Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-10-31
A PENlTENT's REMORsE.

Giving Bp a Fortune TO the Shhoreh OF 'is
Wronqed EmpIoyer--.HOw an Embezzement
Committed Thirty Years Ago was Atoned for.
from the Philadelp hla limes.l
g For Mrs. Joseph Ashbrooke, let
ter carrier threw down heavy envelope,
with three or tour foreign stamps on the
upper right corner, on the marble coun-
ter In the office of the Girard House and
hurried away. A clerk tapped bell,
"For Mrs. Ashbrooke, he said, as he
tossed the letter to dapper colOred ser
want who popped up in response to the
silver sound. "a letter for you, Mrs.
Ashbrooke." said the servant to an ele-
gantly dressed woman. GA foreign let
ter, !" exclaimed Mrs. Ashbrooke, look
ing at the stamp and post mark. : 1t
seems to be from Australia. She slow
" tore the envelope open and drew out
the contents. She curiously unfolded a
long and broad sheet of paper SUCH as
she had never received before. Up In
the left hand corner she read III neat,
precise little letters, Bolton Z Bolton,
solicitors, Melbourne, Australia The
paper began with formal Madame, !"
In q cramped hand, and as it went on
the writing grew worse aud ended IN a
long scrawl that the lady took to be the
law firms name again. 1t was all hard
to make out, but some of the words were
clear enough 10 awaken Mrs. Ash
brooke's intense curiosity. She remained
at 1t until she had mastered it all Then,
pale and trembling, she called her hus-
band and said: I" have been made an
heiress to S25, 900, and SO, too, has each
Of my two sisters.
Indeed ~ exclaimed Mr.. AshbroOke,
a manufacturer of wall paper and for
several years associated with Howell d
Bourke. FWhy are you SO pale?"
Because / seem to have received it
out of the grave. =
The story that the letter told was a
weird romance. Thirty years or more
ago Mrs. Ashbrooke's father, Henry
Devon, was the American consul at Rio
Janeiro, Brazil. He had In his employ
as confidential clerk orzagent George w.
Anderson, who had been born in Penn
sylvania and drifted to South America.
Mr.. Devon had been. living in Brazil for
many years and had acquired large
estate. Iw6%daugh we're. born TO him
there. Before the one who afterwards
became Mrs. Ashbrooke was born bis
wife sailed for home and his latest child
first saw the light on shipboard. Mrs.
Devon had not been home month when
she received adviees that her husband
was dead. He had been sick for a few
days only. When his affairs were settled
up large amount of money was found
t. be missing. 1t could not be traced,
nor the amount definitely determined:
though 1t was known that a few days be-
fore his death DIR. Devon had great
deal of money IN cash on hand. Legal
inquiries were made, but without result.
The estate was sold out and the matter
forgotten.
Mrs. Ashbrooke heard of it In child
hood, but 1t left her mind years ago.
She heard no more of it again until the
letter from Australia came. The letter re-
called it all and cleared up the mystery.
The lawyers wrote that-1hey had been
the solicitors of George W. Anderson,
who had died In March of this year at
Melbourne. He had confessed when dy-
inc that he had embezzled $40, 900, en-
trusted to him by Consul Deven. After
Mr.. Deven's death, his fa1thless agent
wandered restlessly over the earth. He
wound up IL Australia. He had gone
into the gold dIggings there and made a
large fortune and lost it. He had after
that become the owner of an extensive
sheep ranch. He grew rich again rap
idly, but lost heavily IN speculation. At
last he went into trade. Hemade money
more slowly now, but kept what he earn
ed and put by thousands.
Age and privat1on and the wear of
wandering, however, broke down his
health. He had never married and was
almost friendicss in a r-off land. He
grew so weak and i'll that he was forced
against his own desire to enter a hos
pitaI. HIS nurse here was q Sister of
Charity. She was an English woman,
who had Travelled much upon her mis-
sion in other lands. She was the en-
bodiment Of cheerful -meekness. She
talked freely and hopefully with her
white haired patient of life on earth and
the life beyond the grave. She seemed
to him. the solicitors wrote, to be the
ONLY friend tha5 he had ever known. He
watched her wander in her black gown
and wide white bonnet among the sick
beds till his old eyes grew weary. He
asked her what made her so cheerful
amidst her wearisorne tasks, and she an
swered faith add hope. He added char
itv. She awakened In him thoughts OF
religion. At his own desire clergy
man was called to his bedside after a
time and he was baptized into the COM
munion of tn Roman Catholic Church.
In telling Of his faults the embezzle-
ment of thirty years ago found q place.
The priest told him that no forgiveness
could be had for such a sin until he had
made restitution SO far as lay in his
power. No matter how old the crime,
the spiritual director said reparation
must be done If the man from whom
the money had been taken were cead,
his children, if living, were, as his nat
uraI heirs, entitled to the money. The
penitent, full o. zeal, said that he would
do everything required. He had deed
of trust drawn up dividing $75 600
among the children of the man whom
he had wropg-d. Tive men during his
life mad learned of the embezzlement.
but never spoken. He required, as q
condition precedent to the payment Of
the money under the trust, that the fact