Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1864-05-11

ted was the people who inquired after
missing relative long lost son or bro
ther, who was supposed to have died in
the Mauritius or Mexico: an afectionate
mother; who desired tidings as to the
burial-place of a certain James or John,
who had been travelling in particular
year in the south of Spain; an inquirer
for the will of Paul somebody: or any
one who could supply evidence as to the
marriage of Sarah Meekins alias Crou-
ther, supposed to have been celebrated
before her Majesty's Vice-Consul at Koo-
roobakaboo-these were the paragraphs
that touched him.
Never was there such a union Of in
telligence and sympathy as in him! He
knew everybody, and seemed not alone
to have been known to, but actually be-
loved by, every one. It was in his arms
poor Joe died at Alden. He gave away
Maria at Tunis. He followed Tom to
his grave at Corfu; and he was the mys-
teriOus stranger who On board the P, and
O. boat offered his purse to Edward, and
was almost offended at being denied. The
way in which this man tracked the sto-
ries of families through the few lines of
a newspaper advertisement was positively
marvellous. Whatever was wanting in
the way of evidence of this, or clue
to that, came at once into his attribu-
tions.
A couple of years ago, an English la
dy, the wife of a clergyman, passed a
winter at Rome with her daughter, and
in the mixed society of that capital made
acquaintance with Polish Count of most
charming manners and fascinating ad-
dress. The acquaintance ripened into
intimacy, and ended in an attachment
which led to the marriage of the young
lady with the distinguished exile.
On arriving in England, however, it
was discovered that the accomplished
count was a common soldier, and deser-
ter from the Prussian army; and means
we're accordingly had resourse to in order
to obtain a divorce, and the breach of
marriage accomplished under a fraudu-
lent representation. While the proceed
ings were but in the initiative, there came
a letter from Oneglia, near Nice, to the
afflicted mother Of the young lady, re-
calling to her mind the elderly gentle
man with the blue spectacles who usual
ly sat next her at the English Church at
Rome He was the writer Of the present
letter, who in turning over the columns
Of the Times, read the melancholy story
of her daughters betrayal and misery.
By one of those fortunate accidents more
frequent in novels than in life, he had
the means of befriending her, and very
probably of rescuing her from her pres
ent calamity He, the writer, had actu-
ally been present at the wedding, and as
witness had signed the marriage-certi-
fcate of that same soi-di8ant Count Stan
islaus Sobieski Something or-other, at
Lemberg, in the year 40, and knew that
the unhappy but deserted wife was yet
living. A certain momentary pressure
of money prevented his at once coming
to England to testify to this fact; but if
a small sum, sufficient to pay little bal
anee he owed his innkeeper, and where
withal to make his journey to England,
were forwarded to the address of Fred
erick Brooks, Esq, or lodged to his ac-
count at the Bank of French & Co.,
Florence, he would at once hasten to
London and depose formally to every
fact he had stated By the merest acci-
dent 1 myself saw this letter, which the
lady mad, Tor more accurate information
about the writer, sent to the banker at
Florence, and in an instant I detected
the fine Roman hand of R. N. F. 1t is
needless to say that this shot went wide
of the mark.
But that this fellow has lived for up
wards of twenty years, travelling the Con-
tinent in every direction, eating and drin-
king at the best hotels, frequenting the
atres, cafes, and public gardens, denying
himself nothing, is surely a shame and a
disgrace to the police of Europe, which
has been usually satisfied to pass him
over frontier, and suffer him to contin-
ue his depredations on the citizens Of
another state.
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