The story of Johnstown : its early settlement, rise ... - JohnstownCafe

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and
354 THE >.T01:Y i>l' J0J!.\ST0WX.
ue had fnunil 115 bodies, which I h,ne talcon descriptions of myself I was continiiall\ annincl
the morj^ue from eii,ht in the niornin:,' to six at ni^ht Kvery ilay in the week people u-^' d. to
hold their noses as thev pa^sefl ti:e iTKiru'ue. hut 1 could ne\er smell an\thin_r. I wouKl f-;tt a
hearty meal, get up, stand ocer a corpse and take descriptions. I h.id ne\er done anything'
like it before, and how I did it surprised myself
"On September 27th, at two o clock, my poor sister was found on Iron street, Millville
Borough Her head was han^inu doiwi in one cellar and her feet in amither. The bodv was
in remarkably good condition, except that the feet were oft. We found them near by. I recoi;-
nized her forehead, teeth and dress Four months of weary searching had ended, and I had the
bcjdy put in a casket to t.ake it with me to St. Louis. M\' sister was laid in her last restingplace,
on October jd
" The Johnstown floc>d haschan:^ed the whole cfuirse of m\- life. I was in such a position
that I could study human nature to perfection I saw sights that would turn any m.m with
ordinary sense or feeling, A V(.>iing man of nineteen, whose family were swept a\va\. when his
father's body was found came to the morgue. He did not make any pretense of claiming the
remains, but asked what had been done with the valuables. He wanted to know ivhat the latlier
had in his pockets. 1 he morgue man toid him S40oand a gold watch. You should have seen
how lie opened his eyes because the morgue-keeper would not turn o\er the money to him.
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Such language as he used swore and carried on terribly, but was compelled to bring some
one wlio could identify him. When he did they turned over the money and watch to hiru He
never thought of his poor father. This is but one instance. I have seen a dozen girls, who had
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lostall—mother, brother, sister, father—hanging around the depn mashing being out all
hours of the night \uth the soldiers It was enough to disgust anyone The kindness of many
people in Johnstown 1 shall gratefully remember to the clo>e of ni\ life
The sad liews of the disaster brought back to the old home Johnstownt-rs
from ever\' point of the compass. Most of these came to seek those who were
lost from amom; their trieiids. .-ind to suceor those who were sa\ etl. Ainon.g" the
early arrivals of former citizens were A. C. Dibert. of South Carolina ; Frank
Dibert. of Kansas, and Marshall R. Rose, of California. Mr. .Mison. a railroad
engineer, came from Te.\as to look for the body of his little
daiit;hter, who had
been visiting friends in \\'ocidvale. He remained for weeks, finally retiirmng
home without finding his darling child's remains. There were scores of
anxious friends from neighlniring t(.)wns and counties m search of missing
relatives. Bodies were fomid as late as December 24th, with indications
that more will come to li^ht when Stonv Creek is cleaned thoroii-ghly. 1 he
suspense of these mourning \'isitors. whose pleading faces were ne\'er absent
from the morgues luitil hope expired, was one of the most paintid features
of the calamitN