Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-29
hon W b Seward
An Interesting Story OF the sgar-Facts
that age Stranger than Fiction.

An Interesting Story of the sgar-Fac.s
that are Stranger than Fiction.
There is now living in this city family, the his
tory Of which forms something romantic as to con-
stitute most interesting story:
IN the summer of 1859 Charles Gerouy became
graduate Of college in the southern part of this
State. He was the descendant of an arstocratc
family who lived in Louisiana, and, to be brief he
was then full embodiment Of the ''chivalry" Just
having entered his majority. While attending cuI-
lege he had formed the agouai tance of Clara d
VINO attended college for young ladies in this city
Whl5h acquaintance ripened into attachment and
love- and Just before the breaking ont Of The rebeI
hon, they were married, anG removed South. Miss
t. was an orphan possessed of a considerable
property which was held in trust By her uncle,
and personally superintended her education. In adj
ditlon to the endOwments of collegiate education
sae was possessed OF strong character, bordering
almost on the masculine, but tempered with sweet
ness and mildness not often combined in the same
person. She was at once handsome and womaniy.
Nltl!n year after their marriage and settlement
in the South, camcthe fierce, wild blasts of war from
Sumters parapet, and there was none more ready 70
enter the deadly fray than Charles GerOux. His po-
tical tutors were practical secessonists and he on
tered upon the war with a ferYor and zeal to CON-
mand the admiration of his friends apd which seen
red him a majors commission. lis wife opposed his
mad scheme with ali the power Of a woman'5 el0-
quenee, but to no avail. She 9paqiy espouSed the
opeTato with her new friends and nrighbors. Not
withst2udiug her love for the old flag, and open
SiG SSniGonism, her husband loved her, and while her
husband was at home the EcjShbOTs respected her
GerouX invested all his ready property, which in
GUIDED his wife,s fortune, in confederate bonds,
placed them in her hands, gave her kiss for
snort farewell, assuring her that the would soon
be over and, marching at the head OF a victorious
column Of his cOuntry's defenders she would be
proud to welcome him. After his departure, her
treatment by bis relatives and neigh hOTs became
almost intoerable because of her hatred secession
After two years of service in the cderae army,
he was captured a prisoner, by the victorious Sher-
man. IN his march to Atlanta, and sent to Camp
This was 70 cd news to his wife, who could no long
er endure The prosecutions she received at the south,
and she resolved to make her way North and reiOia
nm IN his prison home, and Il she could not secure
his pardon, to al least stay him. Her cOnfeder-
ate bends were WORTHLESS and she was penuiless; she
maze neT way to the MISSISSIPPI Tlver and took pas
sage on the i'll ated steamer SUtaua for the North
she sold some jewe!ry for money sufficient to carry
her 70 Chicago Arriving at Memphis, her child was
taken very i'll, and by the advice of the Captain of
aid for the child Within twenty-four hours there
after the boiler Of the Sntana exploded and twelve
Geroux Jared i'll at ease in Camp Douglas, and
made many stTataEens to escape. He finally sue
ceeded in bri6ing raw sen 'ine to let him pass and
to avoid pursuit resort to deception became roce3-
His dressed the dead soldier in the Majors uni
form, and conveyed him to the dcad-nouse and gave
giment C. s. AZ The next morning tho body wss v
taken away and buried, and the rank, name, reei-
register OF Camp Douglas dead, by q. Il. Jordan the
undertaken for the Government at Chicago. That
night Geroux escaped. His absence created no in
quIry, as he reported dead. For the purpose Of
avoiding public roads and cOnyeyances, he took
horse from pasture near Camp Douglas, belonging
to J. L. Hancock, formerly President Of the Board
Of Trade OF Chicago and by avoiding public roads as
much as possible, reached AjOmence the next day
His actions excited suspicion, and he was arrested
in the Kankakoe Jail He taken out on Il writ Of
ho6eo8 corpus, and no proof being found to hold him.
he was discharged.
Coming thence to this city he obtained situation
in wholesale grocery house.
After the usual delays in passing letters through
killed in the battle of the Wilderness that his fathers
estate had been confscated to the United States Gov
ornment, and his father had voluntarily eXiled him
self to Mexico OF his wife and child the only infOr
nation was that they had sought to get North, and
took passage on the Sutana since which they had
not been heard OF. and no doubt remained tuat they
had perished His true position had been studiousy
concealed and he avoided his former acquantances
Shortly after he received this intelligence from the
South, sherman started on his grand march from
Atlanta, and Grant marshaled his grand army before
Petersburg, and the Confederate States army van
Shed almost as a vision. During the past summer
Geroux returned to The South and was fully con
1rmed IN the information he he'd received about his
aniy ana that ms real estate had also been cOntis
Gated he gave his wife and child u2 as lost, and re-
turned TO Cincinnati.
After his wife and child Lad remained in Mem
phls and escaped the disaster of the Sultana, she
started for Chicago and reached Camp Douglas. I'm
patient the delay she haSened there with expecta
tions high to meet him who was dearer to her than
life The reader picture to himself tire agony of
this sad wife stranger. destitute of money car
rylng in her q weakly child not yet recovered
from severe illness, ami she herself worn out with
fatigue and anxiety, when she learned that her
the registry kept at Camp Douglas showed it. and the
grave was pointed out to her, which bore this in
scTiption on q pine board:
MAJOR CHARLES GER0UX,
THIRD LOUISIANA TNFANTRY''
The same grave this day is neatly sodded over and
at its head grows Il rose-bush
Broken hearted and bowed down with grief she
wended her way foot to the great city of Chicago
not knowing why she went. 4 stranger among
strangers, with one to aid or pity her save the
good God, who, in her utmost heart, she beeyedhad
fOrsaken her.
She taken in and cared for by the Sisters of
Chlrityntil she could hear from her friends in Ohio
from whom she had received intelligence for the
past four years. Il letter received, that imme-
diately after the war her uncle had died, and that
soon after, his widow had removed 10 IrQnlc~ ogn-
ty, Illinois, to live with hn~ --tGtIIeu SON Mrs.
GerouX was supplied with money TO enable her to
find her friends in IrOquCis county, where she has
since residet
dcroux returned to his situation at Cincinnati, and
sent By his firm to collect debt due in Iroquois
county. While there. he sought out the attorney
who bad him discharged on the habsas corpus, to
learn the whereabouts of the horse that did him such
good service, and &c secure his assistance in collect
ing hi' ,a-St He soon made himself known and
"Hla' Lley were discussing about .hc stolen horse
lady and child entered tho same office. There was
momentary pause, and husband and wife we're in each
others arms. W Q shall not attempt to describe the
scene which followed. The husband found a wife
ana child, whom he firmly believed to be dead and
theSWlie found husband, over whose grave she had
shed bitter tears of woe
Mrs GerouX was visiting the same attorney to
md out about her husbands coniscated property,
and to apply to the Governren to have his pronerf
tp her Gin lIDlU1I - '- i'-0i--N'