The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-02-20
FINDING A FATHER.
The Romantic History of Thomas
A. Fairbanks, a victim of
the Opium Habit.


san Jose Mercury.
About thirty years ago there resided
upon farm. few miles northeast OF
the city of Oakland, a man named
Thomas A Fairbanks, who, ii not in
affiueDt circumstances was, As the saw.
ing is. comfortably fixed" with a
happy family, consisting of a wife and
two children. He was proud in the
strength of his manhood. and had a
! panorama of his life for the twenty
years to come been spread out before
him lie would have scofFed at the pie
ture. Sickness came. and after wears
of unavailing care, in 1851 he laid
the mother of his children away in the
grave The long illness in his family
! and consequent expenses made it adj
visable for him to dispose of his nome
stead, and his children, the, quite
small. were. taken In charge bv sis
ter of bis deceased wife, who shortly
returned with them 10 her home IN
Massachusetts Fairbanks came to
this valley soon after to- make new
home, fully expecting in little time to
again be able to gather his children
under his own roof. But man proposes,
and God dispOses Soon after his ar
rival here, while engaged in his voca-
ton as farmer, his team ran away,
and he was thrown under a wagon and
had one of his sides literally crushed.
His wounds were very PAINFUL, and
trouble him even vet. During this
long illness physicians sought to allie
viate his agonies by the use of opium,
and with the usual result. He be-
came an opium fiend. AT times he
struggled against the habit. which he
knew was deadening both body aud
mind. He might still have recovered
had. he not again been the victim of
misfortune. But again he was crushed
and his limbs nangled- this tine by
the caving in of a we'll he was digging.
Then his courage left him, and be
abandoned himself to the use of the
baleful weed, and for the past
twelve or fifteen years he has been
most of the time an inmate of the
county infrmary. and constantly so for
the past six years. until ten months
ago, when DIR. Kelly. one of the Wis
lting physicians, became interested in
the quiet, patient old man. and de-
termined to give him a better home.
Since then Fairbanks, now upward of
40 years of age, has been thoroughly
content. and has earnestly striven to
make all possible returns in the way
Of light chores, for the kindness of
the doctor, whom he regards in the
light of a benefactor. A week ago
he received letter. An event in
itself, as he had not received from any
one for half a score of years, and did
not suppose that outside of this valley
there was friend anywhere who re-
membered him. His memory was
weakened by the drug which had
been his sole luxury for years, and be
scarcely remembered that he had
children somewhere in the world. The
letter was opened with trembling
hands. 1t was signed with a name
which he had never heard, but it con-
tanned inquiries which agitated him
greatly, although it was very brief. 1t
merely asked if he had ever lived at
Fruitvale, in Alameda county, and if
he was the father ola daughter named
Albertipa.
He recognized the name of biSI
daughter, of whom he had not heard
for many years. but Fruitvale he
knew nothing of. He showed his le.-
ter to bis best friend. and described to
him the locs ton of his former home.
which is where Fruitvale station now
is. BY the advice of the doctor he
the letter, giving az full an
account of his own and the history of
his family as he could recall. A few
days ago he received another letter |
from the same man, stating that he
was The husband of Albertina Fair
banks. for whose father they had spent
ten years in unavailing search, and that
they believed him to be the man. He
will be sent to Oakland in q few days
for an interview, but the circumstances
are such as to leave no room to doubt
that the old man has found home for
his declining years. and that the few
years remaining to him will be made
as happy as possible. DR.. Kelly speaks
Of him as honest, Industrious and
having but one vice, and that
the result of his injuries.
CATApPu CIIPEn haaIth .rJ .u,oo,