The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-10-27

-,y. ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.
From the Cincinnati Commercially
An evening paper Of this city publishes
q romantic story Of the loss of little
child at the capture and pillage Of Cor
NTH, Mississippi, by the Union forces in
the late war, and of his restoration to his
family after thirteen years had passed
and the little boy had grown to be a man.
In the Hight Of the inhabitants from the
burning town, most Of the people hurried
down the railroad track leading from the
southern part OF the place, and took ref
uge IN the woods and fields along the
route. Soon the streets were deserted by
all except this little boy, who became
separated from his friends, and stricken
with terror ran hithel and thither in his
bewllderment, and at last hid himself in q
freight car which had escaped the
general conaagration. Among the Union
soldiers WHO soon poured into the city
was Captain (atterward General) Hicken.
looper, of the Fifth Ohio Battery, who
discovered the boy and took him back to
camp, where by his youthful intelligence
he became a great favorite. The boy
stated that his name was Frank Foster,
and that his father and brother were in
the rebel army, his brother being an aid
TO Gen. Beauregard; but as all search
for them had failed, it was believed that
they werexdead. The General, out o
pity, adopted the boy, aud in August
1862, sent him to Cincinnati, where he
was taken charge of by the Generals
father and mother. lie was sent to
school, and afterwards served an alpren
ticeship~ in the Surveyor Office under his
patron, the General, becoming at length
a good civil engineer. During all these
twelve or thirteen years he never ceased.
when an opportunity offered, of making
| dilligent inquiry with regard to his pa
rents and family, but in vain; all he re.
membered was his fathers and mothers
name; and with only this to guide him.
it seemed hopeless task.
He wrote repeatedly to his old home,
but the letters were all returned, no one
having called for them. lie inserted
from time to time advertisements in the
Memphis and other Southern papers, but
they brought no response; and, from the
! uay AC was III 81 SahSu W tllC OlllOll
camp, nearly fourteen years ago, wrapped
in an old army blouse that reached to his
ankles, until Saturday of last week did
never he hear one syllable with regard to
father, mother or friends.
One evening, q year or two ago, young
Foster, in company with friends, visited a
theater in this city, and while all were
affected with merriment bV the perform
ance Of particular comedian, Foster Was
silent and serious, and being afterwards
asked the cause, answered, that man
looked So much like my mother that it
starts me to thinking.''
Again one night last week young Eos.
ter visited the same theatre, and 10 his
establishment the same comedian appear.
ed on the stag. This time it made such
an impression on Fosters mind that he
could not sleep. On Saturday morning
of last week two interested friends visited
the theatre, and found the comedian al.
luded to at rehearsal. They questioned
him closely; the names of both father
and mother correspondent exactly, but he
had no brother. His only brother,
Frank. was lost, he SAID, when a child, or
the battle field of Corinth, and all search
for him for thirteen years had proved un
availing, and he had finally been given up
as dead. The history of the family
was then related in detail as to how
after the siege and burning of the
town, they had returned to the old town
in Qunkirk, New York, finally moving tc
Cleveland, where they have remained
ever since the fathers death the now
heart-broken old mother; the struggles
of the only surviving son to earn a living
for his mother and sisters, ard his fna'
debut and success on the stage; the una
vailing search for the lost brother; the
advertisements in papers in eastern and
southern cities; the journeys, many Of
> them on foot. to distant places; of the
distracted mother, still searching for he,
lost child.
The brothers, as soon as they were sat
isfied between themselves that they were
brothers, dispatched a message of gooc
news to their mother in Cleveland. anc
followed the message in person together