Smyrna times., 1869-10-27
MISceII0 IL e o as.
Another EOch hArden--Singular and
Romantic Story.

Another EOch Arden--Singular and
Romantic Story.
A gentleman who witnessed the play of
Enoch Arden at De Bars Opera House,
relates circumstance very similar in its details
to the sad story of the cast.away sailor. We
give the statement in his own words:
THAT play recalls to my mind circum
stance that happened in my own experience.
A Sergeant In my regiment was wounded at
Chlckamauga, and was reported dead. de
was seen to fall in the heat of the engagement,
and our lines being pushed back, the body was
not recovered until next day. When the poor
fellow was found, he was so mutiated BY be-
ing trampled on by the calvary, that his face
cuuld not be recognized A comrade, howev-
err found in his breast pocket miniature of his
wife, and sentit to her, with an account OF his
death. 1t turned out that the body was not |
that of Tom c., but sergeant OF another |
company. Tom, desperately Y wounded, tell into |
the hands of the enemy, and was sent to An
derSOnville, where the rebel surgeon cut OFT one
of his arms and legs, and in spite OF his bad
fare, he recovered in due time. | never knew
why they kept Tom so long in prison, except
it was tor the purpose of exchanging him tor
"a sound man. II. -.... -.t j
"When poor Tom returned to his home in
| Pennsylvania he was a mere wreck OF his for
mer SELF and nobody In the village knew him.
| His wife had removed TO Illinois with her par
enls. more than a year previously. Without
making himself known to any of his old ac-
quantances in the village, Tom started tor
illinois to hunt tor his wife. When he arriv-
ed in the neghbOrhood where she was living,
he learned that she was married to an old
friend Of his who had followed her from Penn
syvania His first impulse was to make him
self known TO her. and claim her as his own );
hut when he saw the snug cabin in which she
was living, and heard how kindly she was
treated by her husband, he changed his mind
Suppose | go and claim her, he said to
himself; how can support her? What can
| do for her, with only one arm and one leg,
and a body weakened by months of suffering at
Andersonville? No she is happy and con.
tented, and thinks me dead, and | will not des-
troy her happiness and become burden to
her
, Tom acted upon his resolution, and worked
his way to New York, where he set up a small
a business as a curbston merchant, selling nuts
and cakes, aud soda water, and getting along
; prosperously. He soon made money enough
! to buy him an artificial leg and after while
he got patent arm made, and to see him walk
!. ing along the street you would suppose that h'
e was but little more than half man. He wa
n good business man, and in the course of
wear enlarged his stock in trade and opened
ooff regular retail grocery. He made money fas
1t and become prosperous merchant, respecte
At by all who knew him.. ... $500.
:; " In his prosperity, he never forgot his wife
o. and always cherished hope that she would b
as restored to him. He was regular subscribe
to the village paper published at the tow
ss s near which his wife lived and read it with gres
Cd interest. One day he saw in this paper th
q announcement of the death of the man VIII
no had married his wife. He lost no time in star
he ing for Illinois. He found his wife in dee
he mourning for her late husband, and she ha
In added another infantile link to the family ci
Gle. Tom made himself known to her, and vi
.fe reioiced to find that she still loved him as fon
OF y as ever. 1t was some time before he cou
1m convince her that he was not ghost returnC
from the other world. In order to make thin
ion sure the parson was called in, and Tom and b
ner wife were married over again. They went
ltic New York, where they are still living, as ha
ave py couple as you viii find in Gotham. TIL
anu live in a brown stone front. OF course, tn
ro do not tell everybody about their family ma
AL ters, but you can rely upon this story as strit
AL; GI y true The ending is rather better than th
rere s Of Enoch Arden, and think Adams would
.esi a good thing if he would depart from the "
said sion of Tennyson and in the last act get Phil
lied Raw ground up in his own mill-accidental
fs0 s0d of course-make poor Enoch step in and EN-
the wife and the fortune left behind. .r,'
,t .ty- "What about the picture of Toms wi
'rie~ found in the pocket OF the dead soldlerF ..
IT. "Oh, l forgot about that Tom says WI
he was wounded and left upon the field a str
ger came along and he stopped him. Supp
- ing he would bleed to death, he gave the I
trre to the straggler, with message for
wife The rebel calvary made charge 81
H. after and killed the straggler with the pict
of Tom wife in his bosom, and carried
of to Andersonville That accounts far
picture being found and causing everyone
!, believe that Tom was killed. ."-iSt. LC
Democrat. 81. -a~ ha.o. .