The Labor enquirer., 1882-12-16


As our meal progressed | observed that
Young WickloW-Robert Wicklow was
his full name-kneW what to do with
his napkin; and-well, in a word, l OBJ
served that he was boy of good breed
ino. never mind the details. He had a
simple frankness too, which won upon
me. We talked mainly about himself,
and 7 had no difficulty in getting his his
tory out of him. When he spoke Of his
having been born and reared in LOUlsl-
ana, | warmed to him decidedly, for |
had spent some time down there. |
knew all the "cOast" region Of the Mis-
sissippi and loved it, and had not been
long enough away from it for MY interest
in it to begin to pale. The very names
that fell from his lips sounded good to
me so good that | steered the talk IN
directions that would bring them out.
Baton Rouge, Plaquemine, Donaldson
Vile, Sixty-mile Point, BOhnet-Carre, the
Stock Landing, Carrollton, the Steam
ship Landing, the Steamboat Landing,
| New Orleans, TChOupitOulaS street, the
Isplanade, the Rue DIES BOns Enfants,
/ the st. Charles hotel, the TivOla circle,
the Shell road, Lake Pontchartrain; and
! it was particularly delightful to me to
hear once more Of the Il. +. Lee, the
Natchez, the Eclipse, the General Quit
/ man, the duncan F. kenner, and other
Old familiar steamboats,. 1t was almost
as good rs being back there, these names
sovividly reproduced in my mind the
look Of the things they stood for
Briefly, this was little WickloW's history:
When the war broke out he and his
invalid aunt and his father were living
near Baton Rouge on a great and rich
plantation which had been in the family
for fifty years. The father was a union
man. He was prosecuted in all sorts of
ways, but clung to his principles. At
last one night, masked men burned his
mansion down, and the family had to fly
; for their lives They were hunted from
place to place, and learned all there was
to know about poverty, hunger and dis
tresS. The invalid aunt found relief at
last misery and exposure killed her ;
she died in an open field, like a tramp,
the rain beating upon her and the thun-
der booming overhead. Not long after
= ward the father was captured 10y an
| armed band and while the son begged
! and pleaded the victim was strung up
before his face. At this point baletul
J light shone in the youths eyes, and he
said with the manner of one who talks
to himself "If l cannot be enlisted, no
5 matter-I shall find a Way-l shall find
J a way. AS soon as the father was pro-
: nOunced dead the son was told that if he
was not out of that region within twenty
; four hours it would 90 hard with him.
That night he crept to the riverside and
hid himself near q plantation landing.
. By and by the Duncan F. kenner stopped
there and he swan out and concealed
himself in the yawl that was dragging at
! her stern. Before daylight the boat
reached the stock landing and Ne slipped
| ashore. He walked the three miles
t which lay between that point and the
house of an uncle Of his in Good Children
/ street, in New Orleans, and then his
. troubles were over for the time being,
9 but this uncle was union man, too, and
| before long he concluded that he had
Y better leave the SOUTH So he and young
: Wicklow slipped out of the country on
: board sailing vessel and in due time
reached New York. They put up at the
| Astor house. Young Wicklow had a
S good time Of it for awhile, strolling up
| and down Broadway, and observing the
!, strange northern sights, but in the end a
| change came-and not for the better
| The uncle had been cheerful at first, but
I now he began to look troubled and de-
e spondent; moreover, he became moody
!, and irritable; talked of money giving
S out and no way to get more-"not enough
: left for one, let alone two" Then, one
: morning, he was missing did not come
$ to breakfast. The boy inquired at the
|. Office, and was told that the uncle had
y paid his bill the night before and gone
e Sway-to Boston, the clerk believed, but
/. yyoc p0f rorto;D
E The lad was alone and friendless. He
9 did not know what to do, but concluded
l he had better try to follow and find his