Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-12-10
a EsOnaIicc in EsenI Life.

A romance in real life, of deep plot and
thrilling denouemont, is just now the chief
topic of gossip in Taunton, Moss. The facts
as related by the Taunton RcpuJlicaa, are
these:
! 1t appears that about twenty seven years
ago Captain Brown. whose family resided
IN Mattapoisett, was the oversccr of the es-
state OF MIR. Henry E. Clifton. a wealthy
gentleman of Richmond, Va. From cause,
| which still remains q secret, difficulty arose
between Captain i. and Mr.. c., wherein the
former considered himself the aggricved
party. To revenge himself for the supposed
wrong he stolc"Mr. Cliftons infant daught-
er, Chen but SIX weeks old) on the day she
was christcned. The child was brought to
Mattapoisett, and secretly adopted by Brown
and his wife as their own. She was named
Julia and grew to be woman. When only
sixteen years old she married Mr.. Isaac q.
Pierce, Il printer who learned his trade in
! Fall River. Several years ago they moved
to Taunton, living for a while at East Taun-
ton, but more recently at the Green. Two
children have been born them one of whom
IS now living. During this long period Mrs.
Pierce has lived i'll blissful ignorance of her
high parentage, and Mr.. Pierce who took
her for better or worse had never imagined
himself the husband of an hercss. lie
abandoned the printers trade shortly after
learning it, and for several years has earned
his daily bread by the sweat of his brow at
Mr.. Mason's works in this city This is
their history until within very short time;
now comes the deh0UemcHt.
Last summer. while Rev. Mr.. Talbot, of
tins city was at Saratoga, he became ac-
quainted with Mr.. Clifton and wife, who, it
appears, at the breaking out of the rebellion,
to1 th,ir ,,l, 1
cash and moved to Baltimore In the course
of conversation with Mr. T. remarked upon
she striking resemblance of Mrs Clifton to a
lady parishoner Of his in Taunton. No
thing particular was thought of it at first
but on his repeating the remarks, Mrs. G.
inquired the age ofthe lady. On being in
formed that she was about twenty
Mrs. G. Immediately said to her husband,
"Why that would just be the age of our
daughter that was stolen" The matter
then received their serious attention. Mr.
Talbot was taken into their confidence, and
inquiry instituted rs to the reputed parents
of the young lady. He returned to Taunton
had n conversation with Mrs. Pierce in re-
gard to her parentagc; informed her of the
Saratoga conversation, which led her to ask
Mrs Brown, who, she had never doubted.
was her own mother, if she really were such.
uI INC same tlme telllng ncr the reason OF
the inquiry. Mrs. B., who had kept the
secret Of the chiid's parentage for twenty
seven years, was so overcome by the qucs-
tion and the development of facts that she
Immediately became i'll and died of the
heart disease. Before her death, however, |
she acknowledged that Mrs. p was not
her own daughter. Capt. Brown died a |
number of years ago. Within few weeks
the affair has developed itself rapidly. Mr.. !
and Mrs. Clifton and Mrs. Pierce have met |
each other; and the old coored woman, who |
nursed the abducted infant, has recognized |
Mrs. p. as their real child by mole on her |
shoulder!" The identity of their long lost |
daughter having been fully established, Mrs |
Pierce and her husband have been invited |
to live with the Cliitons and share in their |
wealth and this they are preparing to do,
having broken up housekeeping and dis |
posed of their furniture. The cream of the |
affair is that Mrs. Pierce is an only child |
and therefore sole heiress to an estate said |
to be worth hundreds of thousands if not .
millions of dollars, or as an old lady friend !
of Mrs. Pierce expressed it, "a trile less
than two Millions