Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-09-11
From the Cuba (Allegaay Coz Southern Tier
Truth Stranger than Fiction.

/
We paid flying visit the other day to
the county seat, On our return, upon
reaching Belvidere, waiting to take the
Dunkirk Express for home, we observed
seated upon the platform of the Depot, o
well dressed, gentcel appearing man, with
two interesting little girls, one upon each
side. There was someth ng in the appear
ance of the group that attracted attention
and excited curiosity. There was an ex-
preston of sadness upon each countenance
which nothing but some great sorrow could
produce. We approached them and COM
meneed conversation with the man, who
was frank and intelligent, aud from him
learned the following story:
The little girls were his children, aged
Eve and seven. He was married to their
mother about eight years ago, and lived
with her in perfect state of happiness un-
til last fall His home is in Barton, twen-
ty-eight miles east Of Elmira, on the Erie
road. In December last, near and inti-
mate neighbor employed negro to do a
job of work, and for few days got this
man TO lodge the negro in back chamber
in his house. The negro completed bis job,
but still hung about the premises. rhe
husband ordered him away, and remunstra-
ted with his wife, (as the affair had created
some scandal in the ncighborhood) although
the husband had not suspicion of any
thing wrong on the part Of his wife at the
time. The wife was indignant-wrote to
her brother in Binghampton that her hus-
band had insulled her. The brother came
aud took the wife ard daughters home for a
few weeks, until the difficulty wore away
She had no sooner arrived there than the
negro presented himself, and was lurking
about. Iu few days the wife, eluding
the vigilance Of the brother and family,
eloped with the negro, taking with her the
two daughters, the only children. The
first clue the husband or broLhIr had been
able to get of the fugitives, was on the day
before we saw the group at BelVidere, when
he learned they were about four miles south
of Friendship, in this county, among some
negro inhabitants living there He took
the cars and reached BelYidere that morn-
ilg-got a livery and went directly in the
direction of the ttlement He was arm
ed with six-Shooter, as he said, to kill the
negro. if he saw him. He soon found the
negro shanty where his guilty wife was liy-
ing with the negro. The first person be
saw was his little girls. in rags playing
about the Int, The wife and the negro
were away in the field berrying. He enter
ed tho shanty, aud said it presented a scene
OF sqaalid wretchedness--no ehars--a IL
tie straw aud old quilts constituting the
bed, and few plates and kettle, made
up the furniture, He took the little girls
and the mothers trunk, and returned to the
Belvidere station. With the aid OF the
landlady he washed and dressed up the
children with tho ouly remaining clothes
found in the trunk, aud was waiting for the
cars TO take them home. He was a me-
chanie-candid aud honest hearted 10 a,l-
pearauce, and in comfortable circumstance.
There was no taint of African blood in
either He showed doguerreotype of his
faithless wife. She was good looking, above
the average Of her sex-rathef prepossess-
ing He said sue was educated and intel
ligent, aud had always moved In good so
ciety. fhe shades OF night were drawing
around, but as We scanned the picture we
thought We could detect in her otherwise
beautiful face a vein of low and sensual
passion. The little girls we're really pretty
and precious
About this tine we beard the whistle OF
che truin. They were soon on board We
saw The three in seat. The little girls
nestled beside the Injured father, aud soon
they sped away, leaving the mother 10
wretchedness and her vagaboud paramour.