The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-06-23
From the San Fran cisco (Cal.) Golden Bra.
The Old Cartman.

l have mind to tell little story. That
it is brief, may be seen at o glance; that it
is true, | most emphatically avow. II the
reader despise it because of the first, or the
editors of the Era reject it for the reason of
the last, then will eschew truth in the fu.
ture, and devote myself to the elaboration of
lies into chapters, and the purest fictions
into volumes Of seventeen hundred pages
each.
With this understanding, I proceed at
once to remark, that five years ago, or there
aoouts, John Ainsley-or Pep Ainsley,' as
he was familiarly called-was the owner of
hdndcart, and eorned living by conveying
miscellaneous parcels from one section of
the city to another, and receiving therefor
the reasonable remuneration of fifty cents
per load. To designate the occupation in
the prosiest language possible, he was a
hand-cartman, and when not employed,
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 Teu'on on the opposite corner,
thereby losing many job and many a dol.
lar, all the light loads in the neighborhood
fell to his lot, and kind hearted men not un.
frequently travelled square or two out of
their way to give an easy job to Pap Aims
ley.'
-Four years ago last September, q reco.
lect the month, for had a note of four thou.
sand dollars to pay, and was compelled to do
some pretty sharp fnanciering to meet IT'D
having two or three dozen volumes of books
to transfer to my lodging, give Pop Aims
ley the task Of transportation. Arriving at
my room just as he had deposited the last
arm'ul on the table, and observing that the
old man looked considerably faligued after
climbing three flight of stairs five or six
times, invited him to take glass of bran
dy-a bottle Of which | usually kept in nv
room, for medicinal and soporific purposes.
Although grateful for the invitation, he DO
htely declined. l urged, but he was inflexi.
BILE. l was astonished. Do you never
drink = said !. very seldom, he replied,
dropping into chair, at my request, and
wplng the perspiration from his forehead
Well, If you drink at ALL insisted, you
will not find in the next twelve month as fair
an excuse for indulgng, for you appear fa-
tigued and scarcely able to stnnd.' To be
frank said the old man, Il d. not drink
now. l have not tasted intoxicating liquor
for fifteen years-since-' Since when 2
inquired, thoug ughtlessIy, observing his hes.
itation.
The old man told nc. Sixteen wears ago
he was well.to' do farmer near Syracuse.
New York. He had but one chld-n dauoh.
ter. While attending boarding school in
that city, the girl, then but sixteen years of
age, formed an attachment for young ply
sician. Acquainling her father with the cir.
cumstance, he fatty refused his consent 10
her union with man he had never seen,
and removing her from school, dispatched
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 pro.
ceeding could and can have but one result,
In less than month there was an elope-
ment. The father loaded his double-barrel.
led shot gun, and swore vengeance. but fail
ing to find the fugitives, he took to the bot.
tie. His good wife impIored him not to give
way to despair, but he drank the deeper, 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 npprised, had sold
his farm, squandered the proceeds. and was
almost destitute. Learning Of their arrival,
Ainsley drank himself into frenzy, and pro-
ceeding to the hotel where they were stop.
ping, attacked the husband, wounding him
in the arm with pistol shot, and then at.
tempted the life Of his daughter, who, hap
PLY, escaped unnjured through the interpo.
stion of persons brought to the spot by the
report of the pistol. Ainsley was arrested,
tried and acquitted on the plea of insanity.
The daughter and her husband returned to
Connecticut, since which time the father
had not heard from them. He was sent to
lunatic asy lum, from which he was dismiss.
ed after remaining six months. In 1851 he
came to California. He had followed min.
ing for two years, but finding his strength
unequal to the pursuit, returned to this city,
purchased hand.cart, and--the rest is
known. Since then,' concluded the old
man, bowling his face in his hands in agony,
9 have not tasted liquor, nor have seen
my poor child.' regretted that had been
so inquisitive, and expressed to the sufferer
the sympathy really felt for him. After
that, seldom passed the corner without
looking for 'Pdp AinsIey,' and never saw
him but to think Of the sad story he had told
me. ......
One chilly, drzzling day in the December