Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-12-08

e Till when the hour appointed calls,
And the far whisper family falls,
Ihe ,echoing centuries along
founders the avalanche OF Song.
A.LOyERS,S MANIA. {
Tilted mt the Hour Set for the Wedding, the
Groom Takes to His Esd and Lies There
for Thirty-six Years-Hss Deaths:
from the Troy IN. " Press, Nov. 49,
It is an old saying that one half of the
world is not aware how the other half
lives. This saying. which is both old
and common, may be fully illustrated
in the life and death of Ephraim Cam
ton, who died in town not twenty
miles from West Troy, on last Sunday
evening. At the time of his death Mr..
Canton was ffty-eight years old, and
for the last thirty-six years of his life
never saw but four human beings, and
at the same period never set eyes on the
sun, moon, stars, or the bright arching
heavens. Neither did he see the hills,
valleys or forests of his native ccnntry.
He did not hear of the great civil war
tnat came SO near destroying the great
model republic of the world. He died
in ignorance of the emancipation of the
negroes, aud never heard of any of the
great questions that troubled the pub
lie mind during that period of time. In
the month of January, 1886, Ephraim
Canton, then young man about 81
years old, formed the acquaintance of
young lady of rare accomplishments
and beauty in Cohoes, and immedi .tely
become smitten with her beauty,
and proposed for her hand in
marriage. The lady at first
seemed favorable to his suit and gave
him sufficient encouragement to ensure
success, and finally promised to become
his wife, The day that the ceremony
appointed, which was to be on the Goth
OF May, 1886. Early on the morning
of that day Mr.. Canton, accompanied
by suite of his friends. set out from
his native village in the direction of
Cohoes, with the intention of getting
married and bringing back his
blooming wife to his home in the
country village where he was long re-
garded by the fair sex as the beau ideal
of young man. When the party
reached the home of his affianced they
were astonished ct seeing no prepare
tons made for their reception, and Mr..
Canton inquired the cause of his moth
er-in-law chat was to be. That ledy in
formed him that on the night previous
her daughter, his expected wife, de-
parted for the city of New York, max
ing no excuse for her departure, but
left note for him which read as fol-
lows:
MR. CANTON: In consequence of stories
damaging to your character that have heard,
l hereby cancel my engagement to become
your wife, and at the same time request you
to forget me as soon as possible. With my
best wishes for your future welfare, remain
yours ETC., EMILY.
The disappointed groom made the
best of the inevitable for the time being,
and threatened his friends to return
home, making some excuse why the
They all returned home, and Mrs. Can
pointment, sympathized with her son
off the effects of it, and when he got up
The humilitated son took her advice and
retired to his room, taking with him
some carpenters tool that he
possessed. He carefully locked his
bedroom door as soon al
heI had entered it, and then COM
menced to cut one-foot-square window
through the wooden partition that di-
yided his bedroom from the parlor.
He then fixed his bed 50 that he could
reach the window with his hand without
leaving his bed, and then called his
other and told her to pass his food
through that window to him, to admit
no visitors to see him, and finally If she
knew what was safe not to make any
effort to enter his room herself. Not
withstanding this warming, she was
nearly every hour of the following days
begging of her son to get up, but it
was of no avail. She then thought to
starve him out. and refrainea from Civ
ing him food for 36 hours, but that had
no effect, and finally she sent for
neighboring man, and with his assist
ance broke in the. bed room door and
entered. But the son was still refrac-
tory and refused to speak to any per-
son, and all the inducements offered
could not prevail on him to speak one
word Or leave the bed. We have not
the space to mention all the ruses made
to get him from the room, all of which
failed, and to make long story short
he never left his bedroom from that
May morning in 1886 until he was taken
from it for his coffin on last Sunday
noon. During the 36 years that he re-
manned in bed he never spoke but to
four men and his mother, and never in
quired for anyone or anything in the
outside world. His life is shrouded in
mystery, and probably will remain SO.
He lost his reason when he lost his
bride.
Why He Wasn't Elected.
From the Detroit Free Press.
The candidate who didn't get enough
votes to elect him the other day is
out on the street now, wearing the look