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Civil War Harper's Weekly, September 2, 1865
We acquired this leaf for the purpose of digitally
preserving it for your research and enjoyment. If you would like
to acquire the original 140+ year old Harper's Weekly leaf we used to
create this page, it is available for a price of $165. Your
purchase allows us to continue to archive more original material. For
more information, contact
paul@sonofthesouth.net
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SINGLE COPIES TEN CENTS. $4.00 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE.
Entered according.
to Act of
Congress, in
the Year 1865, by Harper & Brothers, in the Clerk's Office of the. District
Court for the Southern District of New York.
THE HOUSATONIC RAIL
ROAD SLAUGHTER.
AGAIN
we have to record a railroad
accident, involving the wholesale
slaughter of passengers, and
caused by the carelessness of the
railroad officers.
On the 14th of August the passenger train of the Housatonic Railroad left
Bridgeport about fifteen minutes after 10 o'clock, a little behind time. An
extra freight train had been sent out in the morning. This latter train broke
down, and was overtaken by the passenger train about six miles from Bridgeport.
The passenger train was backed down slowly. The conductor, H. L. PLUMB, went to
the rear end of the train, and, standing on the platform, saw an engine
approaching and within ten rods of the train. Pulling the bell for the engineer
to stop,
PLUMB
and the President, Mr. HUNT, who was with him, jumped from the train, and had
scarcely got off before the collision. The car struck by the engine was nearly
annihilated. It was full, having forty or forty-five passengers on board. The
conductor went round, and went in at the frontdoor of the rear car, but found
the heat so intense that he could not remain. The engine had penetrated to about
the centre of the car, and the escape of steam was so great as to suffocate and
scald many of the unfortunate passengers.
By this accident five persons were killed outright,
and some others died soon after. One of these was
a little boy ten years old, who was on his way
home from a visit, having been recalled by his mother's death. Another—an old
lady of 71—had just been visiting
her son. Over twenty passengers were
wounded more or less seriously. The regulations
of the road in regard to the use
of red flags were not complied with, and hence the accident.
Is it not
worth while to save half a score of lives by taking the simplest precautions
laid down for such case, even if it does require a little painstaking on the
part of railroad officers?
CANNIBALS IN HAITI.
WE
print on page 557 an illustration
of the execution in Hayti of
several cannibals—an event which
took place last year. Mr. REDPATH,
in an interesting article which we
publish this week on the Revolution
in Hayti, speaks of the barbarous
character of SOULOUQUE
and his followers
of today. As an instance of
this inherent barbarity. it is sufficient
to state the fact that when
SOULOUQUE
ascended the throne he
accorded protection to that most
montrous and unnatural sect of superstitious
fanatics known as the
devotees of Vaudoux, or Snake-worshipers.
One of the rites of
their religion is that of human sacrifice.
TOUSSAINT, DESSALINES,
and
later PETION
and BOYER, opposed
this sect. SOULOUQUE was as superstitious
as he was cruel, and believed
that he had gained his empire
by the aid of the snake. After
his expulsion the sect was prudently
suppressed. But last year it gave
a most bloody token of its existence.
The devotees began their horrid festival
by an act of cannibalism. The
monsters, after
having
stuffed and
devoured one unfortunate child, were about to gormandize upon a second victim when
justice overtook them. As an example several
of the cannibals were executed, February 7, 1864.
HOUSATONIC RAILROAD SLAUGHTER—HOUSE TO WHICH THE WOUNDED WERE
CONVEYED.—[SKETCHED BY
J. F. HUGE.]
COLLISION ON THE HOUSATONIC RAILROAD, NEAR BRIDGEPORT,
CONNECTICUT, AUGUST
14, 1865.
[SKETCHED BY J. F. HUGE.]
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