Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1866-02-01
Boys, You are Watched.

| Do yol believe this, boys? 1t is true, true
that you are watched often, very often when
you think not OF it. Perhaps can best illus
trate this BY giving you story related BY e
traveller in one of the Southern States
Amoug the Irish cmigrants WHO came to
our country more than twenty years ago was
lad not then out of his teens. He was
stranger in a strange land. without friends or
helper. In search Tor employment, he came
| to the banks of one of the rivers which flow
into the Gulf Of Mexico Here he obtained a
situation as deck hand on board of steam
boat 1t was hard work and hard fare. At
all hours of the day and night he was expect.
ed to stand ready to land and receive freight,
take in wood, and feed the furnace. He did
his work faithfully, proving himself sober, ac-
tive and intelligent
| He had been in the boat week, when, one
dark night, fire was seen, and cry heard
on the banks of the river The fire was sig.
nal for the boat to stop The mate, who was
then in charge, would not land, but sent our
Young lrishman on shore in small boat
lie found planter and two or three negroes
standing by the signal fire The planter
handed him package, saying, Here is thir-
ty-iorr thousand dollars Give it to the cap
tain or clerk, and ask him to deposit for me
in the Planters Bank as soou as he gets in
Tell him not to forget il, as it is to pay a note
which falls due day after Tomorrow
The young man put the money in his bo.
som and pushed off for the boat In the dark
ness he might have gone in another direction,
and with the money in his possession, great
fortune for poor einisrant disappeared nev-
er more to be seen in these parts. Does i'll
gotten wealth ever prove a blessing? This
young man probably thought not. At all
events he had no notion of trying it.
On his reaching the deck, the mate de
mandel of him what was wanted. The lad
replied simply that it was message for the
captain, and was roughly ordered to go into
the cabin and deliver it.
Upon entering the cabin he saw the cap
tain surrounded by q jolly group Of passen
gers, and very busy with cards and punch
Under these CIRCUMSTANCES he wisely conclud-
ed THAT the money would for that night be saf
est in his own keeping. He retired from the
cabin unobserved, and slowed the package of
notes in the bottom of his clothes bag In
the morning, when the captain was sober, he
again visited the cabin, and delivered the mon
ey and message, when something like the fol.
lowing conversation occurred: rt
"What is this? Where did you get this mo-
ney2' ,.- =
a went ashore in the yawl for it last night
sir. es .. .4
"And why did you not bring it to the Office
at once?"
II did, sir; but you and the clerk were both
very busy ..g. ..r..a...
This answer drew forth hearty laugh from
some of the passengers who had been engaged
in the same business
'Young man" said the captain "how long
have you been on this boat?
"a week, sir.
And how much money have your
give dollars, SIR" i,,',.s5 49,.
In three weeks from that time the young
immigrant became second mate, in a wear
first mate, and not long after, captain. In a
few years he had wife and children, and
owned plantation and two or three steam
boats t,.i,, .a..i.isa 4g..5 l-.-,E
I Nov, was it only happy fortune. or as,
some would say, a lucky chance, which in
ope short year raised this Young man from
the situation Of a deck hand to that Of first
naei Perhaps you will say that favorable
CT cumstance Introduced him to the notice Of
d H.. =. IL. Al n.