The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1859-09-24
From he San Francisco Golden Era.
The Old Cartman.
1HE BLuNDERBuss.


have a mSsd 10 tell little story-tha
1t is brief, ma be seen at glance; that il
is true, noss empLatically avow. If the
reader despiss it because of the first, or the
editors of the Era reject il for reason of the
last. then vii eschew truth in the future,
and devote myself to the elaboration of lies
into chapters and the purest fictions into
volumes Of seventeen hundred pages each.
With tbiS understanding. proceed at
once to remark. that Eve years ago. or there
abuots, john Ainsley.--or Pap Ainsley. .
as he was anailerly called--was the owner
of hand cart. and earned a living by Con-
veying miscellaneous parcels from one sec
ton of the city to another. and receiving
therefor the reasonable remuneration of fifty
tcents per load. To designate the occupa-
ton in the prosiest language possible. he
was hand cartman. and when not employ
| ed, could always be found during working
hours, at the corner Of Montgomery and
California streets. His hair and long beard
were quite gray, and his limbs feeble; and
If he could not shove as heavy load
through the deep sand or up the steep grade
above him, AS the stalwart Tenton on the
opposite corner, thereby losing many job
and many dollar, all the light loads fell to
his lot, and kind hearted men not unfre-
quently travelled square or two out of
their way to give an easy job to ''Pap Ain
sley."
Four years ago last September, 7 recol
lect the month, for had note Of four
thousand dollars to pay, and was compelled
to do some pretty sharp fnancering to meet
it,, having two or three volumes to trans
fer to my lodgings, gave "Pap Ainsley"
the task of transportation. Arriving at my
room just as he had deposited the last arm
full on the table. and observing that the old
man looked considerably fatigued after
climbing three flights of stairs five or six
times, invited him to take glass of bran
dv--a bottle of which usually kept in my
room for medicinal and sporifc purposes.
Although grateful for the invitation, he
politely declined. urged, but he was in
flexible I was astonished. ''Do you new
er drink ?'' said l. Very seldom" he
replied. dropping into chair at my re-
quest, and wiping the Precipitation from his
forehead. '"Well, if you drink at all" l
insisted. ''you will not find in the next
twelve months as fair an excuse for indul-
ging, for you appear fatigued, and scarcely
able to stand.'' ''To be frank" said the
old man, 81 do not drink now. I have not
tasted Intoxicating liquor for fifteen years
SINCE ''Since when % l inquir-
ed, thoughtlessly, observing his hesitation.
The old man told me- Sixteen years ago
he was weel do farmer near Syracuse.
N. Y. He had but one child, daughter.
While attending boarding school in that
city, the girl, then but sixteen years of age,
formed an attachment for a young physi-
clan. Acquainting her father with the
circumstances, he fatty refused his consent
to her union with man he had never seen,
and removing, her from school, dispatched
a note to the young gallant, with the some
what pointed information, that his presence
in the neighborhood of the Ainsley farm
would not meet with favor. The reader of
course surmises the result, for such a pro-
ceeding could and can have but one result.
In less than month there was an elope
ment The father loaded his double bar
relied shot gun, and swore vengeance, but
falling to fiLd the fugitives, he took to the
bottle. His good wife implored him not to
give way To despair, but he drank the deep
err, and accused her of encouraging the
elopement In three months the wife died,
and at the expiration of year, when the
young couple returned to Syracuse from
Connecticut, where they had remained with
the parents of the husband, they learned
that the old man, after the death Of his wife,
of which they had of course been apprais
ed, lad sold his farm, squandered the pro-
ceeds, and was almost destitute. Learning
of their arrival, Ainsley drank himself into
frenzy, and proceeding to the hotel where
they were stopping, attacked the husband,
wounding him in the arm with pistol
IL H. Of -
daughter. who, happily, escaped uninjured
through the interposition ofp- rsons brought
To the spot by the report of the pistol
Ainsley was arrested, triel, and acquitted
on the plea of insanity. The daughter and
which time the father had not heard from
them. He was sent to lunatic asylum
from which be was dismissed after remain
ing xix months. In 1851 he came to Cal
ifornia. He had followed mining for two
years, but finding his strength unequal tol
the pursuit, returned to this city. purchas-
ed hand-cart. and-the rest is known.
..Since then,' concluded the old man bow
ing his face in his hands in agony. II
have not tasted liquor. nor have seen my
poor child / regretted that I had been
so inquisitive, and expressed to the sufferer
the sympathy I really felt for him. After
that, I seldom passed the corner without
looking for "Pap Ainsley." and never saw
him but to think of the sad story he had
told me.
One chilly, drizzling day in the Deem
Der following. gentleman having purcbas-
ed small marbie-top table at an auction
room opposite. preferred to the old man
the job of conveying it to his residence on
Stockton street Not wishing to accompa-
ny the carrier, he had selected the face,
probably giving the best assurance of care