The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-08-11
A Heart Rending Scene.


The telegraph gives the following as
one of the many heart-rending scenes
occasioned in New York, by the explo-
sion of the boiler of the Westfeld on
Sunday, July Both:
Michael Finley, his wife, and four
children, accompanied by Thomas.
Finley, brother. started for Staten
island at about II o'clock on Sunday.
Subsequently the father returned home,
taking with him three Of the children.
the mother and child, ten months old,
continuing on with the brother-in. law,
but promising o return early. As the
hours passed for them to return, the
father left the children in charge of a
neighbor and started TO look for the
absent ones. Hearing of the accident,
he at once concluded that this was the
boat his wife and brother were to take,
and changing his course he went to
Bellevue hospital. Here he found his
lost wife and child both in critical
condition, suffering terribly from scalds
and burns. He remained throughout
the entire night, but despite his watch
full tenderness and agonized appeals to
his God, the child died before morning,
and his wife soon after sank into an un.
conscious state. Almost supplied by his
grief, he returned home and, unable to
speak. sank into chair, and great
strong man as he was, burst into a per-
feet flood of tears, unheeding the inqui-
ries of MS neighbors and the childish
appeals for tidings of mamma that
were made by his children, who climbed
around his lap and sought to kiss away
the tears that ran like rain down his
cheeks. Here he sat for hours, when
telegram was received from Mrs. Fin
lays only sister in Chicago, asking if the
family were in trouble, and stating that
she had a premonition that something
had befallen them. Mr.. Finlay's en-
ployer telegraphed the sad news back
without delay, as no instructions could
be gotten from the father. In company
with relative, the half-idiotic man was
induced TO return 10 the hospital Here
he ascertained that his wife had Just
been carried to the dead house. Hastily
crossing the yard. he saw an attendant
about lifting the body from the stretch
er into a coffin. Pieces of flesh chung
to the stretcher as the corpse was lifted
off, and screaming like a mad man the
poor husband sprung to the coffin,
clasped the dead form in his arms and
imprinted kiss after kiss on the scalded
lips and face Of his dead wife. With
difficulty he was forced away, but before
he could be gotten into carriage he
broke from his friends, and screeching
terribly, ran for the dock, but fell ex-
hausted before reaching the river, and,
hopelessly insane, was placed in car
riage and driven home, when it was
found necessary to bind him to his bed.
A TROUBLESOME REGULATIoN.-By re-
ports to the Treasury Department, it APP
pears that law passed through Congress
10y Senator Chandler is giving the collec-
tors OF all lake ports great deal of
trouble. One Of its features is that if
any vessel touching at an intermediate
port between the ports of clearance and
destination should not report at the
custom-house. the master should be fined
$40. A case is pending where vessel
clearing at Racine. Wis, for Buffalo
stopped at Chicago without reporting to
the collector, and he subsequently, ex-
acted fines amounting to $40 for this
dereliction of duty An appeal was made
to the Secretary of the Treasury for re-
funding the amount, and the collector
has been ordered to return the money,
as Chicago was certainly not an interme.
date port. The department has yainly
endeavored 10 fix some rule by which
collectors at lake ports, who are con-
stantly making plumbers under the act
referred to, may be guided in the trans
action of business. and now announces
that every case will have to be acted
upon severely hereafter.
IT is related that when Beecher was
in the country, last summer, he lost his
hat, and found it in about week, in
barn where he had left it, but with four
eggs in it. This was as it should be.
Beecher had just written an eulogy on
the hen; why shouldn't the Hen-re-
ward Beecher?
In chasing an annoying dog the other
day, a Portland man ran against
clothes-line, which widened hs mouth
and extracted two teeth without pay,