The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-10-03
History Of r. Wall.

81 q sro,a History. Of y vvaif.
The Cincinnati Times tells very inte-
resting and. romantic story headed as
above, which'j worth repeating, if true,
aAd il "a fancy sketch" it is SO we'll
gotten MP that loan easily be credited,
on the ground that truth is stranger than
Fiction. ~, At aii events, we give the sub
etance Of the story rs it appears in the
Times, and which, when condensed, reads
ssthusiy:p atSiF '6aLir is.W ra !
During the great food of 1S47, when
the Ohio River so fer nyerleaped the
bounds OF propriety, as to come up to
Pearl street without any invitation, q
great many dwellings, located on the
river banks were swept away and came
aoating down upon the pitiless tide.
Loss Of life not unfrequently attended
these disasterg,, as when family, un-
conscious of theif danger, were asleep
in their beds when the water rose about
their house and iftingit from its founda.
Eions bore it away amid the darkness and
of the Ohio at that time, between Ma.
rietta and Pomeroy, stood an humble
dwelling, occupied by a small farmerand
his wife, together with five children, the
youngest an infant girl, little over o
year old. The, river rose during the
might, while the family were in bed.
The rocking of tho house, as the surg
ing waters claimed it, awoke the inmates,
and through great and hasty exertion,
the farmer was enabled to get all his
family, as he supposed, to q place of
safety, though he lost everything else.
Standing on "a, little eminence near by,
he saw, through the gloom of that dread
full night his house, with all its con-
tents, yield itself to the grasping and
avaricious flood, and float down the
river, where it was soon lost in dark
ness. He supposed that all were saved,
but, alas! it was soon discovered that
4heir infant girl was missing.
In the confusion and excitement of the
moment. the baby was left asleep on its
bed, and had been. swept away to de-
struction with the house. Great was the
youngest born, and although due efforts
were made to learn whether or not she
had been rescued, nothing was heard of
her, and, it was very naturally supposed
she was drowned in the river. Such,
however, was not her fate. Al hundred
miles below where his dwelling was swept
away, some people on the river bank the
next morning saw something peculiar
floating down on the current. They
thought is was the form !of infant. x
boat was procured, and the object was
indeed found to be- an infant girl, sleep
ing calmly and profoundly upon bed
She was taken in charge by q family in
the vicinity, who took such means as
they. knew to ascertain to whom tho
child belonged, but there was no clue to
guide them, and soon the little waif that
had foated down to them came to be
censidered las their own child. Mean
while the waif grew into q beautiful girl,
and became as dear to her adopted pa
rents as though she was their own. She
had mourned for "mamma" little time,
but ere long all recollection of her early
surroundings were but dim and sha1owy,
and her new parents and her new he me
became all-in-an to her. A few years
after, the family moved into Illinois,
settling on farm near Chicago The
man prospered there, and was enabled to
give his beautiful Ohio River founding
an education fitting her graces of per-
son, her amiability and her virtues. A
short time ago her hand was sought in
marriage by worthy young farmer in
the vicinity where she lived, consent OBJ
tanned, and the. happy day appointed.
One day the family were in Chicago,
purchasing her Wedding outfit. At n
dry goods store clerk who was waiting
on them observed our heroine intently,
and seemed singularly affected-so much
SO as to attract attention. GF@
excuse NO." he said, in some con-
fusion, addressing the young lady; "don't
be offended at my staring at you; but
the truth is you are perfect picture of
o sister of mine at home, and couldn't
help thinking you looked just as another
sister of mine would have looked, who
was awept down the Ohio in great
freshet and lost" III
The words attracted the attention of
the young lady's adopted parents. The
resemblance spoken Of, and the incident
of the freshet taken in conjunction,
could hardly have failed to do that. Ex-
plantations followed, and it was pretty
satisfactorily concluded that the clerk
and tho young lady were brother and
sister, as, indeed, was afterward proved
to be the case.
Her parents, too. had emigrated to H.
linois, and lived not far from her own