Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-01-20

II fright. He ran after him with surpris-
ng speed. The child, when caught,
screamed for its father. It was long
before he could be persuaded that the
young, fresh, vigorous man who climbed
out of the pool was the aged. decrepit,
white haired man who had fallen into it
a moment before. The father himself
could not at first appreciate the change.
he saw that his hands we're no longer
that bis beard was brown in
stead Of gray, that his step was hrmer
and his eve keener, but the suddenness
of the transformation dizzied' him. All
at once the truth flashed upon him. He
had fallen into the Fountain Of Youth
which Ponce De Leon sought in vain
amid the Florida swamps He hastened
back and plunged his son into the spring
1t was an unlucky deed. The tradition
about the fountain has always been that
its wonderful waters changed age to Wig
orous manhood, and made already exis'
tent youth immutable so long as life
lasted. The tradition proved true. lie
had become young. dis son stayed SO.
The boy was FIVE years old when the
potent water touched him, and he showed
no signs of growth beyond that age, in
mind or body, during the three years
they spent lost in the labyrinth. They
lived mainly on aligators, which when
young are very good eating. When they
killed an old one it was their custom to
plunge it, while spark Of life was still
left, into the Fountain of Youth. Thus
it became yonng again, and their fastl-
dious palates were satisfied. Finally,
after many vain attempts, the two got out
of the wilderness in which they had been
SO long lost. They happened to come
out near the old home, and hastened to
it.
This was the mans story. It's not to
be wondered at, perhaps, that he told il
to a circle of scoffers. The picture was
taken from him. His accurate recollec-
ton of the life Of the missing planter
was accounted for on the hypothesis that
he had met him in the swamps and had
heard the details from his lips. He was
accused of stealing the picture. 1t be-
pan TO be whispered that he had probably
murdered Halsemann He was told to
90. He went, taking the boy with him
He Teappeared week aiterward al
Tampa alone. The chlld, he said, haG
died of fright and want. He began sui
for the possession OF the Halsemanr
plantation. When the trial came off, ht
rested his case on three points: The re
semblapce Of the boy to the child whC
had disappeared in 1864, his own ready
recollection of the. minutie of Halse
mann's life, and his ability TO pilot any
body to the Fountain of Ponce De Leon
The first two points we're admitted, bu
the resemblance was attributed by th
defense of chance coincidence, ant
the knowledge of the past to presume,
intimacy between the planter and tn
\ pretender while both we're lost in tn
everglades. When men meet each othe
under such circumstances, they tel
everything. The most trivial details ar
eagerly related and heard for the SAX
of Willing away the monotonou
hours So the argument ran fairl
enough. The third point was fnall
denied. Acting on a suggestion of tn
court, the claimant went with larg
party ia search of the miraculous spring
After some weeks of wandering, the
came back without having found il
Still this failure did not absolutely dis
prove the claim. The most practice,
woodsmen have often gone astray il
Southern Florida. When the case wen
TO jury, the latter disagreed. So di
the next one impaneled, and the nexI
The last of the three, however, cam
very near giving a verdict for tn
plaintiff. This was mainly due to tn
admirable management Of his counsel a
that time, Hon. John A. Henderson, tn
Democratic candidate for Congress a
the recent election. The claimant
gratitude to Henderson was the indirec
cause of his death. This occurred ol
the Sd of November During a scufii
at the polls, where he was distributin
Democratic ballots, he was shot throug
the body. Somebody lifted his head
He gasped, | am -, and died. Th
present possessor Of the estate, who's
title has been settled by his death, aver
that at the last moment remorse ovet
took him, he tried to say, | am nc
Halsemann," but was too weak to 6nis
| the sentence. On the other hand, hi
| friends declare that with his last breat
he asserted the justice OF his claim b
trying to say l am Halsemsnn.' Thi.
however, is all conjecture. Thepuzzl
I'remains without an answer. Was h
Halsemann, or was be some other man