Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-03-25
FROM tha San Francisco Tribune.
a RoHnansfe Ira gedy-A Virg GIN ian EEarries
HIS own Daughter

Il was said by Solomon, who, in his day
was the wisest of men, that there is moth
ing rev nnder tie sun" II would seem
| from the frequent occurrence OF remark
able incidents, thai there is certainly
nothing of an improbable nature, Judging
| from the following wonderfully strange
md hardly creditable story which came to
cur ears q few days since:
In the spring Of 1849, when the gold
fever was at its highest possible etate OF
excitement in California, and the yielding
earth wore rich carpet Of green 7erdure,
waving lu1ariantly in the soft Southern
Cline, as its dew sprinkled petals proudly
kissed the morning eunbeams, there lived
III the State Of Virginia, on the banks of
the flowing York river, a few miles below
the historical town of Yorktown, q gentle
man OF culture, whose parents were in
moderate circumstances. It was during e
the gold excitements he LETT the comfort
OF home, lis friends, relatives, . loving
wife, whom be had led to the eltar but q
year since, and an only child-a daughter
q two months-and took up his lonely
journey to seek his fortune il the wild,
distant Wcsf, over and beyond the Rocky
Mountaina, where the bright and golden
snn sinks Gown to rott amid The blue waves
If the grand Pacific.
Alter years Of toll, drudgery and rever-
res oi fortunes III The mines, he came to
this city and engaged in business. He be-
Ing auccosstai, soon amassed al immense
fortune. Hi beloved wife had died dur
ing prevailing epidemic while on a visit
10 some relative during the yellow fever
season 41 A@w Orleans, as at the same
time did q little girl Of another family, of
the same name and age as his little daugh-
tor. lie visited the States, bat could find
10 cloo to lis deceased wifes sister; he
thought, naturally, she. too, had died.
He returned to the golden State, and time
soon healed his sorrows, and effaced, ap-
pareltly, all recol!ections OF his old home
on t1a banks q tue ps,,9i1 York.
Shortly after the completion Of tho Pc
ciic railroad there arrived at this city
gentleman, his wife and q beautiful, well
educated and graceful young lady just
blooming into maldenhood, apparently and
really Of about eighteen summers. 1t was
by chance that the young lady and aged
"Idower met-and to meet was to love-
They were duly married after a short ac-
quaintance the ceremony being celebra-
ted with great ec!at and creating 90 little
dutter in the fashionable and wealthy cir
cIe8 of our city. The tact that both par
ties bore the same Christian name excited
no comment or inquiry, as it was one al
most quite as common as that of Smith or
Brown.
A few weeks after the marriage, as the
b usbaud and wife naturally inquired into
each others past history and antecedents,
and were gradually becoming better ac-
quainted with each other, the denouement
were father and daughter
man and wife; the instructive love of the
parent for the child and the daughter for
the father had keen superseded by strong
emotional passion Of sexual love. Both
a. heart, buG foulLy criminal in
the eyes Of man and Of GOD.
His daughter was not dead, as he sup
posed but, after the death of his wife,
was kindly taken charge Of by his sister
in-law, who had married and moved to a
distant State, and who also, with her hus-
band, accompanied his wifos daughter to
this coast, to meet as strangers, lovers and
parent and child-as they
were-cultlvated passionate love charged
into fiial parental devotion.
Wonderfully strange indeed are the for
tuitous circumstances which control and
guide the footsteps Of susceptible mOrtals.