The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-11

An Unexpected Episode in His Testimony
How the Good Man Resorted to Prayer.
New York Herald.
In giving his testimony before the Senate
committee Mr.. Gould said that there was
very little in his career that he thought
would interest the committee or the public,
but he was willing to tell all that there was,
and he continued as follows:
II was born at RoXbury Delaware county,
in this State May 81 1886, My father was a
small farmer, who kept a dairy of twenty
cows. | was the only boy in the family, so 1
helped my sisters in milking the cows both
morning and night and drove them to and
from the pasture. AS l was obliged to go
barefoot during the summer and often had
my feet pricked by the thistles about the
fields and pastures, L concluded | didn't like
farming, and so l one day asked my father
to allow me to go to school, which was stu
ated about fifteen miles distant from home.
He replied that as L wasn't worth much
about the farm he would give me
my time. l found a blacksmith
near the school who would board me
II L would write up his books at
night. | was then about fourteen years of
age. | attended school for year, and then
obtained a clerkship in a country store,
where l was obliged to work from A. NJ. to
10 P. NJ. By this time [ had acquired a taste
for mathematics, especially for surveying
BY getting up at 8 o'clock in the morning
and studying until 6, l obtained good
knowledge of the latter branch, and at length
started out to find employment as a sur
veyor.
Il made an engagement with a man, who
was making a map of Ulster county, at a
salary of 500 a month and expenses When
he sent me out with my instruments to sur
vey portion of the country he gave me a
pass book, and told me to get trusted for my
board at the several places through which l
ma no WnulH ha 7
found that people were not willing to trust
my employer. The second day out l pre-
sented my pass-book to the man who had en-
tertained me- and told him to put down the
expense. He looked at me very angrily,
and then said: i guess you don't
know your employer. He's failed
three times already. You've got
money, and Pm going to have it, This
frightened me, but | managed to explain to
him that didn't have cent, and in proof
of the statement turned my pockets inside
out Convinced of my honesty, he said he
would trust me until 1 could pay the bill.
thanked him for his consideration and
left the house. As | walked a. ong the road
felt as if my heart would break with grief
l could see nothing ahead of me but failure
and misery. In my despair went into the
woods and had a good cry Then | got
down on my knees and prayed"
Mr.. Gould's voice trembed and his eyes
filled with tears when ne said this. Senator
Blair deeply moved by the recital. The
effect upon the audience was marked. For a
moment not sound was heard except the
rumblings of the teams over the pavements
in the streets below.
At this point Mr. Gould said to the COM
mittee: This is a silly lot Of stuff /"
'Oh, no, it is not" interrupted Senator
Blair; lit is very interesting. Go on"
when 1 arose." continued Mr.. Gould, Il
had made up my mind to go ahead. Late
IL, ,,Ao. Sc I,I
since morning [ called at farmhouse and
received some bread and meat from the hands
of a kind-hearted woman. Just as | was
leaving the yard her husband called me back
and asked me to fix north and south line
by which the time of day might be deter
mined l did so, and received. after paying
for my lunch, seven shillings. 1t was the
first money | had earned since l started out,
and of course it gave me new courage and
confidence in myself. The man for whom
was working at length failed. l proposed to
the other young men who were employed in
the survey that we go ahead and complete
the map of Ulster county. We did so, and
when the work was done 1 sold out my in
terest in the map for $500. Soon after 1
made maps of Delaware and Albany coun-
ties and in this way succeeded in accumula-
ting S., 900.
while surveying 1 became acquainted
with gentleman named ZldOck Pratt. who
took great interest i'll me and invited me TO
go into the tannery business with him. Mr..
Pratt sent me out into the western part of
the State, where l found a fine hemock
growth. We put up saw-mill and black
smith shop and were soon doing large lum-
Der business. Afterward | bought out my
partner and continued operations for some
time. Just before the panic of 1857 1 sold
out my business to Charles NJ. Leupp, of New
York, who shortly afterward committed sui
eide"