Connecticut western news., 1874-09-11
HENRY GOLFERS FORTUNE,

HENRY GOLFERS FORTUNE.
 The Story of a Little Drled-up Man.-An Eventfal Life--A Windfan of S9OO,.
 900.
 The San Francisco Chronicle pub- lished an account of search for ssone Henry Colter, to whom Q fortune of $200, ,000 has been left by Charles Jes- sup, who lately died in Massachusetts. The circumstances which led to the legacy are peculiar. Oolter and B. H. Parker, at present well-known mer- chant in San Francisco, were, in 1854, in business in Oregon, and Golfer in- trusted Jessup, then young man, with $4, 800 to bring to MT. Parker, who looked after the business. Jessup en- bezzled the money and fled with it to South America. Parker at the time accused Colter of stealing the money, and believed for twenty years that he did it. The firm was broken up, and Colter, who had already become some what addicted to drink, went ts the dogs completely. The Chronicle has already explained how Jessup made a
 
 how he went home to Massachusetts to enjoy it, and died there few months ago, leaving to the man he had wronged twenty years before $2OO,O00. Colter was advertised for.
 Last Wednesday morning little, old dried-up man, about forty, was potter ing about country hotel, near Wat sonville, doing his regular chores for his bed and board. The little old man, whose weight is not 100 pounds, has for years been 8 devotee of the bottle, and on this occasion he was particu- larly shaky and nervous. His eyes rolled nervously about, and his little red nose shone like wet radish. He had worked but moment or two Che was securing some knives at the time), when a man came hurrying into the room with copy of the Chronicle in his hand, and shouted, "Here you are, Oolter. Rouse yourself, man. You've been left $200, ,0O0." The little old man stared wildly about him, and his knives and brick dust fell from his nerveless hands. With trembling grasp he seized the paper and hurriedly read the article. 'At last at last 1" he yelled. " They said I stole it, and now the truth is out. Great God. After twenty years of patient waiting my honor is cleared. and my good name is returned to me-"
 Like flash the circumstances all came back to his memory, and burying his face in his hands, he fairly Wept for joy. Then he told his friends all about the case, relating each detail, how he lost the money, how he was &C., cused of stealing it, how in conse- quence he had wandered about the earth for twenty years with the brand of shame upon his brow.
 There was no more securing of knives that day. Colter strengthened himself up; by the help of some friends he got some clean clothes, and left for San Francisco to find MT. Knowlton, the lawyer who advertised. for informa- tlon concerning him. That gentleman had gone to Oregon, but he had left word that he would be back in few days, and so Golfer went in search of his former partner. That gentleman was found after some little trouble. He recognized Oolter at once, and sent him to the Cosmopolitan Hotel to await MT. Knowlton's return. MT. Parker confirmed the intelligence of the wind fall, and laughingly told Golfer that as the original $4, 800 that was stolen was half his property, it was no more than fair that half of the legacy should be his also.
 Mir. Oolter called at the Chronicle office to thank the people there for giving him the news of h1s good fortune. He was laboring under great excitement, being, as he said, more pleased and overjoyed at having his name cleared than at the news of his sudden wealth. He said that since the robbery he had been utterly good for nothing. He came near drinking him. self to death several times, and he had worried and fretted over the thought that by all his old acquaintances he was believed to be thief, until he was untitted for any respectable employ ment. For years he had been wan. derer over the whole Pacific coast.
 In answer to 8 question how he lost the money Golfer said that he was bringing the cash GA, ,80O), which be- longed to the firm, or rather it belonged to other parties, though they were re- sponsible for it, from Olympia to San Francisco. Jessup and another man, whose name he had forgotten, left in the same steamer with him from Olympia-the steamer America. On the way Colter says he got on terrible spree, and while in that condition gave the money to Jessup to carry to MT. Parker. He did this, he says, because he did not want MT. Parker to see him in the state he was in. Jessup ran away with the money, and that was the last he ever heard of him. Ruined Tn pocket and bankrupt in character, Uolter turned over the business to his partner, and became a wanderer. He did little of everything. He became 3 guide for surveying party of the Pacific Railroad, guiding at one time Gen. Mcclellan (then Capt. McC Clellan), who was running survey across the continent. He then enlisted in the army and served thirteen years, being last from the Second Previous to this, however, he had worked for Dent, Vantine & O., at Knights Ferry. Dent was brother-in in-law of that man up there" said MT. Oolter, pointing to a picture of President Grant on the wall. " and I've seen him many time at Knights Ferry"