The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-12-17
From Every Saturday.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JOHN
ACKLAND.
CHAPTER I.

lin the following extraordinary narrative
nothing is fictitious but the names of persons
About thirty-tive or forty years
ago, before the border Territory of
Texas had become a State of the
great American Union, a Virginia
gentleman living near Richmond, re-
ceived from a gentleman OF Massa
chusetts, living near Boston, a letter
pressing for punctual payment of q
debt owing to the writer by the per
son to whom it was addressed. The
debt was a heavy one. 1t was loan
for limited period, contracted part
ly on mortgage and partly on other
less valid securities. The period for
which it was originally contracted
had been frequently renewed at in
creasing rates of interest. The whole
capital would shortly be due; and
renewal of the loan (which seems to
have been asked for was firmly de-
clined, on the ground that the writer
of the letter was now winding up his
business at Boston preparatory to
the undertaking of an entirely new
business at Charleston, whittier it.
was his intention to proceed very
shortly. Such was the general pur
port OF this letter. The tone OF IL
was courteous, but peremptory. The
name of the gentleman who received
it we shall suppose to have been
Cartwright, and that of the gentle
man who wrote it to have been Ack-
land. MIR. Cartwright was the own
er of an estate, not a very large one
(which, with the readers permission,
we will call GlenOak) }, on the banks
of the James river. The Cartwrights
were an old Virginia family, much
esteemed for their antiquity. Three
generations of male Cartwright ba-
bies had been christened Stuarts
because, sir, the Cartwrights had
always fought for the Stuarts, sir, in
the very old country and in Virginia
a very moderate amount OF family
antiquity has always commanded for
the representative of it as much con-
sideratiOn as is accorded in England
to the lineage of a Beaufort or a
Howard. The personal reputation
of this present Philip Stuart Cart
wright, however, was not altogether
satisfactory. 1t was regretted that
a man OF his parts and property
should have contributed nothing to
the strength and dignity OF the terri
torial aristocracy of old Virginia in
the legislature Of his State,-a legis-
lature of which the Virginians were
Justly proud. The estate OF Glenoak,
lii well managed, would have doubt
less yielded more than the income
which was spent, not very reputably,
by the owner of it, whenever he had
run of luck at faro. But the estate
was not well managed, and between
occasional but extravagant hospitali
ties on his estate, and equally extrav
asant indulgence in the srimulant oI
high stakes and strong liquors al
the hells and bars about Richmond
Mr.. Philip Cartwright passed hi
time unprofitably enough; for pull
ing the devil by the tail is afatiguine
exercise, even to strong man. MIR
Cartwright aoas strong man, how
ever, and q handsome man, and
ltalll. ~"Quite fine man, sir" sait
Ihis friends. "You may have seeI
Philip Cartwright as drunk as hsg
sir. but you will have always fount
him quite the cavalier" And, il
truth. he had grand manners, ant
pleasant manners, too, this hard-liv
ling, devil-may-care gentleman, whicl
Iembellished the impression OF hi
vices. And he was bold rider ant
1 a crack shot, accomplishments which
in all Anglo Saxon communities, in
sure an easy popularity to their pos
SCISSOR. Then, too, he Lad been left
early in life, a widower, and if, sine
then he had lived too hard, or live'
too loose, this was an extenuatinl
circumstance. Moreover, he hat
hut one child, a pretty little girl
and to her he had ever been care
Iful, tender and devoted father. Tha
was another extenuating circum
e stance. He was doubtless no man
!. enemy but his own; and the wors
: ever said of him was, that "Phllli
E s., sir. is smart man, smart an
spry. but wants ballast"
e Mr.. Cartwright lost no time in al
: Iswering Mr.. Ackland's letter. H
answered it with the warmest EXPIRE,
lsioas of gratitude for the considers
ton and forbearaHce which he ha
hitherto received from the writer i
u the matter OF this large, and all to
yIlong outstanding debt, He confes.
ed that only a month ago he had bee
greatly embarrassed how to meet th
obligations now falling due; but b
was all the more rejoiced, for tn,
reason, to be now enabled to assul