The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-10-22
From the New York Tines


He lived alone 1 do not think this
peculiarity arose from any wish to with
draw his foolishness from the rest of the
camp, nor was it probable that the com
bined wisdom of Five Forks ever drove
him into exile. My impression is that
he lived alone from choice-a choice he
made long before the camp INDUCED in
any criticism of his mental capacity.
He was much given to moody reticence,
and, although to outward appearances a
strong man, was always complaining'of
i'll health. Indeed, one theory of his
isolation was that it afforded him better
opportunities for taking medicine, of
which he habitually consumed large
quantities.
His folly first dawned upon Five
Forks through the post-ofice windows.
He was for long time the only man
who wrote home by every mail, his let
ters being always directed to the same
persona woman. Now it so happened
that the bulk of the Five Forks CORES
pOndence was usually the other way
there were many letters received-the
majority being in che female hand-but
very few answered.
The men received them indifferently.
or as a matter of course; a few opened
and read them OH the spot with barely
repressed smile of self-conceit, or quite
as frequently glanced over them with
undisguised impatience. Some of the
letters began with "My dear husband"
and some were never called for But
the fact that the only regular cores
pondent of Five Forks never received
any reply became at last quite notorious.
Consequently, when an envelope was re-
ceived bearing the stamp of the Dead
Letter Office, addressed to the Fool, un-
der the more conventional title of "Cy-
rus Hawkins" there was quite fever of
excitement. / do not know how the
secret leaked out, but it was eventually
known to the camp that the envelope
contained Hawkins own letters re-
turned. This was the first evidence of
his weakness; any man who repeatedly
wrote to q woman who did not reply
must be fool. think that Hawkins
suspected that his folly was known to
the camp, but he took refuge in symp-
toms of chills and fever, which he at
once developed, and effected diversion
with three bottles of Indian chologogue
and two bottles of pills. At all events.
at the end of week he resumed a pen,
stifened by tOnics, with all his old epis.
tolatory pertinacity. This time the let
ters had 3 new address.
In those days . popular belief OBJ
tanned in the mines that Luck psrticu-
arly favored the foolish and unscientific.
Consequently, when Hawkins struck a
pocket in the hillside near his solita-
~ cabin, there was but little surprise.
He will sink it all in the next hole"
was the prevailing belief, predicated
upon the usual manner in which the
Possessor of "nigger luck" disposed of
his fortune. To everybodys astonish-
ment, Hawkins, after taking out about
eight thousand dollars and exhausting
the pocket, did not prospect for another
The camp then waited patiently to see
what he would do with his money. |
think, however, that it was with the
greatest difficulty their indignation
could be prevented from taking the form
Of personal assault when Il became
known that he had purchased draft
for eight thousand dollars in favor of
"that woman" More than that. it was
finally whispered that the draft was re-
turned to him as his letters had been.
and that he was ashamed to reclaim the
money at the express office. at
wouldn't be bad speculation to 20 east,
get some smart gal for hundred dollars
to dress herself up and represent that
hag, and freeze on to that eight thou
sand" suggested far-seeing financier
may state here that we always alluded
to Hawkins's fair unknown as "The
Hag," without having l am confident,
the least justification for that epithet
That the Fool should gamble seemed
eminently fit and proper. That he
should occasionally win a large stake,
according to that popular theory which
have recorded In the preceding para
graph, appeared also not improbable
or inconsistent fact. That he should.
however, break The faro bank which
Mr.. John Hamlin had set up in Five
Forks, and carry of sum Variously esl
timated at fro1a ten to twenty thousand
dollars, and ret return, the next day.
and lose th9 meney ct The same table,