Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-02-11
THE LEi'rEn 40 n -. ADAMS.
A Lake Superior Story Via the LondOI
SDectntOr.

Spectator.
A. j. Duffield, who lives in London,
writes this letter to the Spectator, and
though it does not deal with ghosts it is
sufficiently marvellous: Some time ago
/ spent q Christmas on southeast shore
of Lake Superior, where made the ac-
Quaintance of one whom will call Job
Spring. We became friends and lived
in his hOnse for nearly year. 1 had
thus ample opportunity for knowing
him. He was of very humble origin, a
native of the north of Ireland, but he
spent the whole of his youth in Scotland,
where he learned the trade of a miner.
From Scotland he emigrated to New
York state, following his trade there and
earning So week. Ten years later he
went to Lake Superior, and became the
captain of the Franklin copper mine on
Portage lake. At this time he fell sick
of fever and would have died but for
the merciful interpositiOn of woman
whose husband was director of the
Franklin mining company, and whom
will call Mrs. Adams. She found Capt.
Spring miserably lodged, and she had
him carried to her own house, where she
nursed him, and otherwise looked after
him until he recovered his health. He
was ~ man VI oUltuSb ulOlc
than six feet high, with clear, blue eyes,
a mOnstrOus large head, and with most
shapely hands. He was quite illiterate,
but of undaunted courage and great
ingenuity More than seven years elapsed
between this time of his sickness and
the event which am now to tell of.
1t occurred during the Ohristmas-time,
when Lived in Capt. Springs house.
One evening he came into my room in
an excited state, looking like an actor
playing the part of mailman. 81 want
yOu," he said, ito write letter for me,
and to take notice and remember every
thing do and say this night" The let
ter which wrote at his dictatiOn was as
follows:
B8 December %.
DEAR Mrs. ADAMS send yeu by to-
nights mail $1,000, which hope will
arrive, safe and be of use to you. Please
let me hear from you on receipt.
~ JOB SPRING.
Having written this letter and packed
up the dollars we went to the village to
mail" the money, which, with the letter,
was dispatched that night To Mrs. Adams
who was then living more than 1000
miles away. On our way back home my
friends mood entirely changed. He be-
came hot with rage, and swOre that if
those $4,000 did not reach their destina-
tiOn in safety he "wOuld pursue the
thieves who stole it to perditiOn." All
through that night he had no sleep and
no rest, and the next day he spent alone
keeping alOOf from everybody and smOk.
ing a great deal of tobacco. The next
morning is, the 14th-he brought
me letter which he requested me tC
open and read. 1t was as follows:
DEAR CAPT. SPRING. write to tel
you that we are in great distress. We
have sold everything we could to buy
bread, and now we have nc
bread. and nothing to sell. Mr.. Adams
is very i'll, our two sons, Willie and Joe
were killed in the battle of Gettysburg
and we are all alone now; if you Cal
help us, do and God will reward yOu,-a
least such is my home, for we may never
be able to do so ourselves. Your friend
LUCY ADAMS"
On reading this aloud, my eccentric
friend burst into laugh: he then near
ly knocked me down with blow on tn,
right shoulder; he leaped over the chairs
and at last he seized me by the arm ant
carried me into the neighboring fields o
bright snow, to tell me that "shs had go
the money" He was just as mad t.
look at as he was on the the evening
when he came into my room to ask m
to write the letter to Mrs. Adams. III
then told me that he had seen this lad
on that evening, Sitting alone in {
house with nothing in it-no fire and n
food. She was looking very calm an,
quiet. just exactly with the same fac
she had when she nursed me in the fever.
Thereupon he sent off $2,000--that |
certain; it is also certain that tn
captains letter and Mrs. Adams's crOsse
each other. The money arrived safel
in due course.