Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-10-31
A Queer Story.


The Philadelphia North American says,
at the head of file of men on their way
from New York to Washington, through
this city, we encountered man who has
probably seen as much of real life as anv
other person living, Louis Napoleon alone
excepted. Captain B. ten years ago was
log cutter or wood chopper in the Cleartisld
pIneries, working in the employ of ex-Gov.
Bigler. He lived in a cabin entirely alone,
miles away from any settler, and where the
silence of the forest was broken by no other
sounds than the strokes of his axe or the
baying of his dog when upon the track of
deer. He was bitten one day by a mon
strous rattlesnake, but never losing his
presence of mind, he dug out the wound
with his hunting knife, and pounding into
powder his blackened pipe, he moistened it
with saliva and bound it upon the wound
The poison was drawn to the surface by the
application, and excepting rigidity of
limb, which still remains, he experienced
no further i'll effects from the deadly bite.
On one of his few visits to the town of
Clearfeld, for supply of tobacco and whis-
key, he CHANGED to save from drowning the
child of a wealthy citizen, who rewarded
him by present of three hundred dollars
The man never returned to his cabin, but
receiving the wages due to him he set out
for Philadelphia, where he engaged teach
er. and in brief period taught himself to
read. He was preaching shortly after this,
but finding himself pursuing a mistaken vo-
cation he blossomed out as a cancer doctor,
in which capacity he travelled over the entire
west and south, returning to New York
with about .hree thousand dollars. He mar
ried wealthy widow IN New York, who
died month after her marriage, leaving him
heir to every every dollar. He made a sec
ond venture afterwards, his wife clipping at
the end of the honeymoon with native OF
! Hamburg, returning with pile to his own
city. Disguised with the sex, he escheved
woman's society, and went to speculating
in patent rights, and with sort of success
that in year cleaned him of the last dollar.
lie secured position upon the police force
of New York. and in the course of his duty
came upon a discharged convict. he cor
vict gave him certain information, the truth
of which he could not doubt. A heavy rob-
berry had been committed on the continent.
The convict had been engaged in it, and
knew where the money was still secreted -
The rover purchased the secret from the fel-
low went to Europe, disclosed it to to the
public authorities and was made the pos
SCISSOR of reward amounting to about eight
thousand dollars.
With this money he returned to New York
and then to Philadel lphla. AT the Glrard
House one nigh. he met Texan, who won
from him four thousand dollars at single
sitting. The society of the gambler charmed
him, and he went with the Texan to Calves
ton, taking the remainder of his capital
with him. lie went upon rancho, and was
engaged in sheep grazing, with Hon. Amos
Kendall as near neighbor Secession broke
out at last. and our rover was compelled to
fly by night to Galveston, where he got upon
vessel. bound for Cuba without any other
possessions than the clothes upon his per.
son. He was twice wrecked in returning to
New York, where he arrived mere bundle
of skin and bones.