The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-09-30
A Pennsylvania Prince---The Romantic
Story Of a German Tramp.

was tramp in Eastern Pennsylvania
now he is literally spending $45, 900.
that sum being the first installment OF
his inheritance from his fathers estate
in Germany. Grossman has settled in
Longswamp Township. Berks County,
and already owns a stable of nine fast
horses. His first cash receipt from
Germany was $4,000 in gold then he
received $4,000 in currency and then n
draft for S25, 900, which he has de-
posted in bank for safe-Keeping. In a
few months more he expects another
large installment of solid cash from
over the sea, the result of the sale of
his dead fathers vine-clad hills along
the Rhine. Grossman is now known as
the " Prince of Middletown," for in
that obscure village he has located for
the present. His marriage is one of the
most romantic on record, and the fact
that he spent $500 a day for knick-
knacks for his bride has exercised the
gossip of all the country round. Nine
or ten years ago Grossman landed at
Castle Garden. He had shipped at
Bremen. He was a wild harum-scarum
young German, and his desire was to
escape seige of years of university
life. He wanted to come Ito free
America - and partake of some of the
joys of the New World.
Said he the other day al came to
this country for experience and to see
strange sights. l had few cares. My
remittances from home came right
along. When l had money spent it
like lord with my friends on the road,
and when | had none put up with the
ups and downs of tramp life as well
as the rest of them. | didn't care,
either, because l was happy and the
life agreed with me. l had a soft bed
at home, a good table, plenty of wine
and fruit and good society. | got
tired of that. | preferred the free, open
country of Pennsylvania, with its fat
barns and hospitable people. Inever
wronged any one but myself. But l
got along first-rate. l loved the woods
and springs and mountain scenery. A
tramp has no cares. He is absolutely
free so long as he can keep out of Jail.
A smart tramp need not get into
trouble. All he has to do is to keep
out of bad company and do nothing
wrong himself That was my plan"
When dressed and shaved Grossman
is an intelligent-looking German, with
regular features and dark hair, medium
in height, compactly built, and he is
quite laxative. He purchased a house
and lot in Longswamp Township, for
which he paid 81, 200. His first horse
cost him $500; then he bought trotter
and a light buggy for S400; from a gen
tleman at Alburtis he bought a double
team for 5000. His passion for horses
soon became known and in few days
about a dozen stock dealers from Allen
town, Reading. Kutztown and other
places visited MiddletOwn with strings
of fine animals, and suddenly that here
tofore quiet backwoodS village became
an active, busy horse market. Gross
man bought until at least twelve horses
were in the stable, and he had to quit
for want of stable room. Ee was a jolly
purchaser, paid cash for ali he got, and
didn't pretend to know much about
horse flesh any how, nor did he seem to
care.
The maiden name of his wife was Miss
Susan Hilbert. She is the daughter of
a Lancaster County woodman. In the
days of Cheeseman's poverty he first met
her at her fathers home, where Gross
man came one pleasant afternoon in
autumn. He rested by a well and very
soon he saw a dark-eyed maiden at the
gate. He engaged her in conversation,
and finally she asked him whether he
wanted drink of water. NO." said
he, with a rogueish twinkle, " if YOU
have cider or something stronger it will
suit me better; water is too common"
The young woman was charmed with
his impudence, and she soon produced
pitcher of hard cider from the cellar
A plate of apples was then set before
the eyes of the good-looking young Ger
man. This acquaintance soon ripened
into love. Grossman obtained work on
a nearby farm and courted the pretty
Susan as often as he could Finally thew
were engaged, but Grossman never told
his atlianced that he was the son of a
wealthy German landholder across the
sea. They were married by the village
parson and lived with the brides par
ents. GroSsman, however, soon learned
that married life of that kind was not
as he had expected and hoped, so he
determined to leave that section of the
country. He was wild and impetuOus,
and he thought the union was beneath
his station. Still keeping his secret he
suddenly disappeared and became
tramp again. He collected a number
of the jolliest tramps on the road that
he could find. Some of them had been
students in the old country like himself
They knew him by his assumed name
only. When his remittances came they
had the jolliest of reunions. He had no
desire to return to Germany His mode
Of life had charm about it that he
could not resist. Finally word came
from Germany that his old father had
died GroSsman went into sincere
mourning. His father had been kind
parent to him and had written him
many letters begging him to give up his
wandering life and come back to Ger
many again. With every dollar sent to
the wavward son was a fathers blessing.
Cheeseman's bride in the meantime
had secured a legal separation. When
CHEESEMAN'S father died the tramp son
determined at once to give up the life
on the road. His first thought was of
his dark-eyed Susan. Without her he
could do nothing. He wandered back
10 his old home. To his great astonish-
ment he learned that she had married a
wealthy gypsy horse-trader. He re-
solved to find her and he succeeded.
To his great JOY he learned that she
could be far happier with him, her first
love. He then told her that he had
fallen heir to a fortune. Arrangements
were at once made with the gypsy hus-
band. GroSsman bargailed for his wife
and the gypsy listened to the PROPOSE
tion The pVDsv accented n fiftv-doilar