The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-21
a REs1ARKABLE REM CASE.
A Curious Interview at the Grant
House in this City last FrIday---A
SinguIdr Case OF COnRcicnce..-.Re-
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House in this City last FrIday---A
Singular Case OF COnscicnce----Re-
pentRnce and ReParRtiOn. t23
hrom the, Washington, Pa, Reporter Of Uester-
day.
Many of our readers will remember
that some months since, Il Mr.. A! b.
Craig, then in the employ of Messrs.
store, was discovered by those gentle
men to have been, in the habit of pUr-
loining both money and goods from
them. When found, out he aclInowl-
edged his guilt, and professed to make
restitution by surrendering n consider
able sumiof money and divers quanti-
ties of goods, not only to Messrs. Cham
by whom he had been previously en-
ployed for about a year and a half.
Having made This reparation of his
own free viii and accord, and without
any. 1nducementY whatever being held
out by his employers, he suddenly left
for partshunknown, and was not heard
Of again until last week, when Mr..
Harding received a letter from him
dated. at Wheeling, expressive of the
deepest penitence for his misdeeds, and
requesting an interview with him at
the Grhnt House in that city on Friday
last. Taking afriend along with him,
Mr.. Harding went to Wheeling on Fri.
at
House,. found Mr.. Craig there, who at
once informed him that hs had not yet
made full reparation for the injury done
to those bylwhom he had formerly been
employed, but declared it to be his in
tention then and there to do SO to the
outside cent. To this end he proceeded
to place in the hands of Mr.. Harding
the sum. of q, 900, TO be applied as foi2
lows: $500 to Mr.. Harding; $1,000 to
Messrs. Chambers & Mathews and
81 600 to. Mr.. Isaac Beeson, of Union
town, in whose employ he had been
previous to his coming to this place
This, he alleged, covered every cent he
had taken from his employers, and he
expressed the utmost joy at having
been able to restore it alto them, as he
could now enjoy the peace of conscience
to which he had been stranger so long.
as the nl-gotten gain remainedin his
possession. q
AS some curiosity may be felt to know
where he has been since his departure,
it may be well enough to give his own
story, which is this: Immediately after
leaving this place he proceeded to Now
York whence he sailed by the first
steamer forCalifornia, which he conten-
plated making his future home. Ar
irving at the Golden State, he proceed
ed to convert his Government securities
into gold, which he was enabled to do
the dollar. During his whole stay there,
as he says himself, he was constantly
suftertng from the pangs of guilty
conscience, and was allowed no peace
of mind whatever. The sense of guilt
preyed upon Aim like canker, and af-
ter enduring untold agony from tbegoa-
dlngs,of the silent monitor within, he at
length resolved to come back and make
full and complete restitution to those
.hefhad-so deeply injured. He accord
inglYyreturned to New York, where he
disposed of his gold at the regular pre-
MUM, whereby he realized enough in
the way of profit to defray the expen-
ses, Of his trip to California and back
EiaytnRi done this he at once came to
Wheeling where he sought and obtain-
ed the interview with Mr.. Harding,
which resulted as above described.
Looking at this affair from beginning
to enc, 1t certainly presents one of the
most remarkable cases we have ever
heard or read! of This young man had
been in the habit OF robbing his employ
ers, almost daily, for n period of not less
than three or four years,lin the course
OF which time he must have taken
money and goods together amounting
to over 1900. Notwithstanding this
long indulgence in crime, and the con-
slant practice of the craft and cunning
necessary to carry. on his system
have become hardened, IN guilt,
but on the other hand when
charged with the offence, promptly con-
fessed his crime, and proceeds at once to
restorei as was supposed, the whole
amount tatSeti. leaving his, employers
under the Impression that he had made
them whole, or very nearly SO, he takes
his departure for the Pacific coast, in
tending never to return; but the resti-
tuition he had made being only partial,
he is still troubled by the sense of guilt.
he still has S, 500 IA his possession,
which for aught that was known to any
save his Maker and himself, honestly
belonged TO him, but the consciousness
4 that It had been frauduIently taken
1 from others gave him no rest, neither
j day nor night, and at length he comes
back and restores 1t al to its rightful
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