Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-01-24

farm of his own, and no means of buying
one-with some dissatisfaction; but he
carefully kept it to himself When alone,
the thought of being Independent, of being
engaged in occupations in which he would
be his own master, was constantly upon
him, and daily it grew in strength. In an
evil hour it received active life, and was
sought to be carried into execution. One
day, when attending to some business to
the neighboring town, he met one of the
gang of counterfeiters, whose agent he was
when detected and arrested in his first step
of crime.
He instinctively shrunk from any renew
al of acquaintance, but the other insisted
upon it. He was invited to renew his con-
nection with the party. A young and in
telligent man like him was just the person
they wanted. In earnestness and truth he
refused any further association with crime;
and his refusal was met by threat of hav-
ing his hiding place exposed. Terrified,
he implored mercy; he told of the loving,
innocent girl who had consented to unite
her destiny with his-of her faith in his
repentance; he spoke of his aged parents,
whose hearts had been gladdened by his res
cue from shame; he told of his sister and
her husband, and the kind friends who had
received him to their hearts, and treated
him as one of themselves. In vain did he
implore and beseech them that he might
be left alone in obscurity and peace. His
former comrade only used all these circum-
stances as additional reasons why he should
consent to an escape from exposure and
conviction for his former crime. At length
he was told that if he would unite in sim
gle venture, he might, by his services in a
few weeks, not only secure to himself a
handsome provision for the future, but could
purchase silence forever as to the past. In
charity we will not speculate which of these
motives prevailed in bringing him to con-
sent-which he did do after several inter-
views to which he was peremptorily sum-
moned by his more willy confederate He
was entrusted with ten thousand dollars In
counterfeit and altered notes, which he was
to pass in Cleaveland, Detroit, Chicago,
and Milwaukee, and he was to account t
his companion in half that sum in good
money. the balance to be his own.
How to get away, what excuse to offer
for his absence; what possible reason could
he give for venturing away from the happy
home which sheltered him, was most per-
picking. For days he delayed his depar-
ture-at times resolved to abandon it alto
gether and bravely meet the threatened cx-
posture. But his tempter was at hand
His master was present, and so skillfulv
were the hopes of gain and the fear of pun
ishment presented to his mind that he solv-
ed the difficulty by leaving at night, un-
known to any one. y brief note, written
from his first stopping place, informed
those whom he had left, that in a few weeks
he would return and explain ALL In few
weeks he was in Chicago, passed note
and was detected, convicted and, under an
assumed name, sent to Alton. He never
wrote to inform his friends of what had be-
fallen him.
His departure when discovered surpris-
ed all, but particularly alarmed the poor
girl. As day after day elapsed, and he
came not nor was heard from, the hope
which was strong in his truth became
weaker and weaker, until, in all hearts but
hers, it ceased to exist. She felt that he
had yielded to some unknown temptation.
She sought leave to visit relative who re-
sided at distance, which was granted to
her, but soon after arriving there left, and
hurried to New York. She there procured
male habiliments, cut off her sunny locks,
and commenced search-an unayailino
oN"iNh III hiiii' sohC opcuI NcchS III lndI
city without success; she retraced her steps
everywhere seeking. At last she came to
Chicago. She read in paper two weeks
old an account of the conviction and sen.
tence of man forpassing counterfeit mon
ey. His person was described, and to her
horror she recognized in it a too faithful
picture of him she sought. Grief found
her a fitting victim. Her inquiries were
few; he had gone to States Prison, and a
jocular response to her question whether
she could get in there to see him, suggest
ed her future course. She would be as
near him as possible, even if in prison.
She would be under the same roof, and per-
haps won d see him. Still disguised AS a
male, that day she committed larceny; she
was arraigned, and tho firm resolve of her
heart was yearly abandoned, when she rec
ognized on the bench gentleman with
whom in Michigan, while accompanying
her father in his attendance as member of