Washington telegraph., 1848-03-15
DRlFrW ooD JOHN SO n.
THE RICH RoBBER,

very strange occurrence took place
some years since in the flourishhs city ol
Cincinnati. and IS vet lfe.h in the minds ol
many residents there, not by any means as
old as The uIdrsl innnbilant,P who knows
all things. II Is sill told OF cold winter :
night Ia many wondering yenng4ier aud
The mufal iaslled inie s,rif minds with
greater lIrea from the circumstance ol It's
sheine as ,rne a. gaspcl.h The hern oi the
lale was an ID man named johnson, WIN
bad lived lfem a my In The place, and fol.
i.we1 Il curious uadr for a livelihood. Eat.
l. aud ,5ie ite was seen down by The river 5
side eoi'sc,isz The drittwood, aud 'oiled at Il
So necessarily. da, afer day and year af.
fer year. thai il al last became whispered
abo1, hat old DdiNood Johnston was
making money; that he had in'eslsa h''
lillt earnings well, aud had reali''ea .afse
sums by iorlunale speculaIionsi but s'''' "e
elunp 10 his old business. lie was Inee u
in dress and very saving--all the money
he ever spent. except fur the meresineces.
saries ni lie. being lor the education oi a
most lnvely daughter, for The old man had
a vile and child. At last Driiiwood bought
a very large brick house, or rather built
ane; and, much 10 the surprise oil every
body, furnished ii elegantly, aud brought
his daughter home from school To be the
belle OF his mansion. II was a good way
out of town. but he said the city would
grow 10 il-and so it has. There vas al.
ways something mysterious about The old
man. family; aud hi, wife. who was
very amiabIe woman, had a cafe-wotn,
anxious look that no one could account for.
The beauty aud Accomplishments el tue
dauahier .oon brought her plenty oil lovers,
who sighed aud pinrd ipr her handi but
the favored uf all wa a yaung merehani' :
clerk. connected with one nflhe mosi flour.
ishing establishments IN Cincinnati, ani
soon 10 brenme a partner. His suit pros
pered, and he hoped to make the daughter
al I'D Dnilwuod his vile. lie used tn
think il very odd circumstances that dur
ing all hts esenius visits. which were lar
fiom heing few aud far between" he nev.
ef could meei he I'D man, aud all hi in.
auiries aict lim ailed 10 elicit any salts.
laelnty replies. hut knowing thai The old
man was what is generally termed an odd
FISH," he never troubled himself about the
matter. .....
On returning 10 his store late one night
after visit to his lady love, he was horrl'
fed upon opening the door a, finding the
nanglrd and blerdiag carP'c o, a man a
stranger lie had apparently lallen hom
The second OF third story through tie batch
way, aud been killed almost instantly
The watch were called in and The poor
wretch taken. 10 the walch.hnuse. aud a
physician SEN for In see the bdy, lie
had been dead ir hours. and there was
naiting lrh huiin rnirayor Ia find out who
the ran was. aud bold an inquest over his
hndy. There wasno trace or sien nl'ou' him
hat cou'i po..illly lead te rerogniiinn--
nu paper, rn mark IN BIZ. clothes, aud u
bunch Of skeleton keys. a box III matches
and small dlis hnirfn were all that he
had ahuul hiu; 81 the inquest was held the
next mpruipg, verdict rendered, aud tbs
body buried
The next evening, upon his visiting hi,
Intended. the lover iound the family uneas,
at the continued absence Of old Driiwoodi
but he pefsuidrd them that he had sud
denly been called away on bnsincs., and
would soun return. Advertisements were
put in the papers, but no clue 10 him could
be obtained, and people a, last believed thai
he had either been murdered or carried
down the Ohio while gathering drifiwoot
and drowned, In his house there were a
number Of rooms which had always beef
locked and the keysof which old Drihwoot
had always kept. and when il became nee
essary to settle his affairs, these rooms we;t
forced open and iound iocunlain goods 10 I
large amount Of all sorts and description
silks, saiins, linens, shawls, broadclolhs
watches. iewclry, and in short all sorls %
goods and yaluabes Of every description
which had been stolen in Cincinnati from
different places, at various times OF lh'
year. The secret was out. Old Drift
wood had for years employed pedhrs to sci
goods through the western country, sen
them down in fat boats to points on lh'
Ohio below Cincinnati, and all Of them h
had himself unaidrd by any accnmplice
s,olpn. The man who was found hy lhi
clerk bleeding corpse was old Driflwoo'
Johnston The clerk, however. convinced
that the daughter ofhc Old man was inno
cent and unaware that her father had pur
sued ior years system ol burglary an'
thieying. married her, and she is now
mother surrounded by numerous iainily
Truth is sirangerlhan bclion.
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