had attracted the attention of passengers.
The same lady was described to the author. A description of her given
by two young men on the train was recognized by the friends, and a
photograph of the young man shown to them was recognized in turn. Thus
two more were identified as being on the train.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account