, 1874-09-02
THE PRODlGAL SON.
Young Tinigan Comes Homo to
Ills NIotIler.


Living on Husks in the Country.
osT.NoTM IT rAnDl Of I1 sLEoE OCT. gA IA. YoX H3lt
:S Ss ;ssf
Tho above waB tho b11of announcement made
IN tho advertising columns Of THE TnlEuaE
Tow days after tho great fro Of Oct. O. 1871. and
distracted, sick, struggling mother mado
anxious iuquitioa at tho ollec With view TO
learning The whereabouts Of hor lost boy. But
no tidiugH camo aftor a patlcnt waiting, and a
careful search. II any know tho whereabouts OF
Patrick FiuiRnn, md aaw that Advertisements,
he, or sho, mover answered. Wooks aud months
rolled by; tho advertisement Was pnoEisncd
again and nghlu, but no newa Of tho missing eoy
came to hand.
A year csruo and poEscl, and tho worried
Mothor thon
GAZE up ALL uorE
Of ovor. seeing her only soa again. bne con-
icc:utsd many thugs regarding his dlsHppoar-
ance; porl.aps lie bud pcriHhcl in tho awful holo
ca,lst wlicl, hes rendered this city famous tho
world over, md placed It in tho front rank Of
historical records or ho might havo wandered
fur from homo aud friends in tho belief that al
wns lost 10 lin forever. Tho mother o1unR to
tie Lope that her boy was alive, and prayed to
Heaven to restore him. to her.
Two and nearly tllreo years elapsed, and Pat
rick Tin,ean was given up as lost forever. 1Io
was a ncll-behaved, bright little fellow, fond Of
bin mother and hia two siutora, aud they could
uot account for hts absence on any othor ny
pothcsiB than That Of death or kidnapping. Tic
lad was at last mourned Cd dona.
nut TIE LOST BON RETURNED.
Quo bright summer morning, four weeks ago.
1t the carly honr Of o'clock, there came gon-
tic rap at No. 255 West Polk street, the lumblo
homo Of Mrs. julia Finigan. The eldest daugh-
Ter, connolly young woman Of about as years,
opened tho door, and bchold duet md dirt-be-
Erimnlcd boy with ragged pants and torn shirt,
whose original color could scarcely 10 discc,nod;
crown Of au old chip Int. hls baro feot were
black with dirt, aud altogether bis ap..
po4ranco botokoned most woe-begoDo aud
sadlY-neglected specimen Of humanity. Ills sis-
ter did not at frat recognize him bencath tho
chaotic mass Of dust, dirt, md rugs, but. whom
the mother came to inquire tho calse Of 30 oarly
call, she caught at glnnce the features 80
vol fixed In her mcmory, and 80 well doacribud
in tho advertisements, and elapsed her lost boy
III that humble houschould, md Il was taken up
and waited ovor tho whole noighborhood. Old
women and mon, young women and matdens,
and young men aud boys gathered about that
house to congratulate tho mother, md Wow tho
prodigal aon Right heartily WAS ho welcomed
WHOM he entered tho houso, for tho fond mother
had based many hopes on hcr only boy.
When Patrick had beon carcsscd enough to
weary himself and hsH people, he was washed
mud clad III cloan garments, and completely met
anorphosed. lie had travelled FAR and afoot,
aud bud q rayonous appetite, which WIS quickly
hppensed. Then
he TOLD MS sIMpLE STORY,
substantially as follows: When the great fro
was iagipg In fury In the vicinity whoro 1t orig
mated, Patrick became, separated from his
tlicnds, aud thinking. AZ boys do sometimes, that
II 4t-,n Eror frNf, hoN% fC
knock about tho world alone, he wandered about
without any apparent object. He finally foil in
with woman, whose name hc cannot now re-
call, aud she took him to tho Christian Brothers.
That Ilo had DO parents living. uo had remained
there but o short tuc, when
AN OLD IRISH GRANGER
came mud inquired for a likely boy, to whom ho
make comfortable in bis own abode, ct Grand
Prairie. ILL, q email town on the Chicago &
Alton naroad, From nmong number Of lads
tue old follow selected Patrick, who willingly
reach tho palace told Of in the fairy tales, and
forever abide in luxury and. ease. But the
sequence shows how itlorly ho was doomed to
disappointment. Instead Of being clad in fine
and allowed to lead life Of ease. as his
young heart lad jectured, ho was oven stripped
Of what he. had on aud poorer garments
substituted his food was given him with spar
lug hand on q t1u-platc, anu uo was fQ3uG u eht
It III o corner, with tho authoritative command
to be content with half enough; and he WAS COM
pelIcd to slave it in farm yard-milk cows, feed
-horaea aud cattle, and do general drudgerv. Ho
bore up brayoly under ill-trcatment and starya-
tion for very nenrly three years. Elon experience
end strong will taught him that Ills mode Of 1ifo
was 20 irksomo anu distressing that Ao could no
longer bear with it. Accordingly, ono bright
night, month ago, ho esealthily orept from his
lard bed, aud
pADE AD1Eu TO MS FoAMER MASTER.
He travelled long distance to get paaHage on a
freight train, aud stole q ride to this city. Uo
found Ills mothers house after urcBomo
search, and was welcomed as above described
The name Of thu cruel Granger who was 30 bard
q task-mastor to the boy ID Michael Riley.
Tho partica III charge OF tho Bridgeport
school nre certainly culpablo in not making
fuller inquiries regarding tho connections Of the
boy, and woro indeed neylcctful in not perudng
the columns OF IuE TRIBUNE, aud thereby In
forming themselves.
MIR. MICHAEL RILEY
is also TO be commended for his sublime stupid
ity mud If he does not have f1rst-class lawsuit
on hand shortly, 1t will be simply because Ara.
Julia Finigan is too poor to prosecute 1t, and
that none Of our generous lawyers olIer their
BerYlces gratiB, Mr.. Riley has gotten three
years hnrd service out OF tho boy. and, Ia addi-
tion to oyerworking aud lalf-starving him, ILL.,
treated him in many ways AT loaBt. such Ia tho
boys statements, aud his frionds aver him to bo
Ell honest hoy. -.
Since his arriyn,, Patrick has tound employ
mont at tho munihcont salary OF % per week,
which bis good mother conBders fair stipend
in thceo dreadfully hard times,