The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-29
An Aibany Love Btory. Z, I,
- tsc,pEsr IN The FAMILY HisTohi VI
= - n, yvrvrns AND rHE BED6wiCKs.

pIsyrxrRs AND rae BED6Wfcks.
.orro. nontlent Of the Berkshire county
e. !, . ~ n,,hl,sbed at Pittsfeld.. Mass, give
-, 49, nmrnorfs 10 be a true account OIL .ns
's.sa 1--we M Harmanus Sleecker, OF hioAay,
,nd Miss Catharine Maria SedgWieh.
says: :. !, oo In the coun- |
Z, ~ ,ertshire. a Young lady possesseu y,
!! y. ,tr.n ,i,e ordinary acconlfatsnHeu,,,.s
n lS;e. OF that day distinguished Tue inteln
VIZ d.nshters of New England. Atan cary
s ens of her life her writings attracted tne
tt,astio. of the public, and her notels pen.
a.,.,ed At, uarts of the civilized world "heie
-. ,be Eaelisb language Is spoken; and she was
eni,v eniitIed TO the envied reputation sne
nd earned by her graceful pen sketches: que
nc of one of the leadiBg families Of berh.
/, sirr. possessing wealth, and having every
! auisite necessary to make her aeSlLao.e
:, mnanion TO some worthy man who cnose
I make her wife. :, 80 o;tv
This lady bad q brother hVlng ia .nJ t ,hs
Albany. N. r., where he followed the
rofession of the law In partnership Win
orthu man of wealth, irreproachaDie ena!-
ter and high reputation, not only LOT ms
.srniro. but his sterling integrity. Inc III.
, mate Telatiops existing between these TWO
; d;vid,,als served to bring together the
n,her,s partner and the sister heretofore
. ,nded TO. and the circumstances resulted III
a lawyer making an offer Of hrs hama 10
40 ~ifted authoress, which was accepted,
omd The engagement continued Tor long
lime with no apparent Jealousy, doubt, or
Misunderstanding 10 Interrupt the smootn
tenor of their way. But the gentleman was
accustomcd to read novels, US well as the
J,w. and it is natural to suppose lhat ne reao
the works of his afIianced bride with all Tue
ardor which the circumstances OF the case
will warrant. In one of these volumes he
round the affections existing between the nero
and heroine Of the tale portraye led in sucn glow
inm ardent colors that he was impressed 10
s,os and ask himself the question, Is TINS
reai are these the true sentiments oil the
fair writer must | possess all the charac-
teri,tics of this hero in order to satisfy and
make happy the woman whom have chosen
~ n companion for lite!" The high prinei-
nile OF honor which he possessed forbade him
10 proceed with any further act that could
hereafter be chargcable with concealment or
f,I,ehood, aud he immediately informed the
vouny lady that if the love which she had
nor,rayed in her work OF fiction should be
eyacted from him, then he felt candid to con-
fe,s that he did not, neither could he ever,
feel that his love was anywhere near the
standard which she had written in words Of
fire. The result Of this understanding or
misunderstanding, whichever you may call
il. was the breaking up of the enga cement
between Harmanus Blocker and Catharine
Sedgwick, and they remained from that day
estraDged forever.
The lady lived celibate life to an old age,
and was gathered TO her fathers regretted by
all who enjoyed her acquaintance: but her
brilliant genius will live until the science OF
literature shull be buried in oblivion.
The love Of Miss Sedgwick was the love OF
romance, high-wrought and elevated by the
poetic enthusiasm OF too active brain.
Such persons can love but once, and when
suddenly crushed their passion is followed,
sometimes, by an Unsuitable malady of kim
dred disease, and their action gives to the
world wonderful effects. Those who sink
under the burden are lost forever. Perhaps
to this event the world owes the eDjoym ent
of the many happy moments which it has
employed in the perusal Of the late works Oh
this gifted authoress.
Not SO with Harmanus Blocker. He took
q more common.sense view OF the marriage
relation. Possessed of the practical good
sense and philosophy of his Dutch ancestry,
he was impervious to that intense enthusi-
asm which burns in the brain of the descend.
ants of the impulsive Puritan. Had he mar;
ried Miss Sedgwick be would have taken her
home, when she would have settled down
into u mater-offact lady of the mansion,
and accommodated herself to the manners
and customs of the Dutch Knickerbockers,
and the world have been forever deprived
of the eujoyments rendered by her magic
pen; or, the lack Of affinity and tastes be.
tween the parties might have resulted in an
opeu rupture like too many of the unfor.
tunate unions of autagonistic organizations.
Mr.. Blocker never married until in the
"sere and yellow leaf" of old age. 1t Is
we'll known he passed many years in Hol-
land, and the language there spoken being
familiar and bis mother tongue, he passed
much Of his leisure time in cultivating the
acquaintance of the old families, in one oil
which he found lady who expressed herself
willing to leave her native country and fol.
low the fortunes of an old man in foreign
lands. This was spring welded to hoary
winter. Nobody would suppose that there
was any romance in an arrangement of this
| kind, but it is said that Il true, tervent, and
lasting affection existed between the parties,
which only terminated with the death o
one of the twain. Having bis trunks al
ready packed and on board the resse
| ready for his departure for home, he called
to bid farewell to the family, when some
act or expression made by the young lady
led the old man to believe that she would
not be unwilling to accompany him in the
voyage. The trunks were Immediately
landed and arrangements completed for al
early marriage, and the old gentleman re
| turned to Albany with his young wife
Every one that knew this worthy woman
knew how we'll she performed every duty n!
a wife. She had no novels to write, but at
| tended faithfully to her duty at her bus
bana's side, cheering his last days with afftc
ton, and smoothing bis pathway to th'
grave; and, although endowed with {
priucely legacy from her husband, yet aftel
his death she voluntarily surrendered for
tune to endow institutions Of education ant
benevolence, which was intended to be done
| by her husband before her marriage.
| A MoUNTAIN HOTEL on FIRE.-A letter from
the Fabyan House, White Mountains, writ
| ten at / O'Clock on the morning OF The 22t
| instant TO the Boston TRANSCRIPT, gives thi: