The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-03-12
Two City Lives.
A Tale which has its own Moral and Is
full of Romantic Interest.


full of Romantic Interest.
grew up in the great City of New York.
He had busy, live intelligence, and he
was attracted to the worlds arena in
stinctively. He would not be farmer;
he would be a great mana man of
business. He served as office boy in
various localities. He did not stay long
in q place he was smart--too smart.
He was what business men call q fast
boy and clergymen a bad boy. His
acute intellect, unguided, had turned
into dangerous paths, following the
lead of emotion and instinct. We live
in two worlds-the steady, strong un-
dercurrent of hard facts and stern work
and struggles, and the lighter, super
! fetal current of pleasure, of ideals, of
amusement, passion, excitement. 1t
was toward this world that as he grew
older he gravitated. He hated disci-
pline and liked freedom. He became
commercial traveller, and then theatrical
agent, and then gambler; he tried the
manufacture of whisky, kept faro
bank, was treasurer of a circus. He
was bound to make living by his wits.
He was like all the rest of us-he wanted
to make money without work.
1t is not just to say he was a bad
young man, either he had the reputa-
tion of being a capital fellow. He was
only one of the types now so common
in American cities; of a quick mind
that shrinks from that which is hard
and difficult, cultivating the feeling
only, living dashing, "liberal' life.
His permanent occupation at last be-
came that of the master gambler-one
who gets money by playing upon the
passions of his fellows instead of upon
their necessities. He sold lottery tick
cts. His pleasures were of the sort
known as masculine, I. G., alcohol and
athletics. He liked horses, yachts, and
fighting he was muscular himself, and
in disposition shrewd and envious-a
Oassius, man to keep "the right side
of ;" more than once when in liquor and
quarrelsome he was known to handle his
pistol much too freely fol the safety of
his companions.
He had many friends. One of these
was Southerner, a plump, jovial man,
with fund of good nature. They be-
came partners in the lottery business.
Time wore on they made money and
married. They worked exceedingly
we'll together; when the shrewdness Of
the slender, dark-eyed man failed, the
fat, good nature of the partner, inspir-
ing confidence, succeeded.
After number of years, however,
the serenity of this friendship became
disturbed. A separation came. Each
thought he could do better alone, and
each tried it, thus dividing the stream
Of business, each trying to bring over
to his side as much as possible. After
that they began, to eye each other
askance /; love turned to jealousy, and
then to hate.
The situation became threatening.
After long life is passed, in which
the daily occupation has been that
which to the common herd is the
amusement, and in which the daily
recreation is what with the mass is dis
sipation, the mind gradually becomes
undermined and loses it's equilibrium
little by little are developed great pas
sions instead of principles for guides
of action, the soul gets habit of yield
ing to the strong feeling that is upper
most; the inner man turns to lava from
such constant excitement and fire
volcano grows up beneath the calm ex
berlOT, anu only WdlGS II uUUlnR occasion
for an eruption. The Long Island far
mer-boy of sober Dutch descent, by hi
course of life, had reared within him
self another mana savage, an italian
brigand, all hidden from sight by tn
mask of the man of the world. His ha
tired and jealousy of his former partne
became mania. No ill-luck or mis-
fortune came that was not attributed
) to him. His old partner was taking hi
friends, his business, and his reputa
tion, he thought.
The result is briefly told, and is ye
vivid on the minds of the inhabitant
of this and the adjoining cities. TIL
estranged partners met one winte
evening in Liberty street one wa
, stabbed to his death, the other wa
manned for life. A few days ago hi
trial for murder was brought to close
The jury was merciful, and he wa
saved from the gallows, but is destine
1 to spend what should have been th
: happy years of his life in convict
} cell in State Prison.
The moral is plain, and the stor
should be a warning to all those VIII
r seek wealth by other means than til
2 old-fashioned path of industry.
Key Notes,