The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-12-07
been educated at the Hythe Military

.
of twenty-five years, as Second Lieu
tenant. He was assigned to service
in an East India regiment, where he
spent three years. Obtaining fur
Tough, he returned on a visit to his
father, who owned a small farm in the
immediate vicinity of Ramsgate, in the
County of Kent. On this visit he be-
came acquainted with young lady
whose father owned handsome villa
at Ramsgate, then, as well as now, a
popular watering place. He fell des-
perately in love with her, and laid
himself at her feet. She reciprocated,
or professed to reciprocate, the warm
feeling, and agreed to marry him at a
future day to be fixed. He did not re-
turn to the East Indies, but was pro-
NOTED to First Lieutenancy in the
Fourteenth Regiment of her Majesty
foot service, which was shortly there
after ordered to America to take part
in classifying the naughty and defiant
Yankees. He came through the Balize
with Packenham, and participated in
the memorable battle of New Orleans,
commanding his company and losing
eight men killed. He was among the
wounded, his left knee being badly
shattered. He was taken prisoner
and carried to New Orleans. Within
a few days it was known that peace
had been declared, and Waggoner was
free to return to his own country
But the wound on his leg was too
severe to allow his removal. 1t was
more than twelve months before he
could stand upon the wounded mem
Der. In the meantime, he had heard
from home. The lady who had
promised to be his forever had mar
| ried another. He was devotedly at
tached to her, and even during the
most painful period of his affliction,
had written to her, vowing eternal
love. She continued to write to him
almost to the day of her marriage
The shock was too great for him. The
knowledge of her perIidy continually
preyed on his mind, and he resolved
never to return to England. Without
delay he forwarded resignation of
his position in the army. At that
time he was twenty-eight years of
age. Heresolved to cast his fortunes
among the people of New Orleans.
Being an accomplished civil engineer
and surveyor, he established himself
i'll that business on street at that
time Known as Exchange Place. Here
he so far forgot his troubles that he
became infatuated with another lady,
a creole girl of surprising beauty. to
whom he offered his hand and heart.
She favored his suit and pledged her
love, but in time, like his English
sweetheart, proved untrue and welded
another. He had long suspected the
heartleSsneSS of the female sex, and
this last act of treachery convinced
| him that the VOWS of women "were
traced in sand" After this deer
and permanent melancholy settled
upon him, and in his desperation he
determined to leave the walks OF
civilization and plunge into the I'M
trod wilderness of the vast
Southwest. This was in the
days before steamboats,, and he took
passage on one of the flat-boats that
then piled up and down the Father OF
Waters. He went, half-unconscious,
not knowing whittier he was going
He wandered up and down the Missis-
sippi for long period, without aim OF
purpose. Finally he found himself
ashore few miles below Natchez, the
guest of a squatter who had made his
ninpeer home in the tanrled thickets
OF the great bottom. Here Waggoner' S
life as ahermit began. He lived with
the settler for six years, assisting in
the tillage of a corn and vegetable
patch around the lone cabin, and hunt
ing the dense swamp and the hills be-
You'd for game. For weeks he would
disappear from his friends hospitable
roof and sleep in the woods, burying
| himself in the voiceless solitude of the
uneXplored forest, and living upon
such game as he chose to bring down
with his rifle. During these six years
he never spoke to a mortal soul, save
his pioneer friend and family. The
year 1927 found him still there. In the
fall of that year the yellow fever ap-
peared on the Gulf coast with unusual
violence, rapidly travelling up the Mis-
sissippi and its tributaries, and deci-
mating the river villages and spread
ing terror among the settlements. One
day Waggoner'S friend was taken with
the fever, and went to bed in delirium.
His wife speedily followed, and then
the two children. Waggoner nursed
them as best he knew how, and a
distant neighbor came to assist.
But in ten days the humble
squatter and his wife and
children were sleeping their last
sleep. and the ill-starred ex-Lieutenant
found himself alone IN the world.
Providence seems to have reserved
him for another fate, for he went
through the plague season unscathed.
lie resolved to seek new fields of
enterprise, and resolutely struck out
alone in a northwesterly direction.
After ten days travel through the
wilderness without meeting a human
being, he came to the Ouachita River.
Here he Intercepted party of explor-
erS, who offered to take him on a vow
age of land inspection up that stream.
They proceeded northward about 300
miles. 1t was then in the midst of
winter, and the weather being unusual
ly cold for that latitude, the explorers
concluded to go into camp until the at
mosphere became more genial. This
was at a spot near where the town of
Camden is now situated. Here Wag-
goner left his travelling companions.
He found association with his kind
irksome and repuisive, and one day, in
obedience to an uncontrollablei impulse,
he suddenly walked away and never
more laid eye on his new-made acaain-
tances. He pursued his wav in
westerly direction travaIinu clouIu