National Republican., 1876-01-06
Tha Fisnd of Rramarh,yau.

Correspondence OF the Providence Journal
In the autumn Of 1895 went up from Southern
Europe to spend few months in the gay capital
of Ssxony. Those Of our nationality in Dresden
are very clarnish, live in the sameJpart Of the
town, give parties and dinners, and Germans as
at home, and mix little with foreigners, so that
once one commences to move round In the circle
one soon meets all who conpose II. Among the
many whom met at the American Club, at par.
ties, dInLers and at his own house, was an Amer.
lean gentleman known TO US as William Thomas.
He was large, stout man, Weighing possibly two
hundred and fifty pounds. He wore heavy red
beard and mustaehe, and always appeared in
public with heavy sold spectacles. He was .
quiet sort OF q Ierson. lever ia king the lead In
anything, bit still always Interesting himself in
everything that was going on, and q good member
OF society generally. He lived at the time with
his vile, charming little black-eyed woman, and
family in handsome suite Of rooms on the corner
lust above the club, and used frequently to enter.
tain in quiet, pleasant way those whom he
counted among his more intimate friends. Among
them l may say was numbered, and so often
found my way through his hospitable door. He
lived, he said, in North Carolina, and at the
breaKipg out oTthe re beion found himself obiised
to go into the Southern army. He WAS in North
Carolina regiment during the summer campaign
arm. 1t was in the evening, a. he sat with some
comrades about their campfire, that . shell
exploded IL & thsr IT,, midst killing nearly all,
was sent to the rear and was finally dis
charged as UNIT for active service He went
then 10 wilmington, bought all the cotton he
could, ran the blockade SUCCESSFULLY. took his
cargo otoLverpool and sold It at an pront.
Then he Immediately invested his money In Uni.
ted States bonds, which were then at their lowest
figure In the English market. Afterwards they
trebled on his hands, and between the cotton and
the bonds he made from $l50,o0O to $500 000 He
married afterwards q Southern lady, who had
been educated In Europe, and BY her had several
children. He had not the appearance of one who
had followed the sea- and should be surprised II
It should be proved he had ever cemmanded q
vessel. A sailor, as rule. never gees rid OF the
effect of the salt air in his ways and habits and
appearance, and never was able to discover that
Thomas was in any manner different from the
rest Of rs. Thomas was the last person among
US in Dresden whom lone would select as man
capable of doing such deed as he certainly did
at BremerhayeD. He was jolly good fellow, as
the world would say yet quiet, and In fact rather
lazy. That be was not insane when no designed
the plot for blowing up the vessel, cannot be-
neve. It is so entirely different from what the
man wasfrom his chaIa,ter as his frieuds knew
Il, that I am unwilling TO believe that he was
wholly accounts bic for what hs did. He WAS in
his family an extremely afectionate man. and
his wife and children were as tenderly cared for
as wife and children could be. 1t used to be re-
marked among Us that Thomas was unususlly
devoted to his wife, and not whim OF hers was
allowed to 90 uDsstshed.