The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-08-01


mer. who for the purposes of this present
sketch viii be called Michael Lawton,
died in Garrett county, Maryland. Gar
rett county is the westeTnmoSt county OF
the State and is a wild, mountainous re-
giOn. in which there are a number OF eX-
ceedingly fertile valleys, called ''glades,"
which are famous for the natural grass
which grows on them and makes them
superb pasture fields for cattle. The
glades when broken up by the plough
make exceedingly fertile farms and they
are rapidly being cultivated by people
who do not wish to settle in the far West.
Well. as has already been said, one OF
the residents of this county passed away
and was laid at rest under a huge oak
tree. on a little knoll on his farm. lie
had selected his own burial ground, and.
in compliance will. his wishes, the small
white marble slab at his head merely
bears his initials, and the two dates
those of his birth and death. His neigh
bOrs knew but little of themanner OF his
life or his position in society before ne
came among them. He bought small
farm and came tolive ON it one fall some
ten or twelve years ago, and ON 1t he
died. He seemed to have enough ready
money to satisfy his needs andto pay for
his land, and occasionally, in conyersa-
tiOn. he would say something which
showed that he had been unusually well
educated and had travelled extensively,
both in this country and in foreign lands.
He never spoke of friends or relatives
and after some abortive attempts to dis
cover his past history, the nelghDorS
gave it up in disgust and accepted him
for what he was. When he died, dis
tant relative come into possession of the
little farm and the few household articles
l. I~gt oil nf
career and almost all recollection of the
existence of Michael Lawton passed
away. The writer knew the man well,
and once, when on fishing expedition
with him. he related the pathetic and
remarkable story of his life, part of which
was published some years ago and at
tracted a great deal of attention at the
time The outline of the story is vOuch-
ed for, but the names of places and per
sons are changed for evident reasons.
Years ago d family, consisting of
father, mother and two children, lived
in a small town in Western Ohio. The
head of the family, Mr.. Lawton, was a
lawyer and speculatOr, and had been a
merchant. He had grown rich, very
rich for those days, and was noted for
his keen business Sagacity and his
honesty and kindly heart. His wife had
been delicate, pretty girl when he mar
ried her and after her second child was
/ born her health broke down and she be-
came a confirmed invalid. The couple
had two Children-a boy named Michael,
/ who was at the time referred to about
/ eight years old aud Mabel, who was the
/ baby and was about five years old.
/ Mabel was a pretty child and her
parents petted her and dressed her i'll a
style that made her the envy Of all the
! mot hers in the peiDbbOThoOd
One day Mabel went into her mothers
room and told her that she wanted to go
and play with some other little girls who
. lived on the next street. Mrs. LaWtOn
/ gave her consent, but told her to be sure
to come home to dinner. Mabel prom
i ised, kissed her mother gaily and ran
+. out of the r6Om-a and out of the world,
. as far as the poor mother was concerned,
/ for she never saw her again. Mabel did
not come home to dinner and at supper
time Michael was sent after her. He
soon returned, with a pale, frightened
face, and told his father that his sister
, had started for home at noon, and no
/ one knew where she was. Search w as
made for her in every direction, but
/ without avail. No trace of the lost one
could be discovered. \ month after
wards the mother died heartbrollen, and
the father sold all his property and be
came a homeless wandeTer, with but one
object in life-the finding OF his lost one.
Taking his son with him he travelled
from State to State, visiting public in
stitutions where children were cared for,
/ and going through cities making in
quirieS which he thought might lead to
+ the desired result. From the United
I States the search was extended to Europe,
( and finally in Spanish city Mr.. LawtOn
caught local fever and died in a few
. days, leaving his son, then a boy of nine
/ teen, all of his fortune. Mr.. LawtOn
/ told his boy that he had no near relative
/ except a brother, who had gone to Cali
! tOrnia in the first flush of the gold fever
and had never been heard of afterward
Michael Lawton came back to this
country. entered a college in the East
and graduated with honors. He studied
/ law in the Office of famous New York
/ lawyer, and after being admitted to the
/ bar he went west and made his home in
/ a newly settled State, where he soon
I built up a good practice. One winter
/ LawtOn went to New \ ork to visit a
college chUm MarchmOnt, who had mar
ried and gone into business. March
mont had several young sisters and one
, afternoon LawtOn was introduced to
/ Miss Mabel LetcheT. young lady who
was their music teacher. She was eX-
Z Ceedlngly pretty and a lady In manner
I and mind, and Lawton fell violently in
/ love with her and before he left the city
! he asked her to marry him and she ac-
! cepted him. They were married the
/ following spring and went to Lawton s
/ western home, where they lived happily
for six years, during which time two
children were born to them. Miss Let
/ cher told Iawton after their engagement
that she was an orphan. that her parents
/ had died when she was a child and she
could not remember them at all. She
( had been named by a kinC-hearted lady
, in Eastern Ohio. She had taught school
| and made sufficient money to enter a
| school in the East, where she studied
music, and after she graduated she got
a c,ass of girls for pupils, and while thus
/ engaged she met LawtOn.
Lawton was sitting in his office one
/ day, when an odd-looling elderly man
came in and asked for Mr. Lawton. ,
An introduction took place, and after
the usual preliminaries the stranger said
+ he was q lawyer from San Francisco.
/ He then asked Iawton if he would tell
| him his fathers name and where he had
! been born. Although surprised at the
/ questions, LaWtOn complied, and the
stranger then explained his errand.
on have heard your father speak,
suppose, of a brother who went to Cali
1 foTnia a good many years ago, and who
| did not write home of his doings. Well,
| | am his representative. and [ was his