The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-03-26
SAVED FROM SUICIDE.
A THRILLING SKETCH OF CALIFORSIA LIFE
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.
From the advanced sheets Of California
Sketches by Rev. DR.. o. P. Fitzgerald,
editor of the Nashville Christian AdUocate, we
take the following descriptive of
GAN INTERVIEW"
AS 1 was coming out of the San Francisco
Post Office one morning in the year 1856, a
tall, dark-skinned man placed himself in
front of me, and fixing his intensely glitter
ing eyes upon me, said in an excited tone
"Sir, can you give me half hour of your
time this morning?"
Eyes" replied, 'if l can be Of any ser
vice to you by so doing"
'Not here, but in your office, privately"
he continued. II must speak to somebody,
and having heard you preach in the church
on Pine street, felt that I could approach
you. am in great trouble and danger, and
must speak to some one r.
His manner was excited, his hand trem-
bled, and his eye had an insane CLEAN as he
spoke We walked in silence until we
reached my office on Montgomery street.
After entering [ laid down my letters and
papers, and was about to offer him chair
when he hurriedly locked the door on the
inside, saying as he did so
"This conversation is to be private, and
do not intend to be interrupted"
AS he turned toward me l saw that he had
pistol in his hand which he laid on the desk
and then sat down 1 waited for him to
speak, eyeing him and the pistol closely, and
feeling a little uncomfortable, locked in thus
with mad man Of almost giant-like size and
strength. The pistol had a sinister look that
had Eever before recognized in that pOpu-
lar weapon. 1t seemed to grow bigger and
bigger.
"Have you ever been haunted by the idea
+ of suicide?'' he asked abruptly, his eyes
/ glaring upon me as he spoke.
/ mo, not particularly" 1 answered, "but
/ why do you ask? ?"
| Because the idea is haunting me-" he
+ said in an agitated tone, rising from his chair
! as he spoke. ! have lain for two nights with
a cooked pistol in my hand, calculating the
value of my life. / bought this pistol to
shoot myself with, and wonder that 1 have
( not done it 81; but something has held me
back"
What has put the idea of suicide into
your mind ?" 1 inquired.
"My life's failure sir and there is moth
ing left for such fool as l have been," he
said bitterly. "When a man has no hope left
he should die"
was making some reply when he broke
in:
'TIear my history, and then tell me If
death is not the only thing left for me, - lay
ing his hand upon the pistol as he spoke.
When he told me his name 1 recognized it
as that Of man of genius, whose contribu-
tions to a certain popular periodical had Civ
en- him a wide fame in the world of letters
He was the son OF venerable New England
bishop, and a graduate of Harvard Universe
ty. 1 will give his story in his own words, as
nearly as l can.
''In 1850 l started to California with hon
!. orable purpose and high ambition. Ny
: father being 3 clergyman, and poor, and
greatly advanced in years, l felt that it wa:
my duty to make provision for him and fO
the family circle to which belonged and o
which was the idol. Animated by this pur
pose, was full Of hope and energy. On TIN
: ship that took me to California I made tn
! acquaintance and fell into the snares of
beautiful but unprincipled woman, for whom
: toiled and sacrificed everything for eigh
6 years of weakness and folly, never remistin
dollar to those / had intended to provid
! for at home carrying all the while an uneas
=, conscience and despising myself. / mad
immense sums of money, but it all went fo
nothing but to feed the extravaganza an
recklessness of my evil genius. Tortured b
= remorse 1 made many struggle to free my
o self from the evil connection which bliglte
+ my life, but in vain. l had almost ceased I
7 struggle against my fate, when death lifte
J. the shadow from my path, The unhapp
4 woman died, and l was free. I was astor
i isheG how rapid and how complete was til
: reaction from my despair. l felt like ne
man. The glowing hopes that had bee
smothered revived. and | felt something
: the buoyancy and energy with which ha
o left my New England hills. 1 worked har
:, and prospered. l made money and saved i
q making occasional remittances to the fami
(. at home, who were overjoyed to hear fro
y me after so long and guilty a silence.
C hadn't the heart to write to them while pu
suing my evil life.
81 had learned to gamble, of course, bl
now I resolved to quit it. For two years
!, kept this resolution, and had in the mea
J. time saved over SIS. 600. Do you believe tlu
II the devil tempts men? l tell you sir, it
u true I began to feel strange desire
o. visit some of my old haunts. This feeir
u became intense, overmastering. My jud
ment and conscience protested, but felt Ill
one under a spell. yielded and found Il
a way to a well known gambling hell, where
y lost every dollar of my money. 1t was Ill
ie a dream-I seemed to he drawn on to n
doom by some invisible but resistless powC
When l had lost ali, strange calm car
= over me, which had never understood.
, may have been the reaction, after night
feverish excitement, or possibly it was {
unnatural calm that follows the death
7. hope. Ny self-contempt was complete.