North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-10-18
ROBERT HOE: A "REMINISCENCES.
BY LAURIE TODD.


in the cool of the day, and lifting up my eyes,
baheld a stranger, a rare sight in fever times Ht
was movinu from Cedar street along Nassau, hav
mo his face set towards Maiden Lane. He walked
in the middle of the street, and was reading tht
sign-boarcs on the right and left. He paused IL
front of nv open door, and mine was the only store
omen in the block. As he stepped in, he SAID
I" Mr.. Thorburn."
0Where did YOU learn my name 2" l inquired.
81 saw it over the door," said he. have JUS
come on shore from the ship Draper, from Liver
pool. | am a carpenter by trade; my name Is
Robert Hoe; 1 am now in my eighteenth year"
.Says 1, 'Robert, was your indenture fulfilled
before you left England 2"
Saws he, " 1 never was bound, learned my trade
with nv father l can't find work, have no mon
ey; can you recommend to me house in healthy
part of the city, where 1 may board till get EN-
-plovment, when will pay them honestly"
l knew the heart of stranger, having been {
stranger myself and there was much honest sim
plicity in his speech and department., my heart
warmed toward him gave him chair, and ran
up stairs says l, Guide wife, stranger standeth
at door; shall we take him in !. m t 1ni1I
pleases" she replied. eff he takes the fever Will
thee help me to nurse him ?" L will she an
swered. sThank YOU, dear, for this ; God Will bless
YOU. Now, says /, come and look on ms honest
Enpish face" The impression was tavoraoie. DAYS
I"Robert this neighborhood is accounted the most
healthful in the city; you will lodge here II you
take the fever, my wife and Will nurse you' you
sban,t 90 to the strangers hospital" His eyes
spoke thanks more eloquent than words. As he
had no business abroad, l advised him to stay at
home.
The fever seized him. however, in less than
week | procured an eminent physician my wife
and nursed him. In seventeen summers that I've
nursed among the sick, [ do not think that ever
saw a case so violent but 1t terminated Ill death,
his only excepted. On the fourth day, generally
the crisis the burning fever was coursing through
his veins, and drinking up his English blood. His
skin burning dry and yellow, heartsick, home-sick
all bound-sick and his spirits sunk down to his
heels. sat by his bedside; he fastened his rest
less ewes on mine; go Mr.. Thorburn, MIR. Ihorburn,
l shall die, shall die never can stand this >
and he threw his brawny arms across the bed as II
going to grapple with death. "lhe," says L, g o-
bert to be sure we must all die, but you are not
going to die this week" In this spoke unadvi-
sedly with my lips, but thought of Pope Plus
and his Bull to w.t. that the end would sancty the
means He was under the influence of powerful
medicine at this moment knew there would be
lull as the sailors say soon; and meant to take
advantage of the circumstances, to persuade MN to
live if possible. Fancy kills and fancy cures.
left him for fifteen minutes. On my return felt
his pulse said 1, " Robert you are fifty per cent
better already; hope to see you walk from the
bed and sit by the window tomorrow" l sat by
his bed conYersng to cheer his spirits l contin-
ued Death is nigh at hand tfall times and i'll all
places but my impression is that you will not die
with this attack. l hope to you thriving
master builder married to one of the bonny Yankee
lassies, and to hold yowr grandchiM an nay arms.
From this hour the fever left him. Shortly af
ter this the fever disappeared from the city. He
became master builder, and died in 1913, aged
So. But his name will never die while types are
set and printers breathe Hoes Printing Press IS
probably the most useful discovery that has blessed
the world since the first sheet struck from the
press. Formerly we paid one hundred and fifty
cents for a Bible; now we buy one as good for
twenty-five cents. 1t may be said of his sors, "a
rare occurrence in this country) that they are bet
ter men than their father, inasmuch as they have
added many improvements to their fathers plans.
Mr.. Hoe dwelt in New York thirty-eight years.
After his recovery from the fever in 1905, met
times without number his never-failing salutation
was, Grant, as the instrument under God, have |
to thank you for my recovery from that fever" l
have received many tokens of kindness from his
worthy family of sons and daughters. And moth |
ing in my past life affords such pleasing reflections
as this act of duty and humanity to a stranger.
When his aching head lay on my breast, as l held .
the cooling draught to his parched lips, little !
thought that in this head lay the germ of a ma
chine destined to revOutonize the world of ltera-
ture and shed light the dark places of the earth
whose habtatiors lull or horrid cruelty.
About seven years ago l slept from the cars in
country town. Among them who were looking on,
stood a man of gentle appearance said l, Sir l
wish to stop here for week l don't like to put +!
up in hotel; can you direct me where 1 may
lodge in a private family" He said he could. We
entered the next street; stopped in front of re-
spectacle two-story brick tenement; on the front
stoop sat a comely matron. She might have seen
twenty-eight summers ; on her lap sat babe. Said
my friend to the matron, GUIDE wife, this is Mr.
Thorbourn, from New York he wishes private board
for week ; can you accommodate him % dyes" :
says she, for year or for lifetime if it is his
wish. Oft has my father told me, when he was
sick and stranger, that Mr.. Thorbun took him in.
and ministered to his wants" "What was your faith
er's name?" 1 inquired. "RoBERr Hon. she re-
piled. "And is this your child" 1t is" Iheld
the babe in my arms ; it smiled on my face "Now,"
says l, madam, this day my prophecy is fulfilled
in your eyes; it's just forty years, at critical mo-
ment in your fathers life"
ANOTHER CASE IN POINT.
1 sailed from Leith, in Scotland, 18th of April,
1904, in the good ship Providence, name PROFIT
ious, bound for New York Among the PASSENGERS
was lady, having with her in charge four or five
young children. The father had gone before, to
prepare for them habtaton, no small undertaking,
when three months was tolerable passage Among
the children was boy, seemingly of four years l
growth He was lively and playful, always on {
deck. His mother in continual fear on his ac-
count. told her, as had nothing to do, would !
take care of the boy. This to her was a great re-
ief; So comparatively speaking, carried the boy