Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-08-19


by him before signing IL, and rep
resented 10 me as necessary merely
10 relieve him from the imputation
Of having originated it, and that
his complete restoration to a pub
lie standing and household happi'
ness was a restoration justly re-
quired Of me, and the only one
which | could make, but with q
peculiar genius for blunders he fell
almost al every step into new COM
plications and difficulties, and in
every such instance il was his pol
lev TO bring coercion 10 bear upon
nv honor, my conscience and my
affections. for the purpose OF pro-
curing his extrication ut my ef-
pense.
Theo. Triton knew me well. He
has said again and again TO his
friends that if they wished TO gain
any influence over me they must
work upon the sympathetic side of
my nature; 10 this he has addressed
Himself steadily for four years, US
ing as a lever without scruple my
attachment to my friends, to my
family, to bis own household, and
even my old affection for himself,
and circulated certain old and
shameless ISLANDERS about me, which
were really made, as now appears,
TO leave him free for future opera
tons upon me and against me.
So long as he was, or thought he
was. on the road to a new success,
bis conduct toward me was as
friendly as he knew how to make
it. His assumption OF superiority
and magnanimity, and his patron
izing manner, were trifles at which
I could afford to smile, and which
| bore with the greater humility
since / still retained the profound
impression made upon me, as ex-
planned in the following narrative
that had been the cause of over
W lelming disaster to him.
Not blind to his faults, but re-
solved to look on him as favorably
and hopefully as possible, and ig-
norant of his deeper malice, l Ia
bored earnestly, even desperately
for bis salvation. For four years j
have been trying TO feed the i'm
satiahle egotism, to make the man
as great as he seemed himself 10
be. to restore to prosperity and
public confidence one who in the
midst of my efforts in his behalf
pa.ronized disreputable people and
refused when i besought
him to separate himself from them,
and ascribed TO my agency the in
creasing ruin which he was PR
sistently bringing upon himself.
and which / was doing my utmost
to avert. 1t was hard to do any
thing for such a man. i might as
well have tried to fill sieve with
water. In latter stages Of the his
tory he actually melted and created
difficulties apparently for no other
purpose than to drive me to fresh
exertions. / refused to indorse his
wild views and associates. The
best / could do was to speak well
of him, mention the good qualities
and abilities which / still believe
him to possess in his higher moods,
and keeping silence concerning the
evil things which / was assured
and believed had been greatly ex-
aggerated 10y public report. i
could not think him so bad as my
friends did. / trusted to the germs
of good which thought still lived
in him, to Mr.. Moulton's apparent
power over him and the power Of
my persistent self sacrifice.
Mr.. Moulton came to me first as
n school-mate and friend Of Mr..
Tilton, determined to reinstate him,
l always suspected, without regard
to my interest, but on further &C
uuaintance with me undertook and
promised to serve his friend with
out doing wrong to me. He said
he saw clearly how this was to be
done so as to restore peace and
harmony to Mr.. Tilton's home and
bring a happy end to all misunder.
standings. Many things which he
counseled l absolutely refused, but
never doubted his professed
friendship for me after friendship
had grown up between us, and
whatever he wished me to do did
unless it seemed to me wrong. Ny
confidence in him was the only ele-
mcnt that seemed secure in this
confusion OF tormenting perp.ccx...=
ties. To him / wrote freely in this
troublous time, while / felt that Sc
cret Vaccinations were going on
around me, and the echoes of the
vilest SANDERS concerning me were
heard in unexpected quarters.
When some of my near relations
CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.