Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-09-24
,ryA, GAZETTE & VIRGINIA ADVERTISER,
PUBLISHED DAILY BY
EDGAR SNOWDEN,
,.yETIE BUILDING, NJ. ~ PRINCE STREET
\ CASE OF PERSEV FRANCE.
From the Chicago Tribune.

There is a man in Chicago of the name
of Merrill, who is queer mixture OF
Sbs, k and perseverance, This man was born
IN one Of the mauy beautiful New England
,nwns which lie aloug the Connecticut river
Among his companions and playmates was the
.,n Of a wealthy merchant named Crouch. The
sns name was also Crouch, aud he aud young
NrrrilI used to indulge in that fascinating game,
n',riug marbles for keeps. Now, Crouch had
m~re pocket money than Merrill, aod it was
ss,er for him to buy marbles than it was for
G.rmpauiou, so he did not have to play as
.ai game The consequence was, Merrill
y.ry fast developed to a wonderful degree, all
rho muscles and faculties required to be an cx
ncrt player, and soon the marbles were all own,
ppJ nv him. There is said to be an end to all
th;nrs BE that as it may, IN time the money
nosSessed BY young Crouch had lett, and he
took the fatal step so often before and since
talnp by Young men in his position. lie bor-
rnwyd ten marbles, valued at ten cents, from
Merrill, hoping to win with them. But 1t was
IN vain The fates were opposed to him. He
borrowed the same ten again, OF the same
vslue, and again lost Again and again he
tried the same operation, trying to start on
basis of ten borrowed marbles and retrive lost
fortune. One morning he awoke to the fact
that he owed Merrill $643 aud that he had
no wherewithaI to liuuidate the Indebtedness.
Atter mature delberation he decided that the
ONLY thing he could do was to repudlate the
whole debt. This the young Peudleton did,
and henceforth there was trouble. Merrill
had couoted on buying great many things,
including a suit of clothes, hand-sled, jack
lantern, etc., with the wealth he was soon to
possess. When be found this was cruel
dream he was at first wild, and would not be
comtorted, but on reflection he thought ne
would worry it out Of Crouch so Whenever he
met him he would say "N here is that
s643?" No matter where or when he met
him, it was the same question. Indeed he so
rrsecuted Crouch that he had to leave his
new New England home and 90 out iuto the
cold, cold world. 1u time he came to Chicago
and grew to be rich man. As Fortune
50 often does, she took funny freak, and
brought Merrill, the poor man also TO
Chicago and made the men, who had
not met since they were boys, neighbors. Mer
rll saw the name Of his quandam companion,
and found, to his surprise, that the boy had be-
colue Il man. Now, one would think all old
scores would be forgotten; but Merrill is not
that kind of man. The first morning he
reached Chicago he went to Crouch office and
waited till he came, when he demanded bis
$6.43 with interest. This modest request was
refused, and Crouch passed on. This was kept
up tor about three years, when Mr. Crouch
Seut to Europe to escape such persecution.
But he did not take the precaution to close out
his entire business, and Merrill simply changed
the base OF operations to the counting-room OF
Mr. Crouch, where, about 6:3O every morning,
he would betake himself, and as the various
clerks aud employees would drop IN they would
be greeted with, How are you, pup?' or,
How is Crouch hireling?'' and like pleasant
aud complimentary Solutions, until at last it
became 50 uubearabie that Que of the clerks
took the gentleman by the nape OF his peck, on
Wednesday last, and laid him softly on the
sidewalk. He felt that he had been msuSed,
30 be had his assaant arrested, aud the case
vas tried before Bauyon yesterday, who decid, d
that Merrill was a man whose perseverance
should be publicly acknowledged, and to attract
geucral attention he presented the city with 50.