The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-12-23

that, upon reaching yonng manhoof. he
was capable of entering the Methodist the
illogical seminary, and graduating from
thence a minister of the gospel The
spring of 1860 found him preaching in
Massachusetts, in church which his own
exhortations had induced The people of
the village to build and in this situation
be was often heard to speak of this hard
and bitter experience as q homeless or
phan boy; and express the warmest sym,
pathy for the poor and the forsaken. 1t
was, indeed, the peculiar and profound
sympathy of the Rev William w. Col
burn with the friendess and unfortunate
that particularly commended him to the
Governor of the State for the chaPlaincy
of the State Prison and that Office
was accepted and is still held by hin. -
This brings the story down to tie present
time, or to a day thirty-ffve years since
the desertion of his helpless family in
Maine by the elder Colburn. On the
latter day small party of friends dining
with the States Chaplain, noticed that
their host seemed agitated in an unusual
degree, and were sympathnticalIy assidu-
Gus to know the cause. At first Mr.. Coll
burn seemed annoyed that his feelings had
been observed, and apparently shrank
from all conversation upon the subject !;
but, after ali interval of reflection, his
mood changed, and he frankly confded to
those present the secret of his disturbed
manner. He had received, he said, by
that days mail, from Washington Terri>
tory, q strange, incredulous letter, bear
ing the signature of the father whom he
and all the friends had supposed to have
been dead for more than thirty years. !"
'tHe writes me that, in 1885," continued
the chaplain, ''for what he then deemed
sufficient provoca.ion, he abandoned my
mother, sister and self, with the intention
to let US see him no more IN this life un-
less he could return rich enough to suffer
no more from poverty" Going to Calls
fornia, he was unsuccessful there for such
| a length of time that when fortune favored
him ct last he was ashamed to seek intel
lisence of the poor wife and babes he had
SO cruelty forsaken. The first news of
them, reaching hir3, made it appear that
they were all dead but when finally be-
coming rich man in Washington Terri
tory, and able to pay for a rigid search,
he had ascertained that his son still sur
vived, and was chaplain to the Massachu>
setts prison. Having wronged his family
so greatly, more than Quarter Of cen
tury ago, he now proposes to return to
New England with all bis accumulated
wealth, and lavish upon his son the lux
ury and affection to which there re-
main no other heirs. so erds the latest
f'illustration of the truth of the familiar
sdage. that truth is stranger than felton,
and it may be remarked thereupon, by
way of conclusion, that the veracious su-
periorfty of strangeness in the case ap>
pears to lie in the refreshing complacency
with which the roaniing father and hus-
band, after having as good as consigned a
wife and one child to pauper graves by
bis early exploit, now informs his son that
he designs starting soon for Massachu-
setts, whers he hopes TO spend the remain
der of his days in the enjoyment of peace
and plenty 1t would be a bold work
Of ''iction, indeed, that did no better
poetic justice to such a character as this,
and the ''truth" of it is Strange to q
degree of unpleasantness.