The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-02-27


began to dawn upon her.
She waited patiently, however, and one day
he came back as suddenly - he had departed,
and told her that he had narrowly escaped
with his life and that she must prepare to
leave St. Louis at once. That afternoon they
took the train tor New York, aud travelled day
and night in the most severe weather till they
reached it. So intense had been the cold and
so exhaustive the excitement of the trip that
Mrs. Thomas had to be conveyed to her hotel
in an almost numb condition, and had to have
restoratives applied Immediately on her ar
rival But no delay would be suffered. The
steamer Hermann, of the Bremen line, was to
sail in a couple of days. and on her they left
for Europe on the 18th of January, 1855.
After twelve days passage they reached Bre-
men, and from it proceeded to Dresden where
thew resided several months. Once in Europe
the fear of some impending danger seemed to
leave Thomas, and he became the bluff.
ovial fellow which the acquaintance he
made there have since described him to be.
Most OF his time was spent at home, and he
delighted to visit ell points of interest about
the city and its suburbs in the company OF
his wife and to describe them with truthful
ness and facility which must have been the
result Of very extensive reading.
While here he Joined the American Club,
and became q favorite with most Of the men,
bers, his GENIAL humor and generosity, which
always distinguished him, recommending him
to them all. At this time the Austrian war
was drawing to q close, and day after day
Thomas occupied himself only with the news
papers. Before this and during his residence
in America, nothing so pleased him as Pc
rusal of the newspapers, and for narratives OF
murders, battles and sudden death he had q
special zest. So absorbed would he become
at times in this reading that he would lose
control of himself and rave about scenes of
bloodshea described in it as though he were
mad. When the accounts of the last battles OF
the Austrian war got into print sudden desire
sezed Thomas to visit these fields of car
mage, and while his wife was still suffering
from illness and grief for the loss OF child,
he caused her to ride in his company along
the route the contending armies had taken in
the last campaign. Over every field where
the havoc had been greatest they went, and,
although the man evinced q wish to conceal
from his wife some of the horrors spread
along the way, he seemed to gloat over the
awful sights and to be oblivious to anything
but them.
Very hurried preparations had been made
for this strange journey, and so when they
PASSED through districts where the villages
had been burned and the fields devastated
they suffered intensely from thirst and fatigue,
but even this would not deter him from con-
tinuing on his route. Strangely inconsistent
with this morbid passion for looking upon
death in its most revolving aspect was his
conduct on visiting hospitals where the
wounded were brought He converesd with
them, encouraged them and frequently wept
over them; and when he saw the dead borne
by their comrades to their last repose his eyes
would fill with tears, and he would keep re.
peating, "Poor fellows, pity them" On his
return to D.esden the doctor attending his
wife reproached him with the folly OF his
Journey, saying it was the act of crazy man
ct which he became thoughtful, and desisted
for while from speaking of the horrors he
had seen on the way.
THE HOME AT DRESDEN.
In short time Thomas announced his in
tention of going to America. He hired q
house in the suburbs of Dresden, bade an
affectionate farewell to his family and CORE
sponded with them SO far as he was able on
the way. His stay in America was very brief,
ss he returned on the steamer which had
taken him there. He had telegraphed his ar
rival on reaching Bremen, and on the night
when she expected him Mrs. Thomas sat up
awaiting him until, worn out by fatigue. she
fell asleep. Suddenly she was awakened by
loud knocks on the door, and voice che
recognized as her husbands threatening and
swearing She opened the door and he came
into the room, flushed, angry, and with a
strange, wild look in his face she had never
seen before. From that time he lost his
good humor, avoided his friends and sat
apart, gloomy, taciturn, and disposed to re-
sent any disturbance whatever. HIS chill
dren, too, whom he had formerly delighted
to fondle, we're now neglected, and no effort
L: g. m n
choly. He was also subject to fits of dizzi-
ness, and when questioned about it said he
had had toucn of sunstroke, but would
soon recover, and entreated to be left to his
own thoughts
A marked Characteristic Of his at this time
was his aversion to people for whom he had
formerly had great liking. Time and again
he expressed his feelings toward them with q
passionate earnestness indicative of actual
hatred, and whenever he had occasion to
mention them his speech was most violent
and abusive. Suddenly, however, he became
more cheerful, and announced his intention
of going to America again. He made the ne
cessary preparations and took passage for
dated from different hotels, and then CORES
pondence suddenly ceased. Time passed and
Mrs. Thomas in her little house near Dresden
vainly awaited some news Of the absentee.
Her money was nearly all expended, and,
living among strange people, she knew not
what resource to seek. kilograms sent by
her to England were unanswered and fears OF
some dreadful accident began to force them
selves upon her. While in this strait she re-
ceived q communication from her husband,
announcing his arrival in America and declar-
ing his intention of speedily returning.
One day some time after this while seated
with her children, Thomas entered the room
suddenly, hesitated for moment, and then
cast himself beside her, weeping like child.
In answer to her inquiries he said, in
strange, rambling way, "Oh, how l longed
Tor this moment was in the house all last
night"
"That could not be, said his wife; the
doors were locked and bolted."
"Well, I was about it, he replied. 81
walked around it again and again"
Mrs. Thomas endeavored to dismiss such q
fancy from his head, and he at last admitted
that he had not been there, but had seen
everything in Imagination, just as if he we're.
For few weeks he remained about the house
displaying some of his former cheerfulness
Nhott