THE COLD SEASON IN AMERICA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1250, 16 February 1872, Page 2

THE COLD SEASON IN AMERICA.

FEARFUL SUFFERINGS IN NEBRASKA.— 17 PERSONS FROZEN TO DEATH. [FROM THE OMAHA (NEB.) BEE, DECEMBER 6.1 Although it would be impossible forus to present our readers with a complete list of the victims of the late storm* and severe cold weather, an adequate idea of the sufferings of our settlers, and the enoimous loss of life, may behad from the following items,, which we glean from our exchanges. Words* are faint to describe the misery of the poor homestead settlers, who, totallyunprepared for such a sudden and extremely cold season, have been compelled to succumb to the fury of 'theelements on our prairies. Probably the most touching and heart-rending incident caused by the late extreme wea? ther is related by the Plattsmouth Herald of yesterday. It says :—« Mr. A. Pyzer, of this county, came-in from the .Republican a few days since, and reports the freezing to death of a man and his wife and child on. the Republican during the recent storm; They were out of fuel of any kind, and theman staited for the timber to obtain some, and froze to death beside- his team. The woman, burned everything she could find to burn, and finally, placed her infant in the oven in the stove, and burned a portion of her own. clothing to prevent it from fieez'ng. But without avail. The infant was: frozen to death as well as the mother,, and both were found, the babein theoven, and the guardian mother beside it,, after the storm had abated..

[PROM THE ST. JOSEEH (MO.) GAZETTE, DEC. 7-] Gentlemen, who came in on the Kansas City, St. Joseph, and Council Bluffs Road, yesterday, inform us that on Saturday last a terrible affair occurred in Saline county, Nebraska. A" party of immigrants, with familiev were passing through the county, westward, when, the cold increasing, they; concluded to camp and light a fire.. They were on a piece of high prairie,, and several miles away from any house ;. hut some three miles from.them was a. piece of timber.. After unhitching; their teams, the men started for this timber to procure fuel. Not returning, for several hours, the women left their children, and started to hunt them. This is all that is known, save that next day the bodies of seventeen per' sons, who had perished from the intense cold, were found. The children, who. were lett in the wagons, were the only survivors of the party who had started, to procure homes in the West. These are the meagre particulars we have been, enabled to glean of the sad affair. We are assured that they are strictly true. We shall probably learn the names of the unfortunate persons in- a day or so..