Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-06
From the New York Herald.l
a remarkable Record.

a Remarkable Record.
It's trite saying that 'truth is strang-
er than fiction" and the wonder IS that
novelists do not give over the brain-cud-
Ceiling work of thinking over plots and
weaving imaginary figures that they may
write books to entertain the less expert
enced readers. The world about us
abounds with incidents of truly dramatic
effect, which require but little labor to
weave a story founded on fact and re-
plete with details which amply verify
the axiom above quoted.
The Kings county charitable institu-
tons, situated in the town of Flatbush,
can tell many a tale of human misery,
fraught with romantic incidents, worthy
the pen of the story writer. But it is
not with romance that this brief article
has to deal. On the contrary, it is with
stern reality.
On Thursday last a weather-beaten,
bright-looking young man, about nine
teen years old, entered the office of the
Board of Charities. Willoughby street,
Brooklyn, aud, approaching one of the
clerks, stated he was DESTROYS of obtain
ing some information concerning a fam
lily named Weeks, who
MANY YEARS AGO
were placed under the charge of the
Board of Superintendent of the Poor.
He said that he had been given over, to-
gether with two little brothers. named
William and Edward, to the care of the
keeper of tho County Nursery, at Flat
bush, by his father. The youth further
stated that his name was Henry l..
Weeks. He had been apprenticcd to a
stingy farmer ont on Long Island, about
thirteen years ago. lie worked for an
agriculturaIist at Huntington, but the
work was not suitable for him and the
treatment was unkind. One morning he
ran away from his Huntington master
and, making his way TO one Of the har-
bors on the Sound, shipped as a boy.
He had followed a seafaring life from
that period down to the present. and
there is no quarter of the globe over
which he has not sailed. Henry remem-
bcred having heard that his mother was
an inmate of the Lunatic Asylum. but
he did not remember her appearance,
being too young when she was separated
from his brothers and himself. Recent
ly, returning from an extended voyage.
Henry make his way to Bridgeport,
Conn, his fathers native place, for the
purpose of seeing his
CRUEL HEATED AND UNNATURAL
PARENT.
Here he learned that his father had been
dead for some time, and further, that he
had accumulated fortune during the
years which intcrvened between the
period of his abandonment of his unhap-
by wife and three children. The amount
at which the estate, left under the adj
ministration of a relative, is valued. il is
said to be about $50, 600 Here, then.
was an unexpected windfall in store for
the tempesttOssed mariner, whose buff
feting about on the sea of life, and the
deep blue sea" had been Of a character
50 severe as to mature his faculties and
experiences far beyond his years But
his claim to his fathers estate must be
established, and in order to effect this
end he at once repaired to Brooklyn for
the purpose of communicating with the
authorities in whose charge his relatives
had placed him so many years before.
Fortunately one of the attaches of the
Charity Bureau, who was present during
young Weeks recital, remembered the
circumstances connected with the con-
signment of the Weeks family to the
care of the county. Sixteen years AGO
Weeks, deceased, and his family resided
in Brooklyn.
MRS. WEEKS BECAME INSANE,
and was sent to the Lunatic ASYLUM.
Her husband, who was an engineer bv
trade, was out of employment at the
time, and requested the Commissioners
of the Poor to take care of his three
HfNc Of tho N,,roor,y ,,,,4;I -
enough money to provide for them at
home. Two years rolled by and Weeks
paid visit to the unfortunate wife.
whose mental coalition was such as to
give no hope of her recovering her rea-
son. lie went away, promising to COM
pensatc the county for the cost of her
board and maintenance. No attention
was paid by him, as far as can be ascer-
tanned, to his children Six years ago
srlit was instituted by the county against
Weeks to recover the amount due for
board. The Office clerk informed Henry
that his mother was still alive and an
inmate of the ward devoted to the incnr-
able at the Flatsush Asylum, but he
could not tell what had become of
THE TWO BROTHERS
of Weeks, who, years ago, left the Muir
sery. What were the feelings engen-
dered in the breast of the sailor lad upon
learning that his mother still lived it is
impossible to state; but his emotion was
natural, and his haste to reach her dis
NAL abode-the tomb of the living vic
tins of dethroneds reason-at Flatbush
was eager. On the arrival of Weeks at
the Lunatic Asylum he was shown into
the presence of the physician in CHARGE
DR.. Chaplin, and to him told the object
of his visit. The worthy custodian of
the asylum, who has filed his present
responsible position for many wears. at
once took a deep interest in the recital
of the young man, and accompanied him
to the female ward, in which Mrs.
Weeks has passed away SO many. many
many years, suffering from what is tech
nically known as chronic dementia.
Here wandered aimlessly up and down