The Penn's Grove record., 1883-10-06
John Brisben. NobIeman.


Colonel George w. Symmonds in the
Detroit Free Press, says the governor par
doned John Brisben, II penitentiary con-
Wet He WAS sent up from Bourbon
for fifteen years for forgery, and had ten
years yet to serve. Our readers are fam
liar with the history of the case. and the
umane action Of his exellency will be
generally commended ftaRkIora, tky.)
Woman.
read this little paragraph, and my
mind went back six years. | knew
John Brisben, and | knew his twin
brother Joseph. / wa familiar with
the details of the action that placed him
in a felon's cell, and now when the sad
affair is brought back to my mind so
wildly / must write it out, for never
before have | met, in prose or poetry,
in real life or in romance, a greater
hero than plain, mstter-of. fact John
Brisben.
The Brisbens came of good stock. |
think the great grandfather of my hero
emigrated to Kentucky when Kenton's
station, between the present city Of
Maysville and the historic old town of
Washington, was the principal settle
ment on the ssdark and bloody ground"
He came from upper Pennsylvania and
located about five miles from the Ohio
river, on Limestone creek. He was an
industrious, strong-limbed, iron-hearted
old fellow, and in a few years his sur
roundings were of the most comfort
able description. One of his sons Ed
win Brisben, n represented Ken
lucky in the federal congress. think
he was the grandfather of John and
Joseph Brisben. Their fathers name
was Samuel, and he died when they
were little children, leaving his widow
a excellent bluegrass farm and a
snug little fortune in stocks, bonds and
mortga yes. The widow remained I'M
married until her death. Mrs. Samuel
Brisben was a good woman and she
idolized her twin boys. Like most
twins, the brothers resembled each
other in a striking manner, and even
intimate acquaintance could not tell
them apart. Bat although the physi-
cal resemblance wai so strong there
was great dissimilarity in the DISPOSE
ton of the twins. Joseph Brisben wal
very surly and morose, sometimes
cunning and revengeful. He was withal
a dreamer and enthusiast !; a man we'll
learned in books, a brilliant, frothy
talker when he chose to be sociable
(which was seldom, a splendid horse
man and a most excellent shot. John
Brisben, on the contrary, was cheerful
and bright, honorable and forgiving.
He was a maj of high and moral prin-
ciple, intensely methodical and prac-
tical, cared little for books, and,
although he said but little, vas a splen-
did companion. He was a poor horse.
man, and | don't think he ever shot
a gun in his life. He loved his brother,
and when they were boys together,
suffered punishment many times, and
uncomplainingly. that ''Jodie" might
go scot free. His life was therefore
a constant sacrifice, but the object
of this loving alteration made but
shabby returns for this uns elish devo-
ton.
They were 20 years old when their
mother died very suddenly. Joseph
made a great pretense Of grief, and was
so hysterical at the grave that he had
to be led away.
John, on the contrary, never demon
strative, took the great affection with
mis- customary GOODNESS. He said but
little, and shed no tears.
The property left the boys was con-
siderable. The day they were twenty
n years old, the trustees met and
made settlement. There was the blue
grass farm, valued at $50, 900, and
$100, 600 in w~ell-invested securities,
which could be turned into money.
Joseph demanded a division.
"You can take the farm, Jack he
said. 81 was never cut out for a farm
er. Give me SIS, 900 in money for my
share
So this sort of a division wa made.
John continued on at the homestead,
working in his plain, methodical way,
and slowly addin, to his share of the
money what he could raise out of the
profits of the farm. Joseph, with his
newly acquired wealth, set up an estab-
lishment at the nearest town, and be-
gan a life of pleasure of the grosser
sort. His brother gave him no advice
for he knew it would be useless. Jo-
seph spent his money with great prodi-
gality, and before he knew it he was a
beggar. In the meantime, Johns $25,-
600 had doubled itself. One day Joseph
came to him with a full confession OF
his peeuniary troubles.
"Jaek," he slid, 81 am not only Q
beggar, but / am heavily in debt. He'll
me out, like a good fellow, and l viii
settle down and begin life in sobel
earnest. With my capacity for bust