Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-04-08
Our San Francisco Correspondence.
SAN Francisco, April 5, 1866.


EDS. GoLD HILL NEws-Gentlemen
/ don't know that shall write a very long
letter to-day, for am not exactly in condi-
ton or humor. The fact is, my boys,
RICHMOND Is TAKEN!
And that Is what's the matter with me. l
never got drunk, to my knowledge, in my
life but / had long intended to see how near
that point could come, aud miss it, when
Richmond fell. With that intention I had
been outstanding my energies, refusing every
tenth invitation to drink as matter Of prin-
ciple, in order to save my strength and be
ready for emergencies. Well, in the FITNESS
Of time, the event for which you and /, and
every other loyal American, hoped, watched
and prayed for, so long, came with unexpect-
ed suddenness, and the shock Of the glorious
news almost upset me at the start. l rushed
out into the street, aud shook the hand OF
evefv man met, and in due course Of events
found myself inside the doors of the "lvy
Green" Fired by the excitement Of the mo-
ment, I declared my willingness to forgive
Mark Twain, lingo, Stiggers, aud all the other
Bohemians of San Francisco, and exclaimed
"Show me my worst enemy, that | may en-
brace him, and forget and forgive all the in
juries he has ever done me-" Thereupon
Jeems, whose surname is Heating, without
speaking a word, set down a champagne bot
tie before me, and pointed to it with a gesture
which seemed to say Here he is {; take him
to your heart" Somebody, who has no re-
gard for the finer feelings Of humanity, broke
out with loud OUTLAW, and had right to
become enraged; but l did MT. No, my boys,
I would have borne anything that night, and
on the whole ] rather enjoyed that joke. l
took the hint embraced my enemy, swal-
lowed the insult. did not get drunk, l
pledge you my word on that point; but, be-
tween you and me, cut across lots on my
way home at 2 o'clock the next morning, and
saved some twenty-five yards in the distance.
l thank Providence for that twenty-five yards
saved, and saudder as l think what might
have happened if had been obliged to go
around the whole distance. The sea breeze
might have overcome me, and l might have
become intoxicated. I give thanks, with a
full heart, for the fall of the rebel capital,
snd-for the twenty-five yards saved.
BUT IT WAS GLORIOUS!
have never seen the day that was hope
less or ashamed of my country, even in her
darkest hours; but have seen some days
when tie gloom surrounding her cause SEEM
ed impenctrable, and dreaded the result. as
did others with longer heads than mine. That
day of doubt and gloom is past-the clouds
have disappeared, and a future more bright
and glorious than We ever dared hope for, is
before us and our children. Well may we
rejoice. need not tell you how the people
of San Francisco went half mad with delight,
when the news came upon us like lightning
fash; how they sung the battle Cry OF
Freedom" till their lungs were sore; shout.
ed, cheered, marched, built oon-fires, and
set off fireworks; for you will have already
heard the whole story before this reaches
you; but / can tell you that San Francisco
was a good place TO be in that evening, and
that the emotions which filled the bosOms Of
her people at that time we're worth bearing
long life Of poverty and toll for the privilege
Of enjoying. That day and that night mark
ed an epoch in our nations history to which
the Americans OF thousand years hence will
point with proudest satisfaction. Grumble
at hard times and taxes as we may to day,
posterity will envy US the privilege Of havin 9
lived in this grand time. And now for a
change. Before sailing into the Linor events
Of the current week, let me give RETROSPECT
tive glance, and tell your readers of little
ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE,
With the sad particulars of which happen
to be personally familiar. Eighteen years
ago, or thereabouts, there was a well-to-do
landlord in q certain thriving country town in
Illinois, about forty miles from Chicago,
hight St. Charles. The landlord had wife,
comely to look upon, smart, intelligent
and industrious, and three daughters, two
of them just blooming into wonnnhood,
the youngest mere wee toddling child. He
had fine property and hourishing business.
In an evil hour he made the acquaintance Of
little Irish milliner, pert, lively-tongued,
red-headed woman, the wife Of a common la
borer, and his visits soon became the object
Of remark and scandal in the neighborhood.
HIS wife, true woman as she was, repealed
the lnsinuations against her husbands honor
with indignation, but the injured husband OF
the milliner was not so easily blinded, and
one dark night he waylaid the seducer and
struck him square in the face with such force,
as he supposed, as to end his life. The land
lord was found bleeding on the ground, and
carried home. After long months of suffer-
ing he was restored to health once more, but
the blow had crushed in the cheek bone on
one side, and in spite Of the surgeons skill
he was disigured for life. Months rolled
away, and suspicion had been lulled to rest,
when one day the landlord dropped an open
letter from his pocket on the street. The
letter was picked up and taken directly to his
injured wife. 1t was addressed to the MILL
ner, contained an appointment for meet
ing, and was couched in terms which left no
chance Of doubt as to the character Of the
intimacy existing between them. The next
morning Il carriage drove out Of the hotel
yard, and amidst the curses and jeers Of the
neighbors, the landlord left his home forever.
He had decided his property to his wife and
children, and left to wander no one knew
whittier. / said no one. was wrong there
was une who knew where he had gone. That
one was the milliner, and a few days she,
too, disappeared, and was seen there no
more. The couple was heard Of on the Mis-
sissippi, and afterwards at Vera Cruz and
after the discovery Of gold in California, they
we're reported to have found their way hither.
The milliner's husband, bent on revenge, sold
his littleproperty, and came here with the
avoued intention Of killing the seducer OF
his wife, but was taken with the cholera,
and died in the streets Of San Francisco a
day or two after his arrival. The injured
wife Of the landlord pinned away and died of a
broken heart about year after her faithless
husbands departure, and the eldest girl, a
year or t1o later, disappointed in matters Of
affection, died, leaving but the two youngest
daughters remaining OF that once happy,
prosperous family. The eldest Of the remain
ing daughters married a man with whom she
had been but single day acquainted, and
the match did not prove happy one. OF the
fate Of the youngest child know nothing,
Well, you will ask, "What has brought up
all this to-days" Just this In looking over
the list of passengers for the East by the
Golden Age on Monday last, my eye fell on
the names of a and wife," and the
whole story came back on my memory with a
rush. went down to the steamer, and, sure
enough, there stood the landlord on the deck,
grey, withered, and older seemingly by forty
years than when saw him last; but the
identity was not to be doubted. And the
woman, who figured on the list as his wife
POSSIBLY is so now, was the truant milliner
What memories must be theirs For all the
wealth Of California would not carry with
me such recollections as must goad them tC
the end o! life. Where they have been all