Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-01-18
From the Davenport Iowal Gazette.
He'll Upon Earth.
THE MISERY AND REMoRsE ATTENDING
AN ELOPEMENT.

THE MISERY AND REMoRsE ATTENDING
AN ELoPEMENT.
All the readers of the Gazette who
have resided in Scott county since the
spring of 1868 will remember State Sen
ator A. NJ. Larimer of LIE Claire. He
represented this county in a senatorial
capacity in the eleventh and twelfth
General Assemblies, being much re-
spected and quite influential in both
bodies Few men in the county were more
highly esteemed than he. He was
building contractor, splendid mechanic
possessed competency, and was still
prospecting finely when he, with one in
famous act, ruined his reputation, aban-
doned his business, blighted his own hap
piness and that of his family, and put
brand upon his name that cannot be
erased and which will prove an avenger
of the wrongs he inflicted upon others,
no matter where he may wander. He
had a wife, two sons and daughter in
a happy home in LIE Claire, and from
them he fed with paramour, who was
the wife of his wife's brother-Mrs.
John Robinson was her name. The
guilty pair took with them boy of Lari-
mer's, aged 10 years, and three young
children of Mrs. Robinson. With these
children they went westward, and three
weeks afterward were seen at Cheyenne,
Wyoming territory, by resident of LIE
Claire, whom Larimer refused to recog-
nize. That was the last heard from
them until recently, when Larimer and
his Oldest son met in st. Louis. This
son remained at home with his mother.
Mrs. Larimer was granted a bill of di-
vorce in our district court after time,
and secured property that the husband
could not take with him. The son grad
uated at Griswold College, in this city,
and then became printer. He was
working in Chicago, when the great fire
threw him out of employment. He went
to St. Louis, and was working there
when he met his father and brother in
the streets. He accosted them. AT
first Larimer did not recognize him, but
memory soon aided him, and exclaiming
"Good God, is it your" the recreant
father grasped his sons hand and seemed
delighted to see him. The young
brother, who had been with his father
in all his journeyings, was overjoyed at
the meeting. The father insisted upon
the sons accompanying him to the
Clarendon House, where he was stop
ping. There Larimer told his story. 1t
was the old tale of the misery which
clings to evil doors and renders the work.
ers in this phase of sin outcasts.
After being recognized at Cheyenne,
as above stated, Larimer and his para
mour, with their children, Immediately
left the place and pursued their journey
westward. They went across the plains,
and at last took up their abode in an OBJ
scure town in California. They did not
rest here long. Larimer saw one day
an article in a California paper, credited
to the Davenport Gazette, giving an ac-
count of his flight Mrs. Robinson be-
came alarmed; before she had
bewailed her fate. Then the guilty par
ties went to San Francisco, took steam
er, and in a few days landed at Panama,
where they stayed few weeks, until he
could earn more money, for his funds
were becoming too low for comfort, and
then they crossed the isthmus, took a
steamship and sailed for New York.
Larimer knew he was not safe in that
city, for Davenport acquaintance of
his might meet him any day. The
woman became nervous, fretful, afraid,
nd would not consent to remain in any
800 'Onr a. a tive. She wanted to be
a-G4r There was security nOwhafo
--st for conscience, which saw
.c.iTo in every nan Who glanced at
.,. A bold move was decided upon by
ariner. and he pushed for the West.
living in st. Louis in good time. This
was too near their old home up The river
~. .r11r %l,yvD ,c01yr At
on the principal thoroughfares. The
complaining paramOur OF the Wretched
man became more unhappy than ever.
Nothing but emigration would quiet her
fears. Larimer knew that this expense
without income could not last much long
er. He must take up residence IN
some place and go to work to make
money. The woman must cease her
everlasting, torturing complaints. The
day of honeyed words had passed, and
he adopted the role of stern mas
ter instead of the obedient lover. She
rebelled and used her sharp tongue
freely, and so they quarreled ike cats
and dogs. Larimer at last decided to go
to Lebanon. Mo, nearly 200 miles south
west of St. Louis, and there found rest
for awhile The party arrived there
little over IS months ago. He went to
work as a carpenter, and was soon en-
gagged in building railroad bridges and
other work as a contractor. What name
he had assumed in his journeyings Is not
known, but at Lebanon his name is l..
A. Stevens, and he is, according to his
own story, regarded as an enterprlSIng,
prosperous citizen. He was in st. Lou
is on business for himself and to send
Mrs. Robinson away to her parents
in Ohio. She had left on the very day
that his son left him. Their guilty part
nership had ended in mutual hate and
disgust. She did not dare take her chill
dren with her, not knowing what kind
of reception she would meet with, and
Larimer had them with him at the Clar-
endon, intending to keep them until she
should send for them. And there he was
face to face with his elder son, into
whose ears he poured the story of the
consequences of his crime. He said he
had not seen happy day since he and
his paramour left their comfortable
homes and faithful partners in lie Claire.
His life had been torture. There was
no peace for him anywhere. The pres
cnce of his young boy was continual
reproach to him and as for the woman,
she experienced nothing but misery.
The sweets of sins turned into bitter
ness-wherever they went they found
nothing but hell on earth" Now he
had got rid of the woman, he hoped soon
to be relieved of her children, and then
there would be chance for him to go
to some locality where he would not be
known. Larimer met another of his
children in st E,OIliS-a daughter who
married after he left home, and who was
now living in that city but two blocks
from his hotel With his sonshe visited
her, and again told the story of his wan
derings We need not describe the sor-
row Of this meeting. The erring fathers
agony seemed greater than he could bear
At the close the elder son insisted upon
taking his young brother home Larimer
consented at last. SO after nearly four
years separation, during which time he