Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-10-20
WHOLE NO. 2768.
Mr.. John B. Coughs Autobiography.

nearly all of his reeOlleetiOns between
midnight and morning. finding these
hours more favorable to the working
of his mind and memory; whereat It
has beer rather wittily suggested that
his hook should be called Coughs
I Night Thoughts. The autobiography
I will be one of peculiar and intense in
| terest if the first fifty pages are a fair
I index of those that are to follow
I Here are a few paragraphs from the
/ third chapter, in which Mr.. Cough
/ records his departure from England
| for this country:
I A very important change in my for
[ tunes now occurred. l was twelve
/ years of age, and my father, being un-
able to furnish the premium necessa-
| ~ to my learning trade, and having
no prospect for me other than to be
/ gentleman's servant, made an agree
ment with a family of our village who
were about emigrating to America,
that they, in consideration of the sum
of ten guineas paid by him, should
take me with them, teach me a trade
and provide for me until / was twen-
! tv-One years of aye. After much hes
| itatiOn, my mother, from n sense OF
duty. Welded to this arrangement. !,
Z bOylike, felt in high glee at the pros
| meet before me. My little arrange
/ ments having been completed, on the
4th of June, 1929, / tOOk-as l then
suppOsed-a last view of my native
village. The evening / was about TO
depart. a neighbOr invited me to take
! tea at her house, which / did My
/ mother remarked to me afterward: 'I
wish you had taken tea with your
/ mother, John; :" and this little cir
/ cumstanee was a source of much pain
/ to me in after years.
The parting from my beloved par
ents was bitter. Ny poor mother
folded me 10 her bosom; then she
would hold me OFF at arm ) length, and
gaze fondly on my face, through her
fearful eyes, reading-as only q moth
er cOuld-the book of futurity for me.
She hung up, on the accustomed peg,
my old cap and jacket, and my school
bag, and there they remained until
years after she quilted the house. At
len 9Th the parting words were spoken,
and | left the home of my childhood
perhaps, forever.
A touching scene it was, as I went
through the village toward the coach
Office that evening. As | passed
through the streets many kind hand
waved farewell, and not few famil-
lar voices sounded out a hearty God
bless yOu.r There was one old dame,
of whom / had frequently bought
Sweetmeats. at her green grocery, and
who was familiarly call Granny
Hugben; she called me into her shop
and loaded me with good wishes, bull 8
eyes, cakes and candies, althOug n,
poor af1ectiOnate soul, she could i'll
afford to. The inn was reached, and,
in company with another lad-who
was going out with our family to meet
a relative-I mounted the roof of the
London night coach and was quitting
the village, when, on turning round
10 take last look of it, saw a crouch
ing wOman's figure by low wall,
near the bathing machines. My heart
told me at once that it was my moth
er-w had taken advantage of half
an hours delay at the inn door, and
walked on some distance, to have one
more glance at her departing child, 1
had never, till then, felt that l was
loved so much.
My mother took our separation very
keenly to heart. My sister had told
me that she would sit, as if in deep
thought, looking out in the distance,
as though she saw something far
away; and sometimes my sister would
see her at night, standing ty the win
dow. looking out at the sea for hours.
When spoken to on these occasions
she would start and sigh, and creep
quietly to her bed.
On the 10th of June, everything be-
ing arranged, we sailed from the
% =,
Dover, we arrived off Sendgate, when
it fell a dead calm, and the ships
anchors were dropped. | afforded
some amusement to those around me
by the eagerness with which | seized
a telescope and the pOsitiveness with
, which / averred that | saw my old
home. During that day boat after
boat came off to us from the shore,
and friends of the family | was with
paid them visits; but was unnOticed;
F. my relatives did not come. After
long and weary watching l saw man
[ standing up III a boat, with u White
band round his hat. THAT'S he!-
that's nv fatherr-I shouted. He
soon got on deck, and almost smoth-
cred me with his kisses-frOm which
[ somewhat shrank, as his beard made
smooth skin. / heard that mS-mOth-
er and sister had gone to a place of
worship, at some distance from Sand
gate, which l regretted much When
evening came on, our visitors from
the shore returned to their boats,
| which-when a few yards from the
ship-fOrmed in q half circle. Our
friends stood up in them, and Ger the
calm waters fiOated our blended voices,
as we sung:
! ''Blest be the dear, uniting love
Which will not let us part;
Our bodies may far hence remove
We still are one in heart
Boat after boat they vanished in the
gloomy distance, and l went to my
bed. About midnight l heard my
name alled, and on going on deck |
there found my beloved mother and
sister, vino, hearing on their return
that l was in the Otfing, had paid half
guinea money hardly earned and
with difficulty procured, yet cheerful
ly expended 10 a -bOatInan to row
them to the ship. They spent an
hour with me, and o, how short it
seemed! then departed with many
tears Having str-iined my eyes Til
their boat was no longer discernible,
| went back to my bed to sob away
-, the rest of the morning.
\ Here is a letter, or an extract from
a letter. which the young emigrant
wrote to his parents while on ship
board:
George and l are the only ones
who have tumbled down the hatch
way. George has fallen down twice.
Once he hurt his side q little, and
then ne hurt his nose very much. l
fell down with kettle of hot water;
/ but | held up the kettle, and though l
was pretty well bumped was not
scatded. | wish mother could wash
me tonight. Oh! when / think
what fuss l made when she eombed
my hair | am much ashamed of my
self, and only wish she could do it
now for it is harder to do it myself
than it was for her to do it."
These early pages contain several Of
his mothers letters, which are very
interesting. They show her to have
been a woman of admirable character,
devOutedly religious, patient and
tender, and withal filled with an un-
utterable love for her only son. They
are also remarkable as specimens Of
singularly pure and vigorous Eng
lish.
1t is a curious and suggestive fact
that several of the most prominent