The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-06-25
A REMARKABLE NARRATIVE.

IuOst eventual and instructive per
sonaI history has come to our knowI.
edRe, mainly through the statements oil
lady, now far advanced in years, and
sui living in this state, who was for.
merlv a resident of Lockport, and the
VIE OF practicing physician of that
pace. She Is personally known to the
editor, and reliance may be placed in
all her statements. The occurrences
referred to began about 1923 or 1924
when the great excavation for the Erie
canal through the solid rock for miles
at Lockport was in progress, under the
supervision of David Thomas as chief
engineer, and of which Darius Com.
STOCK, wldely-knOwn citizen, was one
OF the largest contractors.
The physician to whom we have re-
Ierred returned one day from his visit
ing rounds under a good deal of excite
ment and exclaimed to his wife, "
nave visited to-day, in poor Irishman's
hU:, the most beautiful woman I ever
saw in my life. She is very sick-her
case must be an extraordinary one-and
You must go and see what you can do
for her." The wife consented to 60.
and on entering one of the most poverty
stricken novels she had ever seen-the
floor of bare earth, the door cut partly
down through the log sides, so that on
entering 1t was necessary to step over
the legs that were left-she found the
sick woman lying on bed of straw,
supported on rough poles, which con-
stltuted the bedstead. She was young
IN years, andtrouble had not obliterated
the surprising beauty nor the refined
expression of her cOuntenance. The
language she used indicated a high and
excellent education. and she had evil
IDENTITY been brought up in genteel sOci-
ETY., Notwithstanding the utter destitu-
ton OF her present surroundings. Her
husband, young man recently from
Ireland, was a day labOrer, employed
by Darius Comstock and Otis Hathaway,
ms asslstf Mt, IN excavating the bed of
the canal. The sick woman was, of
course, adverse to giving any account of
their history to a stranger, but after
several vlshs the physicians wife Sc
cnred her confidence, and she related
theIr remarkable history in substance as
follows:
She was the daughter of a gentleman
In Ireland, IN rank but little below the
nobility. Her father employed as clerk
and steward young man named John
-, of rare attainments and ability.
The gentleman's daughter and the
young steward formed a mutual attach
ment but as he was below her in rank.
notwithstanding his high character, the
father would not listen q moment to
any thing of the kind, and seeing what
was going on, dismissed him from his
service. But the attachment was too
strong to be quenched by mandate.
When the young lady and her lover
found there was no other resource.
they concluded to get married and
run away" With his scapty means
and what little property of her own she
could secure, they sailed for Quebec in
Canada. The ship was wrecked in the
st. Lawrence, and they barely escsped
with thier lives. All their effects and
money went to the bottom of the wide
rlVer' Their condition was desolate
enough - without means, without ex-
Perlence, unaccustomed to hardship.
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 entiCements of bad com
paniOns he resOrted to drinking In
this state they found their Way to
GdlOrHF6
were wanted at that time, for excavat-
ing the canal, and whore he could OBJ
tain employment. It was here that his
young wife, unaccustomed to sucb ac-
cumulated hardship and privations was
Frustrated on a sick bed. and in tbis
condition was found by the physician
and MS wife, as already related.
1t was about the same time, or before,
& IL
tractors who employed him, observed
that the young man had not been ac-
custOmed to the severe labor which he
had undertaken, and that in handling
the heavy crOwbar, and in wheeling the
loaded barrow, the blood COED from
his fingers. A few days afterward, 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 few weeks
his employers (who were members of
the Society of Friends observing that
he possessed superior intelligence, said
TO him in the peculiar language in COM
mon used by the Friends " in that day.
John, this Is not thy right place a
man like thee ought to snow how TO
write, and know better than to make a
cross-markl" john was stung by this
reproof, his latent ambition was aroused.
aud stepping forward, he took the pen
and signed HIS name in a rapid, practiced
and elegant hand. His EMPLOYERS were
astonlshed, and laid to him, "John,
this is no place for thee-stOp drinking.
and we will 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
their life giving energy went through
him like electricity, and from that mo-
ment he never drank a drop. He proved
himself fully worthy of their confidence,
and became distinguished for his eff
cheney. The morning of prosperity be-
gan to dawn upon him, His wife re.
covered her health. His progress to-
ward great success began. He subse-
queutly went into the forwarding bust
ness on the canal as partner to a promi-
nent citizen of western New York, who
was also leading member of congress.
The writer of this narrative we'll remem-
bers in years before railroads were
generally in use, and travelling on the
canal was the common mode of passsn-
ger transit, that he could not pass day
anywhere between Schenectady and |
Buffalo, without meeting one or more
neatly built and well loaded boats, with |
the golden letters on the side, John |
-'s Clinton Line" In short, the |
Young Irish clerk and sieward-the |
canal day laborer-the husband of the |
beautiful and accomplished young lady |
FRUSTRATED by sickness in tue log hut |
had become the owner of successful /
fleet of canal boats. Before twenty /
years had elapsed he was mayor of one 4
NJ the largest cities OF western New
York; was eminent for his enterprise
and public spirit, and took prominent /
position in public affairs.
After a lapse eff years, and when he
had become eminently prosperous in
business, the father of the lady was
stricken with lingering disease which
finally proved fatal. In the midst of |
this sickness he relented, and divided
portion OF his property for his daughter.
After his death, John went to Ireland to
secure it. and took his little boy with
lim. While there, he visited his own
ather and mother, who were still living.
they had not heard from him in a time,
lut knew ne lived in certain city in
western New York. He resolved not to
announce himself. to see if they would
ecognize him. The stage in which he