The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-04-22
ThurlOW Weeds Little Nell"
How "Llttle Nell'' Of Real Life was Found
and Loved and Lost

Thurlow Weed is an ardent adm1rer of
Dickens works, and expresses himself en-
Enthusiastically in an interview in the New
York World. After touching various
characters, he said:
"And little Nell'''-
Here for moment there was break
IN the veterans volce-it was almost a
break OF tears-but he quickly recovered
himself and continued:
''Forty years ago I was living in Al
bany, and one afternoon on leaving the
office went to the barber's to get shaved.
There were several men IN the office, and
while was under the BARRIERS hand l
heard them saying that writing master
named Chapman had died of dclirlum
tren,cns, in room that was bare of fur
niture, fire and wood, and that they had
found little child two years Of age alone
with the corpse. After had got through
asked the man what had become of the
child, and they told me that Jenkins, the
constable, had taken it to woman's
house, on such a street, to care for it until
it was sent to the poor-house. It was
terrible winter day, and furious storm
was raging as I went home. At the tea
table told the story very quietly with
out comment. AS soon as I had fin
ished my son Che was living then) rose
and said, Father, shall I 60 and look af-
ter the childs told him no--that he
need not go. Then I put ON my over
coat, and when got to the door I found
my daughter there with her bonnet and
shawl on, and asked her what she in
tended to do. TO 90 with you and bring
he baby home.' l told her that the
storm was to severe. l found the house,
and as entered the sitting-room I asked
the woman in charge if could see Mr..
Chapman's little girl. Certainly was
the answer, and she called, Mary, gen
tleman wishes to see yo,..' 1 had noticed
a little girl two years old, sitting in the
corner. in the freight. She came and
sat upon my lap. took her home that
night and we all took her to our hearts,
THE blessing of God came into our
house with that child" said Mr.. Weed,
and AZ he said it his voice quivcred. "She
was as bright and lovely as the 'little
NelP whom Dickens has made immortal.
She stayed with us twelve years, and
each year We loved her more and more
and she Won every heart in which she
came in contact. In her we found that
'little Nell was no fancy picture but
living reality, and you cannot wonder
that love the hand that drew her Inca
ments.'' Mr.. Weed here took off his
watch and chain and showed his visitor
two portraits of the fair young girl-one
enamelled on the inside of his watch and
the other contained in pendant charm
each strikingly lovely.
1.-The story of that child" he continued,
"ls as strange as any fiction. After her
death VIC remembered having heard a ru-
NOR that Mrs. Chapman had left anoth-
or and older child at Charleston, and with
my wife and daughter went there to look
it up. At the hotel picked up direct
ory, selected name identified with chari-
ties, and found that this very gentleman
had actually adopted Mrs. Chapman's
boy, and that he had been the best and
brightest child in the institution. lie was
ready for college, but came and visited
us Tor a month. At Niagara he caught
severe cold, and in a month we laid
him at rest beside his sister. But this
is not all. We were in Europe shortly
afterwards and at Boulogne met an Off.
Ger of the British navy, whose wife, as it
happened, had known Mrs. Chapman as
a child in England (where she was born),
and had traced her to the island OF San
ia Cruz, in the West Indies, where she
had been a governess in the family OF the
Danish Gov. Won Schoutton. She had
gone thence to Charleston and married
there" Mr.. Weed subsequently visited
the governor at Santa Cruz, and there
completed the life story Of his little Nell.
BY another strange coincidence the faith
er Of the reporter of the World to- whom
Mr.: Weed yesterday told this story, was
at that time rector of the English (estab-
lished) church in the island of Santa
Cruz.