Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-09-09

OF more imp9rtance. Is occurred about
bix months dfter bydia's ,disappearance
One morning, coihinglaut from breakfast
and passing through the hall, picked up
a pocket-book Jdidenot recognize it,
and as was goibg to my room, took 1t
to Identity ifby the 6ohtents The first
thingTthat met my eye was small sum of
money. Th Is afordeen indication, and
drew out the FIRST spaper my fingers
touched. Judge my sarprise when saw
the forged cheupe, whith had thought
! safely stored in Mr.. Ephraim's safe OF
course tool the book to be his, and
imagined that for some reason he had
tfatisierred the document to it. l was
about to close itewith the purpose of re-
turning it TO him, when some feeling
which cannot. define impelled me to
draw out the next paper. This, to my
dumb surprise, Fas certificate of mar
riage, dated almost a,year back, testifying
that John Barrett and Lydia Pennypacker
had, upon a day ststed, been Joined to-
gether in the b3ndscof holy matrimony.
A tumult Of thought rushed over me at
this discovery. ENow could understand
the apparent uneasiness on his part at my
searches for thelost girl. Now l under
stood his frequent absences from the house,
and his remark in reference TO Miss Brins-
! made, that Ihad he met het few months
sooner therb was no knowing what might
have happenedp revolved all this, and
many slisner things bearing upon the
matter, in my mind. The discovery re.
lieyed me Of heavy anxiety in regard to
the welfare of Lydia, while it made me
tV,tr nf Yah m
taken the homeless girl and made her
his wife. | felt that be must have done
Sc unselfishly as far as any hope of any
pecuniary benefit from the marriage was
concerned, since il was certain that In
Mr.. Ephraim's will she would not stand
| for dollar, not only from the old mans
| positive hatred toward her, but from the
| fact that he had over and over again eX-
| pressed his intention of devoting every
cent of his money to the founding of a
certain charity, the plan of which had
been long since drawn up in all its de-
tails. -'--'----'
But the cheque !, What was the eheque
| doing in j ohn's possession? This tr0u-
bled me, but determined not to act so
hastily as had done once before
closed the book, and as by returning it
personally to Barrett I should only be
letting him know that was in possession
of his secret, concluded to lay it upon
his dressing table and await events did
so, and went quickly TO my desk. John
was already at his, and in leas than an
hOur-for was watching him as cat
does mouse-he started, turned pale,
searched all his pockets rapidly, exam.
ined the floor and then started out. In
two or three minutes he was back, and
by the flush of his face and the bright
ness of his eye / perceived that he had
found the missing object. ,.., ..
The fifth incident in my story occurred
exactly one week from the date of the last,
and was announced by fearful shrek,
which rang through the house one morn.
ing just as we had finished dressing. /
say tce, though John had been up and
dressed good hour or two before day
light, and was apparently writing at his
table by.candle'lght. We all ran, and in
an instant found the scream to proceed
from the servant-or house keeper as she
was called-who stood in the hall and
cried, "Come herel" in sharp, shril
voice. We flew towhere she pointed, Mr..
Ephraim's room, and there saw the old
man lying stark and stiff in his bed. No
one touched him the fact of his death
was too apparent for question; and
though doctor was Immediately sent for,
no one doubted that the event had
occurred some hours before. There was
no coroner, the doctor gave q certificate,
"disease of the heart" and the third day
after the earth received all there was of
Ephraim Pennypacker. During this
time watched and expected every hour
to see Lydia make her appearance, and
marked every movement of Barrett's
countenance, waiting impatiently for him
to surrender his secret But to my utter
surprise she did not come. She must,
then, be far away from the city, and
had no right to intrude myself on Bar
rett's or her privacy and ask questions. /
felt sure that Lydia would not have car
ried her resentment so far as not to be
present at the old mans funeral, if 1t
were possible. There were no near rela-
tions, and failing Lydia's appearance the
public administrator stepped in and took
4 possession. And then came a revelation
that astounded everybody. Ephraim
! tPennypacker had died without q will. and
without anything to bequeath, his effects
being barely sufficient to meet the claims
upon him, and leaving, when everythiD g
was settled, the old banking.house as
Lydia's property She did not put In an
appearance for this, and so it stood closed
and awaiting her claim. 1t was not worth
enough to worry the lawyers much, and
was therefore. unmolested. There was
something very strange in this semi bank
ruptcy of Ephraim Pennypacker, as by
the evidence of most respectable firm of
lawyers they had drawn his will only
three years before his death, and he had
then bequeathed to found the before.
mentioned charity nearly quarter of a
million in bonds, money and securities OF
various kinds. This will had gone into
his own hands, but as his private CASH
book showed during these three years inn
mense sums withdrawn from the bank,
and the disposal not accounted for, it was
. generally conceded that the old banker
had been engaged in some secret specula-
tion-however unlike him-had silently
sunk his whole capital, aud in conse-
quence Of this had destroyed the will
4 Some of the clerks found employment
in the city, but John announced TO me
his intention of going abroad. He was
sick of Philadelphia and d-wanted change,
and would take any engagement to get
away, l was not surprised, therefore,
when heard, some weeks after, that he
had gone to Valparaiso as bookkeeper for
an American house there, but was sur.
prised that he did not bid me or write me
goodbye. AS he sailed from New York,
l copld get no definite Information as to
whether his wife went with him, but
took that point for granted.
shall take a fight now over three
years, during which eonly event con.
neoted with the subject Of my story was
the reception from Valparaiso of regu
larly executed set of documents put in by
Mrs. John Barrett, once Lydia Penny
packer, claiming the old hopse, and, Civ,
ing directions that it should remain closed
and untouched till her own or her hus
bands return, This occurred about six
moths amer Johns departure, about this
time required for them to arrive attheil
destination and it brings me to my sixth
incident, which relatesto the Pennypackel
house, but not to the house of Penny
packer s. Son. 4 4 4 y
One highland bitter cold night il
was--there was am alarm of fire. / wa
returning from the theatre, kind of dis
sipation now sometimes indulged in, fol
was no longer under a cruel discipline
| i QiQ AZ n sVOiIn man. 10 m N do anf