Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-12-08

THE remark that truth Is stranger than
: fiction hae received striking corrotoration
= IN an incident occurring IN the late great
fire. Years ago a well-to-lo storekeeper
moved hither from Elmira N. Y, accom-
panied by his wife and family, and en-.
gagged in business in this city He resid-
ed on Illinois street. in the North Divi.
sion, and conducted a moderately paying
= retail erockeFy store on State street, near
Lake. In 1866 he died leaving his widow
the house in which she lived on Illinois
street, and q small sum of ready money,
I which, with the sale of the business,
amounted TO some 1000 or 81, COO This
II she loaned 70 u couple of small tradesmen
commencing business Mrs. ). thus found
herself with an income of 5000 or 500
G. annually, increased to $500 or $500 by
the earnings of her little son, II boy Of
fourteen, employed in a lawyers office in
Dearborn street
. Thc death of little Henry in 1869, just
4 when his mother was beginning to lean
upon him, was sad blow in every re-
spect, but enough remained for the sup
port, in modest comfort, of the widow and
her daughter, now young woman of
. a. .twenty-one or twenty-five. Thus were
matters in the humble household on Illi
nois street when the fatal Red Monday
Sc came and swept away our city, leaving
80 blackened ruins and the ashes of desoa-
- tion where there had been twenty thou
,.
y. Yestge remained her Lares and Penates
80 were swept off into the fiery ruin, or
splintered and wrecked in the streets :;
herself and daugher were parted in the
81. whirl of that night of terror and sought
=. each other vainly. On October IL Mrs.
a. $, despairing of ever again seeing her
Helen, save as a charred and blackened
corpse, left Chicago, with sorrowful
isy heart for the residence of some distant
relatives at Buffalo. Here her pitful
story was made public in the local prints,
and appeal made to any person capable
.- of afFording any intelligence as to the
fate of her child to forward such news,
whether of Joy or woe, to the bereaved
mother The story was widely copied
at that time the papers had room for
nothing but Incidents of the Chicago fire
land response came from the Relief
and Aid Committee, to whom the daugh-
ter, after vainly and distractedly search
q ing for her mother, had applied for shell
ter and food. She was at once furnished
with pass to Buffalo where she reioined
her mother, who welcomed her as one
risen frora the dead Last week they re-
turned to Chicago to see what they had
saved from the wreck in which so many
s prouder argoses had been involved.
a They found their property left of course,
but who would buy it, or, if they would
rebuild, where would the money come
from The insurance was almost worth
less the loans made to the tradesmen
could not be collected, since they had
been utter losers. On the day before yes
terday, however, Mrs S. received the fol
lowing letter, which had been forwarded
after her from Buffalo, where it had ar
rived after her departure
~, . roFEEA 'sii+ Ss %as :, Nov 1871.
[Care of Rev. c. i. Buffalo,
MADAME; We have made inquiries which satis
ned Us that you are the person to whom our ellen
has directed the letter inclosed to he forwarded
W ensy Peas d hsF'G9 Tf 6Gd 6a e % NoSd R Pf Ban
Chicago for $500 receipt of which acknowledge an
Accompanying this was a draft for tn
80 amount, which was duly honored ol
presentation at the bank designated. Tn
letter inclosed, to which allusion was mad
In the communication of the lawyer
given above, Mrs. S. would not show t
80 the reporter of the Republican, who wa
-. introduced to her yesterday, but she mad
known ITS contents practically as follows
About fifteen or sixteen years age
when Mr.. s. was in business in Elmira
and my Helen, here, was some five or si
years old think it was in 1S56-we ha
little girl of fourteen living with us
e. called Nancy Who her parents were W
a.. never knew-3Ir. S. got her from the ol
phan asylum in New York when she wa
ten years old. | wanted u little girl t
save me steps, run errands and do chore
round the house She was bright an
tfught her how to read and write; sh
.. knew how to do little when she cam
from the asylum, and we almost made q
much of her as if she had been our Ow
daughter. She was as wild as a vouu
colt at times, but | never could think thG
there was anything wrong about her On
da5r she disappeared. Mr. : lectured he
severely in the morning for some fault &
other, and she seemed sullcn or sulky q
day. In the evening she went 10 bed ;
the usual hour, but next morning when
went up stairs to call her, as she was lat
in getting up, found that she wasn't ther
She must have got up in the night an
dressed herself, and got out by the windo
on to the roof of the porch and dow
that way. What was worst of all, abot
$500 belonging to Mr.. s.. which was in
httle work-bOX in my room, was missin!
a. 50 we concluded that she had taken i
We advertised her and informed the p'
lice of her absence, but we never coul
y md her. though we found that she got O
westward bound train that night w
never heard a word from her or Of hC
until | got this letter. 1t is from Name
herself 1t seems that she went on
Buffalo when she ran away, and was g
ing towards Chicago on a propeller whe
she fell in with an old couple going
Leavenworth, Kansas. They were chill
d or less having just lost an only daughte
- and fancied that Nancy resembled her,
they induced her to accompany them, II
deed, tre2ted her as their daughter The
gave her good education and she write
that she has married farmer sufficient
''- well-to-do and has three children. Neitl
tAt ier her adopted parents nor her husban
$685. know anything of her crime she say
.-- and She sends the money with interest,
a.letter that made me cry just 10 read i
z She had seen my address in one of the p
pers and sent me the money. 1t is indec
bread cast upon the waters.
Such was the story, more singular tina
romance, told a Republican reporter b
Mrs s. herself CAicdg0 Republican.
House Where Mon roYer Laugl