Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-12-12
A FAITHFUL WIFE.
rom Tho Cleveland Herald, Nov. 18Th

One of those cases in which woman's
constancy. under the most trying cir
cumstauces, il exhibited, came to light in
this city ON Friday. Tho story certainly
has the imprint Of the romantic more
than the reality, aud borders close upon
the imaginative; yet the manner IN
which the facts were told by the two 10.
terested parties clears the mind OF all
doubt and seems TO stamp 1t with truth.
The circumstances, as related to US, are
substantially as follows;
Ia the beginning Of 1910, Henry Lef-
fipgwell was well.to-lo merchant. lis-
ing near the suburbs OF London, Eng
land. In the month Of March of that
year, q larceny was committed near his
residence, and circumstances pointed 10
him as the perpe,rator. He was arrest
ed. examined before one Of the stiperdi-
AIRY magistrates, ardfulIy committed for
trial. A month later, he was convicted
and sentenced TO hard labor in the penal
colony Of Australia for q period Of ten
years; and in less than weeks time
thereafter, he was on his way to the far
of land. His devoted wife, who all the
time firmly believed in her husband 8 in
nocence, at once made preparations TO
follow and remain near him during his
confinement, so that she might be the
first, when his ticket-of-leave came, 10
cheer him with good counsel and comfort
him with wifely love-
The ship containing the convicts ar
rived safe, and her cargo Of living human
beings was at once transferred TO the
government warehouses; Not so, how
ever, the ship upon which Mrs. Letting
well embarked. When about half way
upon her journey the vessel encountered
a fearful storm, and, after buffeting the
waves for two days, foundered and went
down, the crew and Mrs. Leffingwell
barely escaping upon raft hastily con-
structed when it was found that the ship
could not be saved. After an exposure
of several days they were picked up. by
the American ship North Wind, bound
from New York to China, where Mrs.
Leffingwell was at length landed, only to
find herself farther than ever from her
destination, aad with no immediate pros
pect of reaching it. After several months
Of patient watching and waiting, she was
enabled, through the kind Offices of the
American Consul, then residing at Yeddo,
TO procure passage to Cuba, whence the
prospect of reaching Australia would be
much improved Passing over space
of year and half, in which Mrs.
Leffingwel passed through many scenes
calculated to try frmer resolutions than
hers, but throug ID which she chung to her
resolve with true English obstinacy, she
finally found herself on the shores of
Australia, but as much at loss concern
ing the exact locality of her husbands
whereabouts as she would be of needle
for which she was hunting in haymow.
She persevered, however, but four long
years passed away before she was enabled
to obtain the slightest trace of her hus-
band, frem the fact that when once |
landed from the ship each convict re-
ceivcd number, by which he is only |
known to the keepers. Mrs. Lefiingwell |
knew not her husbands number, and |
when she made inquiries she was always |
baffied with the question: His number,
ma'am7' At the end of the time spoken |
of, during which her means had become
exhausted, and she had been compelled
to resort to mental labor, she one day |
picked up a Sidney paper, in which was
an account of her husbands release, the |
real criminal Of the larceny having been |
found and exported. The account gave |
her husbands number and the facts |
which convicted him in so precise a
manner that she could not long doubt as
to who was meant. Her course was
marked out at once. Going to the prison
authorities of Sidney, she at length
learned that ticket Of leave man No.
1856" her husbands number, had left the |
island for the United States of America
two weeks after his release. The next |
thing for her TO do was TO follow him. |
Scrapiug together her scanty means, she
found she possessed barely means to pay
her passage She seized upon her first
opportunity presented, and in June,
lSl7, she found herself ence more upon
the ocean, bound for the land Of the free,
with her mission still unaccomplishea.
In due time she arrived in New York |
city, where she remained until the civil
war broke out, not having in the mean
time heard one word of her husband,
though she had made every exertion to |
find his whereabouts. When the war
broke out, and at the first call for nurses |
in the hospitals, she responded, and,
until peace was declared, there were |
none more faithful in the care of our
wounded than Mrs. Clara Leffingwell. |
While in one of the hospitals ct Wash
ington, she nursed to life and strength q
man who knew her husband in the army, |
who had been his messmsie and, boon
xvh oil
constantly called his comrade to come to
hiss assistance. When the crisis was
passed, and il was known that the SOL
der would live, she questioned him con-
corning her husband, and ascertained
that he was in a Pennsylvania regiment,
having enlisted from Pttsburg two years
before. She at once addressed Letting |
well a letter, stating in full her efforts to |
find him, and detailing at length her dis
appointments and troubles. With the |
usual perversity of army mails, that
letter never reached its destination. Mrs. |
Lefingwell waited snd watched, but still |
no auswer cane, aud at length, when the
war was over, she set out once more in |
search of her husband.
A visit to Pittsburg revealed the fact |
that her husbands term of enlistment |
had expired long before, and thus identity |
was once more lost. She inserted adver- |
tisements in numbered Pennsylvania
papers, calling for information Of his
and then sat herself again
TO watch and wait Time crept slowly |
on, and still no tidings of her absent
one.
A week ago, when she had given up all |
hone of ever seeing her husband again, |
she very Unexpectedly received direct in
formation of his place Of abode from one
who came across the advertisement of |
three years before. The paper contain
ing il had, very providentially, escaped |
the destruction which usually comesupon |