The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1851-03-22
(From the New Albany Ledger.]
Base Imgratitude.

From the New Albany Ledger.l
Base lngratilude.
The following letter to Esq. Richards, Of
that place, appears in the last number Of the
Lawrenceburg Press:
VERNON, Ia, Monday, Feb 9th. 1851.
My DEAR BoY:-l am sorry. Uery so, ry
any charity ia you, you canlot help feeling
Tor your poor old lailler. am in The great
est distress. am now turned out Of house
and home. Monica al.d Jesse ordered me 10
quit Oil Saturday morning. have begged
William to let me stay with him for lew
nights. | want you iO have the goodness to
send me another dollar: to bring me to Law
renceburg. have got the one had when
you went away, and what is to become oil me
afterwards, God only knows. have borne
as much as human nature can bear. Pray,
let me hear from you by return post.
Your afflicted riend,
w. EDNEY.
Direct William Edney, Sem, Vernon.
The Press then goes on to say: MIR. Ed
rey 10 an old man oil seventy six winters, ven
cradle Oh account oil his age and snow white
head. William Edney, named in the above
letter, il his sou, Nonica, his daughter. and
Jesse, his sou-n law. Esq. Richards is not
q reldtire, tut was raised by MIR. Edney.
having lived with him until he was fifteen
years of age. (Hence the expression, your
iaiher.o In 1872, old MIR. Edney exchanged
farms with Daniel Hall, OF this county, and
consented that the deed for the iarm obtain
ed III the exchange, should be made 10 his
children. lie deed was made accordingly,
and is on record here In the summer OF
lS49, when the cholera broke out Ia Dover
in This county, where they were living, he
was attacked by The disease. The children
abandoned him, and had It not been Tor one
Mr.. Swals, he would in all probability, have
died from want Of atie itlOn. Mr.. Swails
took Care of him, and when he had sutiicient-
y recovered, brought him to the house Of
MIR. Richards, where he remained until the
following winter. In the meantime, he made
Richards a deed for u house aud lot la New
Alsace, which deed, Mr. X. would not take
into possession, but told MIR. E., that he would
not take his property while he was living.
that lie, Mr.. f., might need It before he died,
SC. Sometime in The first oil the winter, he
received an affccliOnaie letter from his sOIi,
(who was married) aud the old gentleman
vent out and stayed with them two or three
weeks, aud made his son William d deed for
the same house and lot, he had decided 10
Richards--which included all the old mans
property. The second time, he Came To
Mr.. Richards, wis admitted, aud remained
some Time. During the last year, the son
and daughter removed to Vernon in this
State, where the daughter married. The
old man, still thinking well Of his own flesh
aud blood, went to see them, at various times,
bur- as in the instance referred 10 III the let
ter, he was compelled to seek shelter else
w. ere.
We come now to the letter. Richards is a
poor man, and believing that the children are
better able, and that It ia their duty, to sup
conveniently attend to his wants, concluded
to go with him to Vernon and leave him,
again, with his children. This he did, pay
ing his expenses. They, as will be seen by
the letter, turned him OIL houseIess. This is
brief history OF the matter, AS detailed to Us
by Mr.. Richards. We publish 1t, from IA
sense Of duty, believing the facts to be, as
stated. Such unnatural, cruel treatment
will astonish the reader. That they hould
abandon their poor, trembling ola father. in
his infirmties and heplessness. leaving him
to DIE without the solace and comfort, which
should bless the footsteps of old age, is a
source of pain and astonishment TO the MAN
and the CHRISTIAN. This is All instance OF
worse than barbarous treatment. We have
made this narration sufficiently lengthy, and
merely say in conclusion. that John Richards
complied with the request and that Mr.. Ed
ney has home: in his house, until he finds d
resting place in the silent grave.