The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1876-06-08

HIS Cttoe, uIlu 4 INthruitAl
if gained, far
more than ha VI il al
my pleadipe npt5iig, =,
And yet Iss& atfect-
ly clear-2h0 nt The
probability Rsls illiam
Acton was fhHip dsI lt was
not impossih % Ia mar
Tied Betsy, RobFdd flck me
that. LabanS SarttH william,
and; that She fan0iel Az Eeung
Acton so FIT ~ h pQPe
could eject hinl iron AZ
what had I$pa ieg
that? If Iac6s
serve him. li'la
.eel iI1ul0 Ddbig 3l d "
.Siaess in Sidreto during tbesessidn
q the court, 'and,I would call onShim
there and examine moro fully, ]
could not take his 'retqfAer until !
had further Light
"But," said he "wifl you prdhhisc
not to take up for the other sideg"
81 told him l would do nothing
without further consultation With
him."
"Bocause," he added, "if syou are
for me | am sure town. Acton can't
find a lawyer that can holda candle
to you. ! know them ALL"
"No matter whether believed him
or not-I felt hattered"
Two weeks later | received a letter
from Sarfurt, promising me five thou.
sand dollars if | won.
The five thousand dollars ism strong
argument. Was. not law really a
game of chance, in which the strong,
est purse mustwin? | told myself
yes. Yes-and l sat down and wrote
4 reply, saying that l would take the
case. But [ did. not mail it at once.
That night l put it under my pillow
and slept over it; and on the follow
ing morning threw it into the fire.
I would not make up my mind until
l had seen other partics-until | had
been on the grounds. And / wrote
to Laban Sarfurt to wait"
1.-TWO weeks later l harnessed my
horse to the wagon, and with my
wife and child, started for Shireton.
1 had been married two years and
our little babe, girl, was a year old,
our pride, our pet, our darling
Shireton was u distance of absut
thirty miles: We had been having
rainy weather for about q week or so,
and it had now cleared off bright
and beautiful. We stopped and took
dinner at a waysiJe1inn, four miles
beyoad EliShsrNsass strsarIl y
must be fordcd. FRe inn-kgepcf told
me that the stream was somewhat
swollen from the late rdins, but that
if my horse was trusty thsre could
be no danger"
"Arrived at the stream-the Wam-
patuck river found the water in
deed risen, and the current strong,
but | saw that others had recently
gone over, and | resolved to venture.
| knew my horse, and had faith in
him. My wife was anxious, but she
trusted my judgment. Athird of the
way across the water was over the
hub of the wheels, A little more
and it would have reached the body
Of the wagon. began to be alarmed;
| feared | had left the true track
Presently my horse stumbled and
staggered, having evidently stepped
upon n moving stone The wagon
swayed and tipped, and the flood
poured in upon us. My wife slipped,
and in moment more we We're in
the water, With one hand | grasp
ed the harness upon the horse, and
with the other | held my wife. l
was thus struggling when n wild cry
from her lips startled the air. Our
child was washed away.
"Oh, my SOUL | cannot tell you
what / suffered during those mo-
ments. could not help our darling,
If | left my wife she was lost. |
clung to the horse and clung to my
shrieking wife-shricking to God
for mercy for her child. The horse
was struggling for the shore. In the
distance upon the bosom of the surg
ing flood l could see our little one,
her white dress cleaning in the sun,
being borne swiftly away. A mo-
mcnt more and | saw man plunge
from the bank into the river. | saw
this much and then an intervening
point of land shut out the scene
The horse was rapidlyapproach-
ing the shore, and ere long my wife
and were upon dry land, with the
horse and wagon. As soon as was
sure my wife was safe | left her to
care for the horse while posted off
down the river bank in quest of the
swimmer and the child,
"You may well understand that all
this time | was frantic. was n ma
chine being operated upon by surg
ing and agoni2iug emotion, How
long or how far | wandered do not
know, but at length ! met n man,
wet and dripping with my darling
in his arms my darling safe and