Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-02-20
APRINTER'S WINDFALL.
$3.50, 900 for Befriending Drunk ard.
New York Times

/ New York Times
Is New Haven, Feb. 5.-Ten years ago
mere came to the quiet town Of, Port
Jefferson. Long Island, wanderer
whose dark skin betokened that he be
logged to q warmer climate, and who
| seemed not to be a common adYenturer.
Although given to indulgence in drink
/ he seemed DESTROYS of earning an hon
est livelihood, and, being in want, there
were those in the town who gave him
work. He was q printer, and5a man
named Markham gave him employ
ment on The Independent Press, publish
! ed there, His salary was. Sc a week.
He seemed to be a very melancholy
man, and he impaired his history to
| his kind friends. After while he gave
them the information that his name
was Antoine; Mercer, and that he had
come. from the island of St, Thomas.
There he had been in the service of q
wealthy uncle, the owner ofvast estates,
band who expressed the intention of
making him his heir. But in lucky,
or unlucky, moment he fell in love
with 9 beautiful mulattos girl. The at
/ tachment OF Antoine for the beauty of
a prescribed race was revealed to the
uncle whose pride of birth repealed the
| thought, and he forbade his nephew all
further proceeding in the case. Per-
slstlng in his affair oflthe heart, the
uncle, drove his nephew from him, and
since that time he had been wander
en- Having acquired q knowledge of
the art of type-setting, as stated. he row.
ed from place to place, and had at last
reached the sequestered spot ON Long
Island where this narrative finds him.
But his propensity for drink oyercame
his resolution, and it soon became I'M
derstood that he was drinking again.
The kind employer who had given him
work bore with him until forbearance
| had ceased to be a virtue, and finally
! gave Antoine his walking papers. An
| tome was In no financial situation to be
thrown out of work. AT this time there
was working In TIE same establishment
Il STRIPPING of Is, who had been at the
! case about three m onths. Antoine, in
his distress, appealed to his young COM
paniOn to afford him aid. The young
friend appealed to his parents, and they
/ took the stranger in and housed and
fed him. His young friend, now Mr..
John E. Skinner, of No. II Ward street,
IN TINS city, was warmly seconded in his
efforts in behalf of the stranger by his
] mother, whose tender heart was touch
cd by the appearance of the stranger
and The story Of his life. r. Here the
stranger remained for a, month, but he
seemed to be continually relapsing into
his old habits, until one night he was
| Informed that he must 60 in the morn
ing. The next morning he was gone,
and theresWas something else gone with
him. He had carried away with him
the best suit of garments belonging to
Mr.. Skinner, Sr. A note, however,
came to light left by the decamping Wis
itolato the effec; that he would surely
never forget the kindness he hadreeeiv-
ed from his young friend, and the fam
lily would have cause some day to see
that the poor Indian Antoine" wasnot
bad at heart. Years rolled away. Moth
1 ing more was heard of Antoine, and his
name was almost forgotten. Young
Skinner married. His wife was of
Patchogue, Long Island, and for some
years passed they have resided in this
city, Mr.. Skinner being engaged in the
eomposing-roon of The Nea0 Haven Cou-
rier, and muth esteemed. Recent
ly, however, Mr.. Skinner was sur
prised by receiving marked article in
a Patchogue piper, the article being the
/ announcementthat there had died at st.
Thomas wealthy resident, named An
tome Mercer, Who had bequeathqd his
whole estates, Nlued at$75O 600, to Mr..
skinner. The article was headed with
the old aphorisn, Gone kind turn de-
serves another" and went on to say
how this large ortune had fallen to Mer-.
! Ger on the deah of his uncle, who had
left it to him b. will. . MERGERS Willpro
vided that the proceeds of-the money
should be first devoted for the space of
/ two Years to tlB benefit of the town in
which he lived, md then to go entire to
Mr., Skinner. The article was copied
from a west lldia paper. The will of
Mercer stated tat it was left to his old
| friend ."'at, the lorth," Mr.. Skinner as a
| token Of his appreciation Of kindnes re-
/ ceived at his hndsa Mr.. Skinner was
not negligent irthe matter. Such news
was not to be passed by in inaction. He
| dispatched q 9tter to the American
! consulat St. Thomas, and, alternating
a reasonable tine for a reply and re-
ceiying none, Tote again to him. AS
yet he receivedno answer, and he waits
a while furtheror a reply before taking
such action as nav be necessary. An
tome left7witli lis old friends at Port JEFF
fersen, when le departed, his trunk,
which was. fond to contain large
number of lettes. The trunk and con- /
tents were keptfor three or four years,
| but nothing. beng heard Of Antoine, the
old trunk was demolished for kindling
wood andthe le5ers were burned. Since
the; receipt, of tie news from Patchogue
| it is regretted tlese mementoes of Mer-
Ger were not psserved for the aid they
might afford many legal m easures thatl
| may be Necessary to, adopt , a-'s.-s1
The Woman Mo Shot at Benedict Ar
| ...... mold. ...--Tr
Ar interesting incident of the Revo-
lutionary Wa not recorded in the
books, lBenedtt 1Arnold3s narrow es-
cape from dean at a woman's s. hands, is
recalled by lie recent death of Mrs.
Ann Human Kellogg, Of Fairfield,
aged 80. Sht was the daughter of
Capt. Elisha Iinman, of the United
States navy, nd her mother was. the,
| only America. who remained in New
| London when the town was burned by
/ Benedict Amid in 1871. The latter |
knew Mrs. Hlman, and, when he saw
her on her dorstep as he entered the
| town. he sailed; her and offered to
! save her PRIORITY, If she would pOintit !