Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-08-11
\ Remarkable Narrative.

And fill your breast with its grateful rest
And its lonely yearninsS still.
a Remarkable Narrative.
most eyentful and instructive personal
history has come to our knowledge mainly
through the statements of lady, now far
advanced in years, who was formerly re-
sident of Lockport. and the wife of a
practcin@ physician Of that place. She is
personally known to the editor of the
Country GfnNeman, and reliance may be
placed in all her statements. The occur
renccs referred TO began about 1928 or
1921, when the great excavation for the
Erie canal through the solid rock for miles
ut Lockport was in progress, under the
supervision of David Thomas as chief
engineer, and of which Darius Comstock.
a wilely-knOwn citizen, was one of the
largest contractors.
The physician to whom we have referred,
returned one day from his visiting rounds,
under IL good deal of excitement, and ex-
claimed to his wife: Il have visited to-
day, in a poor Irishman's hut, the most
beautiful woman | ever saw in my life
She is very sick-her case must be an eX-
traordinary one-and You must 90 and see
what You can do for her" The wife con-
sented to go, and on entering one of the
most poverty y-stricken novels she had ever
seen-the floor of bare EARTH the door cut
partly down through the log sides, so that
on entering it was necessary to step over
the logs that were cft-she found the sick
woman lying on II bed of straw, supported
on rough poles, which constituted the bed
stead. She was young in years, and
trouble had not obltcrated the surprising
beauty. nor the refined expression of her
countenance. The language she used in
dcated high and excellent education
and She had evidently been brought up in
genteel society. notwithstanding the utter
destitution of her present surroundings
Her husband, a young man recently from
ireland, WAS a dav laborer. employed by
assistant. in cNcavating the bed of the
canal The sick woman was Of course
adverse to giving any account of their
history to n stranger, but after several visits,
the physician wife secured her confidence,
and She related their remarkable history,
in substance, rs follows:
She was the daughter of n gentleman in
Ireland, in high rank, but little below the
nobility. Her father, employed as clerk
and steward u young man named john,
of rare attanmentS and ability. The
gentleman's daughter and the young
steward formed a mutual attachment; but
as he was below her in rank, notwithstand-
ING his high character, the father would
not listen Il moment to anything Of the
kind, and seeing what was going on dis
missed him from his service. But the at
tachment was too strong to be QuenChed
BY mandate When the Young lady and
her lover found there WIS no other re-
source. they concluded to get married and
run away" With his scanty means and
what little property Of her own she could
secure. they sailed for Quebec. in Canada.
The ship was wrecked in St Lawrence,
and they barely escaped with their lives
All their effects and money went to the
bottom of the wide river. Their condition
was deSoate enou@h-without means,
without experience, unaccustomed to hard
ship, and in an unknown country among
strangers. He WAS compelled to labor by
the day to keep them from starving. He
became utterly discouraged, and through
the entccments of bad companions he re
sorted to drinking. In this state they
found their way to Iockport-a place
where many laborers were wanted at that
time for cXcavating the canal, and where
he could obtain employment. 1t was here
that his young wife, unaccustomcd to such
accumulated hariships and privations, was
prostrated on II sick bed. and in the con-
dition was found by the physician and his
wife, as already related.
1t was about the same time. OF before,
that Comstock and Hathaway, the contrac-
tors who employed him, observed that the
+ Young man had not been accustomed to the
severe labor which he had undertaken, and
that in handling the heavy crowbar. and
in wheeling the loaded barrow, the blood
oozcd from his fingers. a few days after
ward when pay day arrived, he signed the
receipt for his wages by the usual "cross,
or his mark used by the Irish laborers
generally. In the course of Il few weeks
his employers (who We're members of the
Society of Friends), observing that he
possessed superior intelligence, said to him
in the common language used by the
friends in the day y:-'John this is not thy
right place-a man like thee ought to
know how to write-an.l know better than
to make 4 crOSSmark.
John was stung by this reproof, his la
tent ambition was aroused; and stepping
forward, he took the pen and signed his
name in !, rapid. practiced, and elegant
hand. His employers were astOnisheu,
and said to him: John, this is not the
take thee into our employ as clerk, and at
once double thy wages" These were the
first kind and helping words which he had
heard in America-thcir life giving energy
went through him like electricity, and
| from that moment he never drank Il drop.
He proved himself fully worthy their con.
tidence, and became distinguished for his
efficiency. The morning of prosperity be-
Gan to dawn upon him. His wife recovered
, her health. He subsequently went into the
, forwarding bus siness on the canal us partner
to Il prominent citizen of western New
York, who was also a leading member of
Congress- The writer of this narrative
well remembers in years before railroads
were generally in use, and travelling on the
canal was the common mode of passenger
transit, that he could not pass q day any
where between Schenectady and Buffalo,
without meeting one OF more neatly built
and well loaded boats, with the golden let
ters on the side, John IS Clinton
Line In short, the young Irish clerk
and steward-the canal day laborer-the
husband of the beautiful and accomplished
young lady prostrated by sickness in the
LOG hut-had become the owner Of a sue
cessful fleet of canal boats. Before twenty
years had elapsed he was mayor of one Of
the largest cities of western New York ;
was eminent for his enterprise and public
spirit and took a prominent position in
public affairs.
After a lapse of years, and when he had
become eminently prosperous in business
the father Of the lady was stricken with Il
lingering disease which finally proved
fatal. In the midst of this sickness he re-
Tented, and divided portion to his daugh-
for After his DEATH John went to Ireland