Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-11-14
4 ROMANTIC STORY OF LOVE AND
DEATH.
Boston Herald.

Boston Herald.
The suicide Of Captain Charles r
Power, of Someryille, committed Fri
day on the steps of his house, on Rowe
street, ends a personal history which
had in it clements of romance as pow
erful us anything ever Matched behind
the spectacles of Wilkie Collins. Elabor
ately worked up, it would furnish {
fine basis for novel in itself, or a play
for theater languishing for something
besides French adaptations and English
classics. Many years ago Charles B
Power was a sailor lad of II or IS years
With only his youth and good looks tC
advance his interests, he fell in love
with bright, attractive young woman
whom he met at a social gathering o.
the young members of the Salem Street
Orthodox Church in this city. Hel
name was Amelia, and she was the only
daughter and heiress of old DR.. Hollis
well known in the North End and in
deed throughout this whole neighbor.
hood. The Doctor was rich; the rowing
sutton was poor and without q profes.
sion; but love smOothed out these inc.
qualities. Miss Hollis fancied the
young mariner, and when he left Bos.
ton in certain memorable month al
the age of 10, no prouder or happier
mortal ever breathed on this mundane
planet, for Amelia was his aflianced
wife, and he was the first mate of Liv-
erpooi packet, a stanch and goodly YES
sci, belonging to Il strong firm and en-
gagged in profitable trade. This was
the time when hotels lined our wharf
streets, whose registers were never bare
of the names of guests; when sailors
boarding houses prOspered at the North
End; when all over our harbor foreign
flags loated at the peaks of trading yes
sells, and the star-spangled banner
could be found similarly unfurled IL
every civilized port of the then known
WorlG. There were no quarrels over
the American registry of foreign iron
bottoms, for it was long prior to the ad
vent of competing lines of steamers
which have since reduced the ocean tC
n ferry crossing. The voyage to Liver
pool was n long and weary one, but the
lovers confidence diminished the sus
pense he felt His ship did not reter1
Immediately, but carried freight to var
ious parts of Europe. In the mean
while he received news from home, anC
learned that Amelia Hollis had given he
hand to agentleman whose acquain
lance it vas said she formed after Powers
departure. His grief and disappoint
ment nearly crushed him. He left tn,
sea, and for eight years led a wild sor
of life on the continent, got into hOr
rible habits of dissipation, and probabl,
permitted his passion to remain TN
checked. After the lapse of this periot
of eight years he Strengthened up, re
formed his ways and determined to b.
i man. He shipped on a vessel bouni
for Boston, unable to resist the tempta
ton of beholding the happiness of he
who was to have been his. On his arr
val in this city he went to his old HON
visited all his old hauntS and was a
nice and exemplary a young man a
you would meet between this and cas-
Boston. His old associates gathere,
about him, and they attended socia
entertainments and led a gay city life
She heard of him but they never met
Presently ne grew restless again; tn
old feeling gnawing at his heart woult
not let him remain in Boston, an,
down to the sea ne went again. Tn
briny" was his home after that. III
crossed and recrossed the ocean, am
III the course of few years left Boston
rs master of the good ship Archel
Years and years went by. This youn,
man had become bronzed and grizzle(
and spoke in deep tone. He wa
still captain of the Archer when twenty
five years had elapsed since his engage
ment with Amelia Hollis. One day
while he was at his lodgings III thi
city, he received letter in woman
handwriting inviting him to meet he
ut the store of Crosby & Lane at Ger
tain time. The letter was not signed
The thought flashed upon him tina
it was from his old love, who
in all these twenty-five years, he haC
not forgotten. The widest scene a
sea had not dimmed her image in hi
heart, where he still carried it. He
compared the handwriting with that il
the letters of aud lang Syne, and ha(
his suspicious developed into convic
ton. He visited the store at the speci
fed time, and there met her for the frs
time since they parted as lovers. Afte
the greeting was over, and they
had talked of their mutual experienc,
during the quarter of a century, tn,
lady informed him that she had beer
divorced from her husband. What h
learned at that interview convinced hin
that she had always loved him, ans
that her marriage was not the result 0
any GOODNESS toward him. Within thre,
or four weeks of this meeting they wer
married, and the long-delayed happi
ness Of the captain was realized ut last
They went to live at her fathers on Sa
lem street, but subsequently removed
to Rowe street Somerville. The lad,
was then hemother of two grown young
people, a son and a daughter. The cap
tain had abandoned the sea at his wife
urgent request, and was without an oc
cupation, except that which the man
agement of some property in Colorado
supplied him with. Finally the docto
died, and left large sum of money t
his daughter. The captains famil,
circle was for some time after this
happy one, but the want of a settled oc
cupation at last produced its invariabl
effects upon him, and shadows began t,
creep across the threshold of his com
Portable home. The time came whel
dreadful evil had to be acknowledge
as forming part of their married life
and incompatibility of temper compel
ed aseparation. The captain went t
Colorado, and spent some weeks tryin
to drown his unhappiness in the care
of property, but he failed, and dissipa
ton laid his hands upon him. III
shook off the temptation, however, afte
Z