The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-02-15
cleveland. Ohio, Feb. 9Th 1870.
EDITOR OF THE REGISTER:

Dear Sir,-He who
would keep up with the history of city
like this, OF hundred thousand, must
write often and fast. Not day passes
over us, but we.have to record some for.
gerry, robbery, murder, or accidental
death. There is constant exhibition in
some form of human degeneracy and de-
pravity. The season opened with the as
founding case of defalcation, and embez.
Element Of the funds of the I'd National
Bank, by the cashier, to an amount equal
to the capital of 100000, taken and
lost-the scene closing on the part of the
guilty one, in killing himself by pistol
shot, in his own bed, after his wife and
children had left him to go down to their
morning meal. Thus to escape the shame
and modification Of an exposure which he
was no longer able to prevent, he hurried
himself from the misery and torture of
his own mind, in this world, to encounter
the more terrible retribution of that in
which judgment shall be rendered to every
man according to his deeds.
Scarcely had the community recovered
from this shock, before there came out
another illustration of the evil tendancy
Of the age, in scene of dishonesty and
crime, involving thousands of dollars OBJ
tanned by forgery of names, the duplcat-
ing of mortgage, and, know not by how
many other devices, inolving many in Sc
we're losses, and this too, as in the former
case, by man, who up to the day of his
exposure, had enjoyed the entire confidence
Of the business community. This man
made an attempt to flee away, but was ar
rested in his flight and brought back to
endure here the modification of his fallen
state.
But the event which took up my pen
to record, is that Of the sudden death Of
one Of our most excellent citizens, Will
liam II. Keith a native of your State,
Montpelier or some place near it On the
day in which the fatal accident occurred
l am informed, he had purposed to 60 to
Chicago but business detained him here,
and while driving through one of our
crowded streets, slight collision occur.
red at which his horse took fright, and
becoming entirely unmanagaeble, dashed
off at furious rate, throwing his driver
violently to the ground, fracturing his
skull and causing other injuries, which
resulted in death two days thereafter.
His funeral was attended by number of
ministers including DR.. Brown, former
pastor Of the church of which the disceas-
ed was prominent and very useful mem
Der. The citizens and business men of the
city did him honor at his death, not only
by their attendance at his funeral-but
the association of which he was the pros
ident, declared in their resolutions adopted
on the melancholy occasion-"That in
our business relations with the deceased
during the last fourteen years, we have
found him uniformly and in a very unus-
ual degree, courteous, intelligent, ener-
getic, true and faithful business gentleman,
and one whose loss must be very sensibly
felt in the various business, social and
religious circles in which he was 6istin-
guished."
Now however We may regret the early
departure Of such a man, and in such a
manner, from this field of his activity and
usefulness, yet it reflects honor upon your
Green Mountain State to have such re-
port, endorsed by ministers and men of
business, 60 back to her some twenty
years after leaving his native home.
There is often great lament over the
emigration Of your young men who every
year go forth to other parts. But the loss
is not always without its compensation.
1t was hard to part with SO many of your
young men in the late war. 1t was a
great sacrifice, but the necessity was
greater, and the result is before us. Thus
in regard to many whom the fathers and
mothers of Vermont think they can i'll
spare. They 20 forth into other fields of
activity and usefulness, where they form
new family, business, and church relations,
in which their influence is not only en-
larged, but tells effectually on the best in
terests Of the communicate church and
the world.
In reading the history Of the public
men of this city, have noticed with a
sort of qualification, not to say pride, how
many of them had their birth or educa-
ton in New England. Here merchants,
manufacturers, statesmen, judges, and
ministers Of the gospel, have, in thousands
of cases, exerted an influence derived to a
great extent from their home training,
which has left, or is yet leaving, its mark
for good upon the people and the age.
If therefore in any sense it is death
in one of your families, to have well ed
ucated son or daughter leave their Green
Mountain home, for the land that may
seem Every far off," it is death which in
many cases is soon followed by a resur-