The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-10-07
A Sad story.


A correspondent Of the inquirer, in New York,
gives the following melancholy history of cast
out in that city:
New YonK, Sept 20, 1862
Floating along with the current Of humanity
which one encounters, or rather minges with, In n
large city, is many an isolated individual whose
heart history, IL uncovered in the gaze of the
world, would surpass in its intense reality all the
romances ever invented While | write an in
stance is passing along in the crowd under my
window, ih the person of wrctched looking man,
after whom people turn to gaze and wonder how
"a human form divine came to be reduced to u de-
gredation so complete and irrclccmablc. Ragged,
begrimmed with dirt, hair uncombcd and hanging
in tangled masses to his shoulders, face haggard
and unshaven, head bowed down, and eyes rowing
rcstlessly from object to another, and scarcely
ever fastened upon the face of man, uncaring and
uncared for, he moves decctedly along with the
crowd, as If his worldly hopes had fallen from,
him like so many withcrcd leaves. His story, as
heard II from person who is familiar with the
circumstances, is a long and sad one but l will
be brief:
Little more than FIVE years ago, this poor un-
fortunate was a thriving merchant in New Eng
land city, bonorcd by all who knew him. well to
do in the world, and with wife and two daugh-
tiers of seven and eighteen years of age, enjoyed
the comfort which successful enterprise had Sc
cured to him. About this time there was intro
duced in his family circle one of his clerks, he
tween whom and the eldest daughter an intimacy
sprang up. Suspecting nothing. no objection was
made to his society, but suddenly one morning he
was missing. lie had gone too far and the old
story was enacted, He had won the daughters
affection, affected her ruin, and deserted her to es-
cape the punishment he anticipated. Discovering
her condition, the young girl left home to conceal
her guilt, The mother, broken hearted at the
shame of her daughter taken i'll and died. and
as if the hand of Providence was laid in wrath
upon them, the youngest daughter in a few weeks
after also laid to rest beneath the chsncel-
stone. Only little while elapsed, and an infant
was one morning found upon the river bank with
q note pinned 10 its dress, containing its name,
and few words of penitence and farewell. It's
wretched mother had terminated her sorrow by
suicide. From that hour the father was an alter
ed man. Revenge became the only object of life,
and forsakng his business, he started in pursuit
of the author of his misery.
Months passed without success. but he finally
learned that the young man, under an assumed
name, was in a remote town of the West, and, fol-
'owne with all haste, he there found him. Both
want of space, and ability make il impossible for
,s Il, describe the terrible interview that resulted;
.a' -lpears that the seducer, far gone with con-
.a-ti .un. was confined to his room, and when the
o. str hearted man he had so deeply wrongcd,
ed. .i,.,J ou iorud and stood before him, his own
sat .ho fearful agony and dcnunciations of
t.. supst- maniac father, so worked upon him
ga. Ig,nIrrhage of the lungs was brought on,
.i.t 81. i.1 during the ensuing night. Since then
has been the miserable wandcrcr have
.8.l'..,-'ihe world forgetting, and by the world
.rt The only mcmento of the past, visible
nm, is a dirty cord around his neck, which
.sr'is leather case enclosing locket with the
-. t' portraits of his family. His home is
.-.. tae squalid tenements of the Five Points.
al.y wants are supplied by remnant Of his
.a--tr rr,rerty, but with hopes crushed, ambition
Destroyed, bitter past behind and rayless flu
sure before him. his to society gone, and he
moves among men, human ruin