The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1872-06-07
Albanty &sgister.
TIE oLp CARrnlAN.

Ihat II Is brief may be seen at
glance, and that 1t + true most EN-.
phatically ayow. Ii the reader de.
spises it because of the first. or the ed.
itor rejects it for the reason Of the last,
then | will eschew truth in the future,
and devote myself into the elaboration
Of lies into capters, and the purest fic-
tions into volumes Of seventeen hun
dred pages each.
With this understanding proceed
at once to remark that five years ago,
or thereabouts. John Aiiisley-oI
Pap Ainsley," as he was familiarly
,9llled--was the owner Of a land-cift,
and earned living by conveying mis-
cellaneoui parcels from one section t.
another, and received therefor the rea-
Sonablc remuneration of fifty cents
per load.
10 designate the occupation In the
prosiest manner possible. he was a
land-art-man, and when not employ
I'd, could always be found during
working hours at the corner Of Mont
gomery and California. His hair and
long beard were quite gray, and his
limbs feeble; and if he could not
shove, as heavy load through the
deep sand, OR up the steep grade above
him, as the stalwart TeMon OIL the
opposite corner, thereby losing many
a dollar, all the light loads in the
neighborhood fell to his lot, and kind
hearted men not mtrequently Travelled
a square or two out Of their way to
give an easy job to Pap -Ainsley.'
Four years last September ! recoi-
lect the month. for | had a note OF
totm thousand dollars to pay, and was
compelled to do some pretty sharp II
lilnciering to pay it,, having two or
three dozen volumes Of BOOKS to trans
Ter to nv lodgings, gave Pap Aims
ley" the task Of transportation.
Arriving at nay room just as he tie
posted the last armful Oh the table.
and observing that the old man looked
considerably fstisucd. ailrf climbing
three flights of stairs five or six times.
| invited him to take Il glass of BRAN
dy. 4 bottle Of which usually kept in
ny room for medicinal soporitic pur-
poses. Although grateful for the in
yitation. he politely declined. Iurg-
ell. but he was intleXible. | was
Greatly astonislled.
"Do YOU never drink" said |.
''Very seldom" he replied, drop
ping into a chair ut my request, and
wiping the perspiation off his fore
head.
swell, If you drink at all, an
Swercd 'yOu will not find in the next
six months so fair an excuse for in
for you seem fTtigued, and
scarcely able to stand.'
so be frank" said the old man.
II to not drink any now. ! have not
tasted intoxicating liquor for fifteen
years-since-since-"
'.Since when9" 1 asked. tlloMghtlessly
observing his hesitation.
The old man told me that sixteen
years ago he was well-to do farmer
lear Syracuse, n. y. lie had but one
child, daughter. While attending
boarling-selool in that city, the girl,
then but sixteen years of age, formed
an attachment for a young physician.
.Acglninting her father with the cir
he fatty refused his con-
sent to her union with a man he had
never seen, and removing her from
school dispatched note to the young
gallant, with the somewhat pointed
information that his presence in the
of the Aainsley farm
would not meet with favor,
The reader, Of course, surmises the
result, for such proceeding could aud
can have but one result. In less than
Il month there was an el0pement.
The father loaded his double-barreled
shotgun aud swore vengeance; but
falling to find the figitives, he took to
the bottle. Ills good wife told him
not to despair. but he drank the deep
er, and accused her Of encouraging the
elopement.
lii three months the wife died, and
at the expiration ola year the young
couple returned to Syracuse from Con-
neeticut, where they ascertaiaed that
the old man after the death Of his
wife. of which he had Of course been
apprisetI, had sold his farm, sltnnder-
I'd the proceeds, and was almost desti
tute. Learning Of their arrival, Aims
ley drank himself into frenzy, and
proceeded to the hotel where they
'iere stopping, attacked the husband.
wounded him in the arm with pistol
shot. and then attempted the life of
his daughter, who happily escaped ul-
injured through the Intervention Of
persons brought to the spot by the re-
port of the pistol. Ains!ey was ar
rested, tried, and acquitted Oh the plea |
Of insanity. Tie daughter and hus-
land returned to Connecticut, since |
which time the father had not heard |
from them. lie was sent to q lrnatic !
asylum, from which hc was dismissed /
after remaining six months. In 1851
he came to California. lie followed
mining for two years, but finding his
strength unequal to the pursuit, re-
turned to this city, purchased hand !
cart. aid the rest is known.
Since them concluded the old |
man, bowing his face in agony, Il
Ilaye not tasted liquor, nor have | seen
my child"
i regretted that lad been so In
tuisitive, and expressed to the sufferer
the sympathy really felt for him.
After that seldom passed the corner
without looking for Pap Ainsley,"
and never saw him but to think of the
sad story he had told me.
One chilly. drizziing day in the De
cember following. gentleman having
purchased a small marble-top table at
an auction room opposite, profferetl the
old man the job Of conveying it to his
residence on Stockton street. Not
Wishing to accOmpany tlle carrier. lie