Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-09-16
A CALIFORNIA R0MANCE
How Man and Wife Net After
Twenty Years Separation.

/ last LISllJ dC CIlS diICJO OullC-
ton. The tide being low On the
arrival Of the Contra Costa, pas
sengers for Vallejo were COM
PEELED to make quite a descent
from the wharf to the boat, and
the ladies required the assistance
of the gentlemen present. A
Mr.. G., a grain speculatOr, was
doing the agreeable in this re-
spect and one of the last ladies
to descend was overburdened
with few bundles, which he
took charge of, and accompanied
the lady to the cabin, where they
sat and engaged in conversation.
Conversation finally touched up
on the nativity Of each when it
was found that they were both
from the same town in Kentucky.
This fact made each more COM
municative, when he inquired her
name, which was given as Mrs.
G. Immediately the gentleman
asked:
"You had a daughter, did you
not?"
II did," she responded. "Pray,
how did you know that?"
"Is that daughter liyingw
"She is, and at present on a
visit to friends at Vallejo, where
l am now going"
"MercifuI heavensp'he gasped.
"My child!"
"Sir," said the lady rising;
"what do you mean?"
'Mean?" he crazily replied.
"Mean? Why, | mean that
that daughter is my own child
"YoU ARE MY wIFEw
Almost overpowered at this
confession, she piled him with
questions, to every one Of which
he returned a correct answer,
when she was convinced that
the man was really her husband,
from whom she had been sepa-
rated twenty years. 1t seemed
the twain were married at Paris,
Ky.,in 1858, and thirteen months
afterward he went to Liv-
erpool ON business. The vessel
on which he took passage was
wrecked, and all on board was
supposed to have perished. The
news coming to the young wife
she was utterly prostrated, and
was ordered to California by her
physicians. Arriving here she
took up her residence at Los An
gelos. The husband was picked
up from the wreck by a fishing
smack and taken to some remote
foreign port, where he wasthrowh
upon a bed of sickness, which las
ted some fifteen months. In the
mean time, he had written re-
peatedly to his wife, but had re-
ceiyed no answer. In his dis
pair he had concluded to risk a
Journey across the Atlantic.
Feeble as he was he shipped be-
fore the mast on sailing vessel,
and in due time arrived in New
York. From there he wrote
three times to his wife, but
II RECEIVED NO ANSWER.
Almost frenzied by the thought
that she might be dead, and be-
ing without funds and no friends,
he "faced" his fare clear to Ken
lucky, and shortly after arrived
at Paris, inquiries throughout the
town assured him that his wife
had disappeared a year or so be-
fore, no one knew whittier. 1t
was said by some that she had
gone in search OF her husband,
by others that she had gone to
California. He sought the old
family physician, but he had left
the town some time before. Mr..
G.. then went to work at Louis
vile, and made enough money
to bring him to California a year
after he arrived in Kentucky.
He searched almost everywhere
for his absent wife, but without
success, and finally gave her up
as dead. and she had also mourn
ed for his death. Neither, how
ever rehad married again, and last
evening on board the Contra
Costa was ,...licA
THE FIRST INTIMATlON
Either had that the other was IN
existence. The happy couple
arrived here last nights and to
the surprise of the friends OF
the lady, She introduced her hus-
hand from whom she had been
separated twenty years. but
imagine his unutterable surprise
and Joy when the mother led IN
to the parlor a beautiful young
lady, his own daughter, whom
he had not, seen since she was a
babe. Father, mother and child
leave tomorrow for San Fran
cisco, where Mr.. g., who is now
a comparatively wealthy man,
has his business, and where they
will hereafter reside.