The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-11-24
From the Daily Of Friday.
A REVISED ENOCR ARDEN,
The Long Lost and Recreant aus-
band Returns to Find His
Wife q Widow.

The story has just leaked out OF an
.Enoch Arden romance with varia-
tions, one link in the chain Of which
was enacted in Butte . few weeks
since. Forty years ago James Ster-
ling lived on a farm in the vicinity
Of Bellevue. Indiana, where he mar
ried Miss Mary Ingersoll. They lived
happily together for ten years during
which time their hearthstone was
blessed with five children. In 1858
Sterling was seized with the Califor-
MIA gold excitement aud bidding
adieu to wife and children started
overland for the new Eldorado. For
tune favored him for a time and dur
ink the first :ew years he cemmuni-
Gated with his family and sent them
money at regular intervals, but ~
| 4Be years n lied by, the letters ceased
ID ceme and the husband and father
was mourned as dead. The faithful
mother worked hard to support her
children and was rewarded by seeing
her three sons and two daughters
grew up to occupy useful and respec-
table positions in society. Believing
her husband dead Mrs. Sterling
dhally consented to marry Eli
in F. Downing. but before the
nhptials were celebrated she
tok the precaution Of securing
Sformal divorce from Sterling. One
Of her sons, Andrew believed from
childhood that his father would some
time return. and the belief grew up
on him until he decided eight years
ago to emigrate to the Pacific slopeln
tie hope OF lettering his fortune and
at tho same time gaining some clue to
the Whereabouts or fate of his father.
He visited Nevada and California
and worked in Aearly every mining
camp in both. but beyond an uncer'
tain report at Eldorado, Gala, that
his father had left there for Idaho
twelve or fifteen years before, he
gained no tidings of him. He drifted
into Idaho and following the voca
ton of teamster, wood chopper, or
miner, he lived at different times, at
Rocky Bar, Boise Basin, Silver City
and the various camps OF Wood
River. In the latter district he Sc
cured competence, and resolved to
return to his old home, but having
heard much Of the great mining Gen.
ter he decided to visit this city before
turning his face eastward. At the
hotel in Butte he formed the ac-
quaintance of a we'll known ranch
man of Deer Lodge valley to whom
he told the story Of his
long search for his father.
No sooner had the ranchman heard
the name, than he declared that an
old man named James Sterling had
wo, ked for him on his ranch last
summer, and that he was now en-
ployed as a carpenter at Anaconda.
A hurried trip to the smelter town
was made, where it was learned that
such q man had been there, but had
gone to Butte a week before to meet
and join a party who were Quitting
for the Cmur d'Alenes. Returning
to Butte, the devoted son soon found
one of the party, and by him was led
to the cabin in which James Sterling
had taken up temporary quarters
with a friend. His steadfast faith
was at last rewarded. James Ster-
ling proved to be the long-lost father,
and after a night passed in narrating
the experiences Of each during the
long separation and the recounting of
affectionate remembrances of happy
days long ago, when they were to-
gether in the Indiana farm home,
the father gave up his Coeur d'Alene
trip, and the following day accom-
panied his son on his journey east
ward. How the long-deserted wife
will meet the wanderer is not known.
He will find the old home much
changed, the children grown to
womanhood and manhood, and his
wife wearing widows weeds for her
second husband, who died some
months since; but he is described as
we'll preserved, fine-looking man,
and it would be a fitting sequel to
the strange romance if the Widow
Downing should desire to re-marry
her first love and the father Of her
children. At all events, Andrew
assured him before leaving Butte
that he had enough means to support
them both, and he would provide for
him a comfortable home during his
declining years.