The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1879-01-29
IANBERTvILLE. \. J., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 1879

morhih, and he'd sleep so late and | could
not wake him when knowed he'd been ont
SO late the night before. Aud then the farm
kinder run down, and then VIC lost the team /;
one of them got killed when he'd been to
and suppose they got cold standin' out, anal
got skeered and broke loose, and run most
home, but run agin the fence aud stake run
into one of 'em, and when be found it next
mornin' it was dead, and the other was stand
in under the shed. And so after awhile he
coaAed me to let him sell the farm aud buy a
house and lot in the village, and he'd work at
carpenter work. Aud so did, as we couldn't
do nothin' on the farm. But he grew worse
than ever, aud after awhile he couldn't get
any work, and wouldn't do anything but gam
BILE and drink all the time used to do every
thing could to get him to quit and be good
industrious boy agin, but he used to get mad
after awhile, and once he struck me, and in
the mornn' l found that he had taken what
little money there was left of the farm, and
had run off. After that got along as we'll as
l could, cleanin house for folks and washin',
but didn't hear nothin' of him for four or
five years, but when he got arrested and was
took up to Oshkosh for trial, he wrote to
me-"
By this time there was not dry eye In the
car, and the cards had disappeared. The old
lady herself was weeping silently and speak
ing in snatches. But recovering herself she
went on.
But what could do sold the house
and lot to get money to hire a lawyer, and
believe he is here somewhere" looking
around. Oh, yes, there he is, Mr.. -"
pointing to lawyer - who had not taken
part in the play. q And this is the man,
am sure, who argue agn him." pointing to
Mr.. -, the district attorney. Judge -
sent him to prison for ten years s'pose it
was right, for the poor boy told me that he
did really rob the bank, but he must have
been drunk, for they had been playing keards
most all night and drinking. But, oh dear,
it seems to be kinder as though if he hadn't
got to playing keards he might been alive
yet. But when | used to tell him it was
wrong and bad to play, he used to say. Why,
only for the candy, or the cigars or something
like that And when we heard that the young
folks played cards down to Mr.. Cuver's do
nation party, and that Squire Ring was 60
ing to have billiard table for the young
folks to play on at home, couldn't do moth
ing at all with him. We used to think it was
awful to do that way when l was young, but
it jist seems to me as if everybody nowadays
was going wrong into something or other
But may be it isn't right for me to talk to you
Judge, in this way, but it jist seems to me as
il the very sight of them keards would kill
me, Judge | thought if you only knew how
| felt, you wouldn't play SO apd then to
think. right here before all these young folks
Maybe, Judge you don't know how young
folks especially boys, look up to such as you !;
aud then | can't help thinking that maybe il
them that ought to know better than to do so,
not set SIGH examples my poor Tom wonld be
alive and caring for his poor old mother but
now there amt none of my family left but
me and my poor little gran'chile, my dead
darters little girl, and we are going to stop
with my brother in Ilinoy."
Tongue of man or angel pever preached
more eloquent sermon than that gray, wither-
ed old lady, trem bling with old age, excite
ment and fear that she was doing wrong. /
can't recall half she said, as she, poor, lone,
beggared widow, stood before those noble
looking men, and pleaded the cause of the
rising generation.
The look they bore as she poured forth her
sorrowful tale was Undesirable. To say that
they looked like criminals at the bar, would
be faint description. lean imagine how they
felt. The old lady tottered to her seat and
taking her little grandchld in her lap, hid her
face on her neck. The little one stroked her
gray hair with one hand and said, don't
cry, gramma, don't cry, gramma." Eyes un-
used to weeping were red for many mile on
that journey. And / can hardly believe that
one who witnessed the scene ever touched a
card again. 1t is but just to say, that when
the passengers came to themselves they gen.
erously responded to the Judge, who, hat in
hand, silently passed through her little audi
ence.
-S.-a0b--~-