Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-11-25
A ROMANCE OF THE GREAT CHI
CAGO FIRE.
Bread Cast Upon the Wsters-The
widows Loss Money Returned nj
an Hour Of Need-Nancy' Story-
Truths that are Stranger tifan

Truths that are Stranger than
Fiction.
From the Chicago Republican, Nov. 9th.
The remark that truth l. stranger than fiction
has received striking cOrs0b0ration i an incl
dent occurring IN the late great fire. Years ago =
well-to-do >torekeeper moved hither from
Elmira, n. Y, accompanied by his wife and
family, and engaged in business in this city.
He resided on Illinois street. in the North divis-
ion, and conducted a moderately paying retail
COOKERY store ON State street. near Lake. In
1SC6 he died, leaving his widow the house in
which She lived on Hin OILS street, and a small
sum OF ready money, which, with the sale OF the
business, amounted 90 some Sf.OO or S5.an0.
This she loaned 10 a couple Of small tradesmen
commencing business. Mrs. =. thus found her
self with an income OF $40 or 500 Annually
increased tn $50 OF $40 hy the earnings o her
n, boy ~ fourteen. employed in a LAWYER
Office in Dearborn street.
THR DEATH OF LITTLE HENRY.
in ltS, just when hlS mother WAS beginning 20
lean uIon him. was a sad blow iu every respect
hut enough remained tor the support, in mod
est comfort. OF the widow and daughter, now a
Young woman Of twenty-one or Twenty-Five
Thus were matters in the humble household on
Illinois street when the fatal Red Monday came
and swept away our CITY, leaving blackened
ruins and the ashes of de>olatOn where there
had been twenty thousand houses. OF Mrs. s.
house not veStige remained; her I.ares and
PenateS were swept of into the fiery rum, or
spilntered and wrecked in the street,, herself
and daughter were parted in the whirl Of
THAT NIGHT oF TEERok,
and sought each other vainly. On October 18th,
Mrs. b, deSpalring OF ever again seeing her
Helen. save as charred and blackened corpse.
left Chicago with a sOrrowful heart. for the res
idence Of some distant relatives at Buffalo
Here her pitful story was made public i'm the
local prints, and appeal made to any person ca
pablc OF atiordng any intellige a. TO the fate
of her child, TO forward such news, whether OF
Joy or woe, 10 the bereayed mother The story
was widely cOpied-at that time the papers had
room for nothing but incidents Of the Chicago
hre-and response came from the relief and
aid committee, TO whom the daughter. after
vainly and distractedly
SEARCHING FOR HER MOTHER,
had applied for shelter and food. She was at
once furnished with pass TO Buffalo. where she
reJoined her mother, who welcomed her one
risen from the dead Last week they returned
To Chicago TO see what they had saved from the
wreck in which many prouder argosies had
been involved They found their property left,
of course, but who would buy il, or, il they
would rebuild, where would the money come
from? The insurance was almost worthless,
the loans made to the tradesmen could not be
collected, since they had been utter losers. On
the day before yesterday, however, Mrs ). re-
ceived
THE FOLLOWING LETTER,
which had been forwarded after her from Buff
ialo, where IL had arrived after her departure:
LAW OFFICE oF-. -
TOPEKA, Has, Nov, 1871. !
[Care of Rev. c. NJ. j.. Buffalo,
MADAME: Wehaye made inquiries which have
satisfied US that YOU are the person to whom our
client has directed the letter inclosed to be for
warded and the money herewith forw arled 10
be paid. You will please find draft on the -
National Bank of Chicago tor s5aO, recent of
which acknowledge and oblige,
Respectfully, --&-
Accompanying this was draft for the amount
which was duly honOred on presentation az the
bank designated. The letter inclosed, TO which
allusiOn was made in the communication of the
lawyers given above. Mrs ). would not show 10
the reporter of the Republican,. who was intro
duced TO her yesterday. but she made known it,
contents practically a. follows:
About fifteen or sixteen years ago. when Mr..
). was in business ia Elmira. and nv Helen
here, was some five or six wears old think ID
was an loJe-we had little girl OF fourteen
living with Us, called Nancy. Who her parents
were We never knew-Mr. =. got her from the
orphan asylum in New York when she was ten
years old. I wanted a little girl to save me
steps, run cTrands and 10 chores roundthe house
She was bTi ght and clever. and We all took
liking 10 her 4 taught her how TO read and
write, she knew how TO 10 "A little when she came
from the asylum. and we almost made as mach
OF her as If she had beeno our own daughter. She
was Wild a. Young colt at times. but / never
could think that there was anything wrong about
her. One day she disappeared. Mr.. ). lectured
her severely in the morning for some fault or
other, and she seemed sullen or sulky all day.
In the evening she went TO bed at the usual hour
but next morning when 1 went up stairs 70 call
her as.he was late in getting up, found that
she wasn't there. She must have got up in the
night and dressed herself. an got ont by tn.
window on 10 the roof ofthe porch and down that
way What was worst of all abOnt 500 belong
a
my room, Vas missing, 80 we concluded that She
had taken IL. We advertised her. and informed
Tie police OF her absence. but We never could
find her. though we found that she had got on A
westward bound train that night. We never
heard word from her or OF her until got this
letter. Ii was from Nancy herself. IT seems that
she went to Buffalo when she ran away. ani was
going To Chicago on a propeller, when she fell i'm
with an old couple going TO Leavenworth, X ansas
THEY WERE CHILDLEss,
having Just lost an only daughter, and flncied
that Nancy reScmbled her, 80 they induced her
to accompany them, indeed treated hen a. their
daughter. They gave her a good education. and
she writes that she has married a farmer sufi-
GENTLY well-tO-dO, anu has three children.
Neither her adopted parents nor her husband
know anything of her crime, she saws and she
sends the money with interest, i'm a letter that
made me cry just TO read il. She had seen NV
address in one of the papers and sent me the
money. 1t is indeed bread cast upon the waters.
Such was the story, more singular than
romance, told Republican reporter, by Mrs. s.
herself.