The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-08-04
& L l. G N .
a TRUE STORY.

lIIlc IncluCnt,, growing OuJ ol Jllc'
War, which came under my notice in
the summer of 1861. ! can give it
only as fragment, fer never beard
the end of it, and that, to be candid,
is my principal reason, for telling it
at all,-in the hope, slight enough,
it is true, that some chance reader
may be able TO supply to me what is
wanting. For this reason | shall
give the true names of persons and
places, and the dates also, as nearly
as can reeollect them. 1t is only a
simple story of q private in the 9th
Ohio Volunteer Militia, and his sis
ter, and may not touch Others rs it
did me, for I can give but the bald
facts; but |, seeing the reality, can
remember nothing in the war which
troubles me with such sense o" pain
and simple pathos. 'i.
About thirty years ago, n family
named Carol, or Carryl, emigrated
from the North of Ireland, and set
tied in Coldwater, n little fishing
village Of Michigan. ' ...
They were sober and hard work
ing, but dull and ignorant, and in no
way different from others Of their
class, except in their unusual strong
affection Tor each other. Old Carol,
however, rheumatic old man OF
sixty, with this weak, jealous pride
in his "b'ys,n working late and early
to keep them clothed, to pay his wire's
doctors bills, and trying to lay up
enough to buy the two girls feath-
er-bed and q clock when they we're
married, stood in no need of whisbey
or dances to keep him alive; this and
his wife's i'll health separated them
from the fighting, rolicking Irish
crew Of the hamlet, set them apart,
so to speak, to act upon each other.
Carol, with one of his sons, worked
in q saw-mill, and the other boys, as
they grew old enough, easily found
.jobbing, being known as honest, plod.
ding fellows. The little drama of their
lives babe fair TO he quiet, and the
characters wrought out OF it common
place enough, had not Death thrust
his grim face into the scene.
The youngest child was n girl,
Ellen, born long after the others, and
like most children coming in the adj
vanced age of their parents, was Pc
cnliar; the family traits had worn
themselves out; new elements came
in. The Irish neighbors, seeing how
closely the girl was kept in door, and
THE anxious guard held over her by
her father and brothers, thought her
n natural or ''innocent," whether
she was or not. The Carols kept their
counsel, and warded off gossip as
best they could 1t was from Ellen
i heard how the change came among
them first. ut was Il fever she
said. "John took it, and httle Phil
and then Jane. Jane was the oldest
ot us; it was she rs nursed mother
and kept the house. She looked Il:
old rs mother Evenings she'd d pu
on white apron, and take me on he
knee and sing for us. But she tool
the fever, and they're all three gon,
away;" which was always Ellen
phrase for death. She stopped there
adding afterwards quietly, that it wa
t about that time the trouble in he
head first came. Ellen took her sis
ter's place in excepting the house;
she had enough mind to learn tn
daily routine of cleaning and tn,
little cooking. Her mother was
, cripple for life, confined to her he
most of the time; q credulous, mel
vous woman,-the one idea in he
narrow brain q passionate love fo
her husband and children. ..
) After the three who had "gon
away" were buried in the it'll
> Catholic graveyard by the creek, til
others crept closer together Jo'
nearest Ellen in age, was kept {
home to help with the house an
= yard work, and, partly, from bein
a simple minded fellow, and partl
to humor Ellen, fell into the girl
ways, "JoS and me" she sale
"churned and cooked together, an
;, then he'd bring his tools into mott
y er's room and work, We liked tina
il he was so full Of joking and whis
!, n ling r.lrasr rI r
n The old man was quicter alter Ia
J children's death. One day the IN:
chinery at the mill being old and 70
T ten, broke; the hands were at work
it, underneath the beams which fel
y An hour after, just as Ellen aud JC
)" had put the chairs about the suppe
table, and set waiting for their fath'
and Jim, the door was pushed ope
and two heaps, shapeless, and co
d. cred closely with quilt, we
n brought in upon a door Whatev
: was the pain or loss OF the widow
iis Joe, they had no time to Indulge
Ellen needed all their care alter tn
for q year or two. She was "trou
S led," was all the satisfaction Tho
0. gave to the neighbors' curiosity, wi
as never saw her in that time.
In the second autumn, however, 81
!. began to go about again through u
village; aud, Joe, after watching h
!, anxiously tor some time, found wo
as a hand on schooner running
,l Sandusky, Ohio. This was in u
o autumn of 1860. Once in Will
3. during the, Winter, he came home
stay over night. Gotten" Ellen sal
u t1,4 c. -