The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-12-01
Ain Did Debt.

Nearly thirty years ago luckless boy and
his infant sister were left by the death Uf their
parents to the mercy of legal guardian, who,
having despotic control of them by formal in
dehture, was at liberty t6 e&pahd for their ben
eft the treatment generally id store for nobody's
children. I'll Paris, Maine, where he lived and
led choir; this Guardian Was in high popular
repute for his religious severity, being one of
those too numerous churchmen who talk the
New Testament and live the Old; and no soon-
er were the orphans fairly within his admins
tration than his inclination to cuff, box, and
heartily thrash them for their sins was too
strong to be resisted: Regarding them as the
children of Iniquity, although that was by H6
means their fathers name, he scourged them
before him daily until they were too old to
stand it any longer, and then endeavored to Sc
cure the girls future piety and anhappiness by
striving to force her into marriage with his
son. Such matrimonial consummation would
have kept in the good mans own family a GER
tain homestead coming to the maiden ab her
majority; and, as her brother did Eot approve
the project, the attempted prosecution Of the
latter precipitated a revolt. By advice and aid
of her fellow-suferer in the house of bondage,
the damsel fled for rescue and shelter to the
home of distant relative iii another State,
leaving her adviser and abett6r to face the dea-
con. After that, of course, there was grand
scene between guardian and remaining ward,
ending in the Withdrawal of the latter from the
household. With the scars Of his hihiefdHs
earlier beatings indelible upon his back /; with
out eett in his pocket, or friend to help
him, the yothg man went out into the world
a beggar, but resolute to bring his persecutor
to a reckoning and himself to, fortune some
way. Working his way by land and watef to
New York, he took passage before the mast on
clipper bound for California, and in due time
reached the land of gold. Nearly fifteen years
of tireless labor and the usual vicissitudes there
brought him at last to the ownership of fine
farm, mile square, near Los Angeles. At the
present time he is one of the most prosperous
workers in his part of the State, and could af-
ford to forgive and forget any. ordinary. injury
of his earlier days; but in the injustice and
heartless prosecutions of his guardian, particu-
larly as shown to his sister, there was something
to rankle fercely unforgiven in his nature
through all the changes of three iustres. On
day of last week a correspondent of the Hart
ford C0urant met him on the cars gding north
ward from Nashua, and learned that he was on
his way to his old, unhappy home in Maine,
for the particular and single purpose OF paying
the debt Justly due the guardian of his youth
in one relentless horsewhippihg. He had left
his home in California upon this srfand only,
was innexible in his determination to execute
his long-brooded revenge at all costs and haz-
ards, and has, before now, done the retributive
deed upon the tyfant of his boyhood, unless
bafled by the timely flight of thot pers5nage.