The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1868-12-18
[From the Cincinnati Times, Nov. e9th.l

From the Cincinnati Times Nov 29th.]
One of those cases in which woman's
constancy under the most trying circum-
stances is exhibited came to light in
this city on Friday. The story certain
ly has the imprint of tho romantic more
than the reality, and borders closely up
on the imaginative; yet the manner
in which the facts wero told by
the two interested parties clears the
mind of all doubt, and seems to stampit
with truth. The circumstances as relat-
ed to us, are substantially as follows:
In the beginning of 1910, Henry LET
fngwell was well to do mechanic, liv-
ing near the suburbs of London Eng
land. In the month of March of that
year, a larceny was committed near his
residence, and circumstances pointed to
him as the perpetrator. He was arrest
ed. examined before one Of the stipen-
diary magistrates, and fully committed
for trial. 4 month after, he was con-
victed and sentenced to hard labor in
the penal colony of Australia, for peri
Cd of ten years, and in less than weeks
time thereafter he was on his way to a
far offland, His devoted wife, who all
the time firmly believed in her hus-
bands innocence, at once made prepare
tions to follow and remain near him dur
| ing his confinement, SO that she might
be the first; WREN his ticket of leave
came to cheer him with good seoilnsel
..ud;c,aemfort him with wifely love. The
ship containing-the convict arrived safe,
and her cargo Of living human beings
was at once transferred to the govern
ments work houses:s.g Not so, however,
the ship upon which Mrs. Leffingwell
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. Lefingwell
barely escaping upon q raft hastily cor =
structed when twas found that tho ship
could not be saved.
After an exposure of several days they
were picked up by the American ship
North Wind, bound from Now York to
China, where Mrs. LeffiingweIl was at
length landed, only to find herself iur-
Their tnan ever from her destination, and
with no immediate prospects OF reach
ing it. After several months OF patent
watching and waiting, she was enabled,
through the kindness 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 a year and half, in which Mrs. LET
fngwell passed through many scenes
calculated to try frmer resolutions than
hers, but through which she chung to her
resol I've with true English obstinacy, she
finally found herself on the shores OF
! Australia, but as much at a loss concern
ing thesexact locality of her husbands
whereabouts, as she would be Of neo-
die for which she was hunting in hay
NOV. She persevered, swever, but
four long years passed away before she
was enabled to obtain the slightest trace
of her husband, from the fact that when
once landed from the ship each convict
receives a number, by which he is only
known to his keepers. Mrs. Leffingwell
knew not her husbands number, and
when she made inquiries for him she
was always bafled with the question,
"His number, mann :" 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 Sidney
paper, in which was an account of her
husbands release, the real criminal OF
the larceny having been found and ex-
ported. The account gave her hus-
bands number and the facts which con-
victed him in SO precise 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 stick
ct OF leave man No. 1885," her husbands
number, had left the island for the
United States Of America, two weeks af-
ter his release. The next thing for her to
do was to follow him. Scraping together
her scanty means, she found she pos
sessed barely enough to pay her pas
sage. She seized upon the first oppor-
tunity presented, and in Tune, 1847,
she found herself once more upon the
ocean, bound for the land of tho free,
with her mission still unaccomplished.
| In due time she arrived in New York
citv. where she remained until the civil
war broke out, not having in the mean
time heard one word of her husband,
though she 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 un-