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SOURCE: Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, (Milwaukee, WI) Tuesday, April 22, 1873; pg. 3; Issue 93; col D
A Floating Graveyard The Flood in Arkansas—Five Hundred Bodies Washed into the River—The Streets Flooded and Levees Destroyed.
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***************A FLOATING GRAVEYARD******************
From Cornelius Brown, member of the House from this county, we have the following particulars concerning the destruction by water of the Perkins graveyard. This cemetery was opened in 1844, at which time it was owned by Constantie Perkins, who died during the war, and is sixteen miles below Little Rock, on the Arkansas River. The River was very high on Friday of last week, at which time the yard commenced caving gradually into the river, exposing to view moldy coffins, and in some instances their contents. The water kept rising until the cemtery was swept completely away, and about 500 coffins were washed into the river. It is thought they will all be recovered, as the graveyard is situated in what is known as the "Horse Shoe", between the river and a lake, where the water forms an eddy. When the graveyard was opened it was situated about 900 yaers from the river, but each succeeding rise has washed more and more of the bank away, until the last flood came, which destroyed every vestige of the hallowed spot wherein were the loved remains of many citizens. The last body was washed into the river Sunday, at which time the citizens were summoned out by a justice of the peace to rescue the bodies from the river, and at which time about thirty-five were recovered. It is thought that all the bodies will be rescued, except those which have lain in the ground until they have decayed. Among the bodies recovered and recognized were those of Seeley Pillow, a woman who died six weeks ago, and Shade Shaley, a man who has been dead about a year. The wildest excitement prevails in the vicinity of the destroyed cemetery, as the men and woman are searching in the muddy waters of the Arkansas for the remains of their dead friends.
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I have no futher information on this story.
Denise Perkins Ready
(Transcriber)
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