The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-01-08


The saddsst disappearance Of which 1
remembered ever to have read was that Of
Captain Routh of the Indian army, who
came home on leave from Calcutta, to be
married to Miss Ling in Hertfordshire.
Captain Routh arrived at Southampton
and was identified as having been q pas
senger by the coach from that place to
London. But after having safely accom-
plished SO many hundred miles, he never
attained the place, such little way off,
where his sweetheart awaited him. He
neither came nor wrote. She read his
name In the list of passengers by the Eu-
ropa, and looked for him hour by hour in
vain. What excuses must not her love
made for him How she must have chung
to one frail chance after another. until her
last hope left her! How infinitely more
terrible must such vague wretchedness
have been to bear, than if she had known
him to have been struck down by the fatal
sun-ray Of Bengal, or drowned in Indian
seas. Where was he? What could have
become of him? .f
This young lady had cousin of the
name of Pecrhyn, about her own age, who
had been brought up in the same family,
and, although much attached to her, had
not been hitherto considered to entertain
towards her warmer feelings than those of
kinship. But as month after month, and
year after year went by without tidings of
the missing bridegroom, he began to court
her AS lover. She, for her part, refused
to listen to his addresses, but her mother
favored them; and plunged in melancholy,
M uir II ~ fo1o
him which probably she would otherwise
have done. She accepted, or at least she
did not reject, a ring of his, which she
even.wore on her finger, but whenever he
spoke to her, or rendered her any service,
she turned from him, with something like
loathing. Whether this was remarked
upon so much before the following circum-
stance occurred, it would be interesting to
learn, but all who knew them now testify,
that whereas in earlier days she had taken
| pleasure in her cousin S society, it seemed
to become absolutely hateful to her, sub
sequent to her calamity.
About three years after Capt Routh's
disappearance, brother officer and friend
OF bis, one Major Brooks, having business
| In England, was invited into Hert tor{ishife
| by Mrs Lin" at the urgent request OF her
daughter. so far, however, 4rom b5iGg
overcome by the association of tl3e majors
| presence with her lost lover, Ms Ling
saesned to take pleasure in nothing SO
much IS hearing him talk OF his MISSING
friend. Mr.. Peclhyn appears to have
| taken this in some dudgeon; perhaps be
grew apprehensive that present rival
| n,Ight be even more fatal to his hopes than
the memory OF an absent one; but, at all
events, the gentlemen quarrelled. M.
| PecihJ n who lived in the neighborhood
protested that he would not enter the
house during the majors stay, and renain-
| ed at his own residence. During this
arrangement the conversation between
Brooks and Miss Ling had Captain Routh
for its topic more than ever. In speaking
OF the absence of all clew to what had be-
come OF him, the major observed: "There
is one thing that puzzles me almost as
much as the loss of my poor friend myself
You say that his luggage was found at the
inn where the coach stopped in Londonp }"
st was" said the lady. IL am thank
full to say that have numberless tokens
of his dear SELF"
There is one thing, though, which l
wonder that he parted with, pursued the
major, "and did not always carry about
with him, as he promised to do. I was
with him in the baz ar at Calcutta when
he bought for you that twisted ring"-
That ring" cried the poor girl, "that
ring ]" and with frightful shrek she in.
stantly swooned away.
Her mother came running in to know
what was the matter; Brooks made some
evasive explanation, but, while she was
applying restOratives, inquired, as care
lessly as he could, who had given to her
daughter that beautiful ring
+ "Oh, Willy Fecrhyn, " said she. 'sThat
is the only present, poor fellow, he could
ever get Rachel to accept" laa
Upon this Major Brooks went straight to
Pecryns house, but was denied admit
lance; whereupon he wrote to him the
following letter.: 5h9 .ayIio a5I9 q
SIR: 81 have just seen ring upon the hand
OF tue oetrethed wife of my murdered friend.
i Meroers houth ne bought it for that purpose
That ne always wore it on his little finger and
never parted with it by any chance | demand.
therefore to know by what means Won became
possessed OF it. l shall REQUIRE to see Won in
person at hve o'clock this afternoon and shall
take no deniel. JAMES RpnO 1 Ss"ii
The major arrived at Mr.. Pecrbyn's
house at the time specified, but found him
dead man. He bad taken poison upon
the receipt of the above letter: and So as
is supposed, departed, the only human be-
ing that could have unravelled the mystery
OF the missing Captain Routh. Still. it is
barely possible that he may not have been
his murderer, after all ; if he were, it was
surely the height of imprudence to have
gwen away a thing so easily identified, and
tnat 70 the very person, of all others, from
whom ne should have concealed it,
IMPORTANT ORDER RELATIVE TO FUR
LouGHs AND ENL1sTMENrs.- An important
general order, respecting re-enlstments
and furloughs to veterans, was issued from
the headquarters of the Army of the Poto-
mac on the 29th. It provides that when
three fourths of a regiment Cor company,
>~I-