The weekly union record., 1865-04-15
A Sad, Romantic History.

Since my return to Marposa, says
the correspondent of an exchange, have
heard of the death Of an old and much
esteemed friend, whose life was one of
adventure and varying fortune, and the
circumstances of whose death are so
painful that cannot forego giving you
an outline Of his history. He was typo;
man of large experience, much culture,
and genial impulses. He married, quite
young, an estimable lady of New Or
leans, who was possessed of considerable
property in her own right. Soon after
marriage he removed to Mississippi,
then Just organized as State, and was
elected first State Printer of the new
commonwealth. At the expiration of his
term of office he removed with his fam
lily to New Orleans, received the COM
mission of a Lieutenant in the United
States Navy and went to sea, and was
not ashore again till the breaking out
of the Mexican war, when he resigned
his commission in the navy and accept
ed one in the army, without however
visiting his family. He served through
the war as an officer of volunteers, and
after peace was declared, accepted
commission in the Mexican army and
joined an expedition against the Yuca-
tan Indians. The gold excitement break
ing out in California, he dropped the
sword for the pick, arrived in California
in the Fall of 10. Disdaining the
crowded safety of a city, he struck out
Immediately for the mountains, where
he soon amassed fifty odd thousand dol
lars, by good luck, industry and enter
prise. Up to this time he had kept up
correspondence with his wife-who
waited patiently, hopefully, lovingly
through all those long years for his com
ing.
A friend of his-who had been with
him through the Mexican war and the
Yucatan expedition, and constantly in
California; kindred spirit and noble
man, and who had shared his successes
in the mines, suggested to him the pro-
priety of returning to his family (for he
had two sons now nearly men, whom he
had not seen from infancy telling him
that he had plenty of this worlds goods
and an excellent home, besides, old age
was coming on apace. Finally, in 1853,
they started for their old homes, but on
reaching San Francisco the Amazon
river gold fever was raging, and they
We're violently attacked with it. They
Immediately fitted out a large party and
started for the new gold felds-old
Typo being so much excited that he for
got to write to his wife that he was go
ing. Four years elapsed, and he re-
turned to San Francisco "before the
mast" broken in purse and physical
strength.
In the meantime, in his quiet home in
New Orleans, an act had been perpetra-
ted by fraud and forgery that cast a
gloom over his remaining years, as also
over the future of his most excellent
family. An unprinciplcd merchant in
that city, who occupied one of the large
storehouses belonging to the gold hunt
er's wife, hearing of the departure and
distant destination of the husband, rely
ing upon the improbaGlity of his return
ing, forged the names of parties in Cal
ifornia, with whom the too confding la
dy was acquainted, to letters addressed
to himself, giving very circumstant:al
account of the cause and manner of the
death of her husband, together with his
dying words, place Of burial, etc. The
wife, never suspecting the genuincnosS
of the letters or signatures, duly mourn
ed the death of her long absent husband.
As time rolled on, showing no undue
haste, the aforSaid merchant wooed and
won the wealthy widow, and they were
married.
When the adventurer returned to
California he obstinately refused to
write to his wife until he had ''made a
raise" which he did shortly after
meantime being all unconscious Of what
had happened at home. was mining
with him on the Meaced river in 1858,
when one Summer evening, the butch
er from town handed him a letter. |
shall never forget that scene. The let
ter was frosn his wife, in answer 10 his
first on his return from Peru. To sec
the tears like rain drops falling over the
bronzed cheeks Of dozen old forty
miners. ton witnessing the agony Of that
broken hearted huSbanO IS something
not often witnessed and never forgotten,
To see such man, generous and manly
8 heart bowed down by weight of woe,
is sight | would not look upon again
He did not chide his wife, however, and
never loved her the less for the decep-
tion that had been practiccd upon her
The scoundrel who perpetrated the
wrong, hearing of the return Of the first