Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-01-28
Juterfstiap Storg.
THE
HOTEL THE F
THE
A CURIOUS
BIZ sYLvANUs COBB. JR.

A few evenings since, a small party o
us were assembled in a snug parlor, dis
cnssing the various topics Of the day
We had run the " Hard Times" till moth
ing more was to be said upon the subject
and then we turned our attention to tn,
criminal cases detailed in the various
newspaper prints. There was thefts, rob
berries, murders, arsons, and all sorts o
misdeeds brought before us, and VIC gave
them such consideration as we could at
ford. M
Speaking of thefts," remarked one O
the party, puts me in mind of q curiou:
circumstance that once happened in my
own house. | will relate it If you choose
to hear it,
The speakers name was Barton--@Un
Gle Sim" we always called. him-hi.
Christian name being Simeon. He wa,
well advanced in years. and had been en-
gagged in hotel keeping during most of his
life. We we're anxious to hear his story
and he related it, as follows:
Something over twenty years ago ]
kept a hotel in the western part Of this
State. The location was a good one, for
there was not only considerable travel
but | had many good b~oarders.
1T was somewhere near the first oil
July, along towards evening, that a splen-
did carriage drew up at my door, and as
the driver leaDed from the seat, he asked
one OF my men to come and help him.
The carriage was opened, and q young
girl-a bright, pretty thing, not owe 6f
teen-was the first to alight. After this
the driver reached Ia. and with the assis.
lance OF my porter, handed out the sick
est looking man for q traveller / had ey
err seen. He was tall and bent, and seem
ed more like a living skeleton than a
thing Of flesh AMI blood. The bones
were all clearly defined through the
parchmenErlike skin, and / almost fancied
| could hear his frame rattle as he was
helped along. A dry short cough shook
his system, and an occasional groan seem,
cd to indicate that he suffered much. Il
had him conducted at once to the parlor.
where | waited upon him as soon as the
carriage had gone.
IT found him upon one Of the sofas
breathing with difficulty. and quite ex
bausted. He informed me that he was a
n erchant in New York, and nearly gone
with the consumption. His physician
had advised him TO core to NJ place and
spend tie summer, and he had followed
the counsel. + knew he had come, but
with regard to spending the summer
was not sure. He seemed to be nearer
the church yard than anything else. He
told me that | Should have no trouble
with him. Tor his physician would visit
him nearly every day, and his daughter
had come to wait upon him. He gave hi.
name as Oscar Luton. and the bright
eyed girl he called Clara.
" | could not refuse him. He offered
to pay me any price | might demand, and
as l had rooms to spare, | determined to
take him. So / had the apartments put
in order, and as soon IS all was ready We
helped him up stairs. He went to bed at
once. being faint and weary.
: On the following morning a gentle
man came who introduced himself as Dir.
John Adams. He was q fine intelligent
looking man, about fifty years Of age. and
possessed a peculiar faculty Of winning
confidence at once. / learned from him
that he was stopping with a sister only
a few miles distant, and should remain
there while his patient Luten lived
While VIC were conversing, Clara cane
in and informed the doctor that her faith
er wished to see him as soon as possible.
sin half an hour the doctor came down
shaking his head.
Poor fellowlu he said, taking q seat
BY my side. He can't live long. He is
very low and weak this morning"
- didn't much like the idea Of having
a man die in my house thus, but it was too
late to help it now.
A week passed, and Mr.. Luton seem.
ed to be failing every day. He had
grown so feeble that be could not sit Up
at all. and the physician came every
morning, and sometimes in the evening,
Clara was unceasing in her attentions
and / knew sometimes that she must have
watched BY her fathers bedside all night,
One morning 4 received d lettea from
New York, from i lawyer who had stop.
ped at my house, with his wife and daugh,
ter, FIVE days before, in which the writer
stated that his wife had lost j~ewelry 10
the amount Of three thousand dollars
somewhere on her journey. She was sure
she had it whenssh stopped at my house
and her only stopping place between there
and the city was her own fathers. The
lawyer closed his letter by asking me &c