The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1865-01-05
THE CID CaRTMiN.
From the San Francisco Era.

John Ainslcy-or Zap Ainsley, as ne W.
familary cailed--was the owner of a hant
cart. and earned living by conveyir
miscellaneous parcels from one section :
the city to an other and receiving thereto
tn, reasonable remuneration Of twenty
FIVE cents Ter Load. To designate Tia
BILE he was hand cart man, and when nc
employed could always be found durin
working hours. at the corner of MontgOr
cry and California streets. His hair am
long beard were quite gray. and his limb
feeble; and he could not shove heav.
load through the teep sand. o
up the steep grade above him. a
the staiwart Teuton on the opposit,
corner. thereby losing many Il job an'
many dollar, all tie Ii. hit loads in til,
neiehbo,hood fell to his lot and K nd
hearted men hot untrequently travelled ;
square or two out Of their way to an eas,
job t" Pap Ainsley.
Four years ago last September, Il recol
lect he month, for had note OF 81 ,O0t
to pay, and was compelled TO 40 soInS
pretty sharp fnaneiering 10 meet ii. hav-
ing two ar three dozen volunns to transie'
10 ny l,6ging. gave Pap Alnsley IL,
task Of transportation Arriving at ny
room lust as lie deposited the last armiu
on the table, aud observed that the old
man looked considerably fatiguei after
elm ne three flights OF stairs two or three
tines. invited him to take glass Of
brandy-a bottle Of which | usually kept
in my room for medicinal and .operitic
purposes Although grateful for the
invitation, he politely declined. l urged,
bat he was inilexibe. / was astonl,hed.
"Do you never drink ?" said I.
Very Seldom he replied, dropping
into chair at niy request. and wiPinS the
.ersprat.on f.om his forehead
"Wcll. if ycu drink at all" insisted.
you will not fnd a. fair All example IN tie
next twelve months for isdulSing, for you
appear iaugued and scarcely able to stand.
To be frank said tine old man, Il do
not drink now | have NOT tasted intoxi-
eating li9uor for ifteen years, since -
Since when?' inquired, thougthlessiy
observing his hesitation.
The old man told me- Sixteen years
ago he was a well-to-do farmer near Svra-
daughter While attending a boarding
school in that city, then a girl Of sixteen
year of age, ahe formed an attachment
with young physician. Aequain:ins her
father with the circumstance, he firmly re-
fused h = consent to union with a man
whom he had never seen, and removed her
from school, dispatching note to the
gallant, with the somewhat pointed infor-
nation that his presence in the nShbor-
hood of Ansley farm would not meet with
.avor. The reader Of course surmises the
result for such preceding could have but
one result In less than month there
was an elopement. The father loaded his
double barrel shot gan AMI swo vcn.ence,
but failed to inl the fugitivcs; took to the
bottle. His good wife imrlored him not
to give way to despair. but he drank
he deeper, and accused her Of encouraging
the clopement In three III mpnths his wife
d.ed and at the expiration OF year,
when the young people returned IN Syra-
cuse fro II Connecticut, where they hal
remained with the parents of the husband,
they learned that the old man had sold his
farm s1uandered the proceeds, and was
almost destitute Learning Of their arri-
val. Ansley drank himself into frenzy,
and proceeding to the hotel where they
s.cpped attacted the hus land, wounded
him in the arm by pistol shot, and
attempted the life Of his daughter, who
happily escaped uninjured through the
interposition Of persons brou. to the
spot by the report of the pistol. Ain>ley
was arrested tried, aud acquitted ON the
plea of in.anity. The daughter and he,
hu band returned to Connecticut, since
which time the father had not heard from
them. lie was sent to lunatic asylum
from which he was dismissed after remain
ing six months. in 1851 he came tn Cali
forn.a lie had followed mining for tw,
years but finding his srtengh unequal t,
the pursuit, returned 70 this city, purcha
eel Il hand cart, and-ihe rest is known
since then" concluded the old man
bowing his face in lli: hands in agony, 81
have not tasted liquor. nor have seen ny
poor child"
I regretted that had been so inqui.i
tive, and expressed to the sufferer tn,
sympathy really felt Cor him. After iha
| seldom passed The corner without lookins
for Pap Ainsley,' and never saw him bu
to think of the sad story he had told me.
One chillv drissliug day in the Docem