Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-29
ARTENIUs WARDS HOME.
Anecdotes of the HumOrist's Youth
Visitors to His Aged Mother.

Waterford Letter to Neao York Sun.
of all the pretty inland hamlets of
Maine, and they are many, not one sur
passes i'll picturesqueness and quiet
beauty the little village Of Waterford, in
Oxford county, where Charles +. Brown,
better known as Artemus Ward, was
born. The place is about 10 miles from
Portland. 1t contains only about 100 in
habitaEts. 1t lies on the shore of large
lake known as Tom pond, at the
foot of precipitOus mountain called
Mount Tire'm. The inhabitants are
mostly farmers, and, as a
rule, well-tO-do. Within the limits of
the township are many hills, ponds and
fine trout brooks, while the crooked river
manages, by hard work and strict atten-
ton to business, to wander Is miles in
crossing the mile wide township. The
country about Waterford is fertile, and
once contained the finest belt of pine tim
Der in Maine. Artemus liked Waterford
but not Oxford county; for he relates that
that within two months after a scurrilOus
young man had made fun of his bald head
his aunt died and left him a farm in Ok
ford county, Maine. 1.-The human mind
can picter no crater misfortin' than this"
Artemus' father died when the boy was
about IA years old, and as the family cir
cumstances were somewhat limited there
by, he was apprenticed to Mr.. j. NJ. RiX.
who published the Coos Democrat, at
Lancaster, n. Ill. The stage line at Lam
caster ran by the Brown homestead, and
the drivers were not unfamiliar with the
ability of the future ''genial Snowman" in
the way of practical Jokes. They knew
how he organized shows, wherein his
fathers red COW, with a coat sleeve
stuffed full of hay hanging from her nose,
served as the elephant upon which innO-
cent country youth were invited to ride,
with startling results. They knew, too.
how old Deacon Hale's white horse had
been induced to wander away for miles
following tempting bit of hay, hung
just beyond reach by means of lath
strapped to the horses neck. There
was an endless series of pranks
gotten up By the boy to mys-
tify the villagers in general, and his
mother in particular, and all these were
well known to the stage drivers. So
when the young humOrist started for Lam
caster, eager to know as much as possible
about his future residence, the veteran
driver, Steve Geary, having previously
cOnspired with the boys in RX's office to
give young Brown a fitting reception. as
sured him that Mr.. RiX was a piOus man,
and that his hands were, if anything,
more piOus than he, and that the sooner
the Would-be apprentice -crammed on the
catechism the better. Charles listened
dolefully. 1t was late at night when the
stage reached Lancaster, and in the morn
ing young Brown hied himself to the Office
The force" consisted of a journey
an nay ieceve ae a H esofemnR9a RamfS smith NTH
neyman handed him Bible and made
him read chapter, after which he was
examined on the catechism. His ignor-
ance was severely commented upon. but
he was permitted to go to work. AT noon
a similar performance was enacted,
while intense gloom rested on the Office
during the day. The next morning
Charles went to the office resolved to run
away at the end of the week, but, on
looking about, failed to find his fellow
craftsmen. Further search revealed them
under the garret stairs too intoxicated to
walk. Young Brown was so angry over
the sell that he wrote note to the driver
threatening vengeance, which was never
carried out.
Browns tame as humOrist was a sur
prise to all who knew him, and even to
himself. A greater surprise to his kim
folk now is the interest still manifested
in the dead merry-maker and his work.
They thought that all attention would
cease with his life, but every year the
number of people who visit Waterford to
see his mOther-nOw almost so years old
increases.
The town has changed but little since
his time. The village green, about which
he wrote and loved to think, is as green
and pretty as ever. The old Brown
homestead is still one of the best in town,
and the tide of summer travel troubles
the quiet streets but little.
Browns remains were buried in Elm
vale Cemetery, near the old Emerson
place. The grave is marked with plain
slab, much neglected. At the time of his
burial some of his literary friends pro-
posed getting up monument, and did
pass resolutions to that effect. The monu.
ment, though much needed, has never APP
peared. A copy of the resolutions was,
however, sent to the grateful relatives.
AS usual in such cases, all the villagers
looked with much suspicion on the re-
ports of Charles successes. Had they
not always known him as tow-headed,
mischievOus lad, whose future they dis
liked to predicty But now the line en-.
graved upon his tombstone seem to be
true wherever "a. Wards" sayings are
known.
His memory shall remain sweet and
unfading recollection