In the midst of all the bitter disappointment and sorrow which have come into the lives of Mr and Mrs Albert Pain, of this city, through the loss of their son, Dr Alfred Pain, by the sinking of the Titanic eight weeks ago, there has been a ray of sunshine through the numerous letters of sympathy from friends on two continents. One of these especially discloses a lovely little act of romance which the thoughtfulness of Dr Pain made possible, and a happy young couple in the far Western States will ever bless the memory of Dr Alfred Pain.
While in England of Dr Pain arranged that he should meet Miss Marion Wright of Yeovil, England who had arranged to come to America on the Titanic, to be married on her arrival in New York to, a young Englishman who some time ago came to this country and took up fruit farming at Cottage Grove, Oregon. Circumstances prevented Miss Wright from being present at the home of a mutual friend, but he looked her up on board the Titanic, and promised that she would be his charge.
His last known act was to put her into a lifeboat. She was the last person put into that Boat, and unquestionably Dr Pain's thoughtfulness in taking her out of the crowd on one side of the boat and getting her into a lifeboat on the other side saved her life and made possible the marriage which subsequently took place in New York.
Miss Wright lost all her trousseau and wedding gifts but when she arrived in New York her plight became known to the Women's Relief Committee, who seeing the romance in it quickly procured a new trousseau and the wedding took place the Saturday after the arrival of the Carpathia, in St Christopher's chapel.
Mr and Mrs Woolcott went to their home in Oregon and only last week Mrs Albert Pain received a letter from the bride. It was really the first precise news she had had of her son and the fact that it showed that he had been the saviour of the young English girl's life helped to soften the anguish of the loss of her son. Mrs Woolcott wrote as follows:
Cottage Grove,
Oregon, USA,
May 28,
Dear Mrs Pain,
I have been wanting so much to write to you to some time, but I didn't know your address until a few days ago, when I got a letter from Miss Elsie Richards, written from Devonshire , in which she asked me to write her all I could about your dear son, Dr Alfred Pain. She also gave me your address, so now I feel I must do my duty, painful though it is. How your poor heart must be torn to lose him as you have, in all his prime, and in such perfect health. We did not get acquainted till the Friday after we sailed. So, though I only knew him for three days, yet I felt he was a friend. He said I was the first lady he had spoken to. I had noticed him before. He seemed so good at getting up games for the young fellows on board. We have several meals together and she told me how much he had enjoyed his stay in England. On the Sunday I asked him to come to the service in second class saloon. He did, and again in the evening came with a number of others to sing hymns in the dining saloon, and himself chose one or two. I believe he especially asked for "Abide With Me, Fast Falls The Eventide." Afterwards we had supper with one or two other people who had been singing with us, and then retired to our berths. About 12:30 p.m., when I had been on deck already for some time, your son came up, properly dressed, and with his life belt on. I could see he was looking for someone, and after a while he found me, and said: "I have been trying to find you've some time." I asked him if he thought there was any great danger, and he assured me had they could not be. We stood for some time on the starboard, watching them load boats. There were hundreds of women on a side, and your son suddenly said: "I think we had better go round the other side; there aren't so many people there." We did so , and scarcely had we got round when the call came "any more ladies, this way!" Your son said, "you had better run." I did so and he followed and put me on the lifeboat. It is such a grief to me that I didn't say goodbye to him, but I thought as everyone else did, that we would go back to the Titanic before very long. When we got out on the scene we could see the boat gradually sinking, deck after deck, and oh! How much we hoped all would be saved ere she went down. But when the awful news came to us, that only 700 were saved, and those were with us on the Carpathia , how grieved I felt and how I wished your son had been among that 700. It all seems so sad and overwhelming, and I will never forget it, as long as I live. I trust just these few lines may comfort the heart of Dr Pain's sorrow stricken mother, is the prayer of yours, with much sympathy,
Marion Woolcott.
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