The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-03
Dame Fortune.

Twenty-Five years ago was a,guesi
! in Cincinnati of one of the most extern
sive and prosperous pork-packers in
! the West, and that was when a bOar's
head was the accepted insignia of Gin
cinnati, and the appellation of Pork.
Opolis" more proudly boosted than the
present ef1ete title of paris of Amer
| ca" The gentleman had branch es-
J Establishments in Louisville and other
! cities, and the brand of his cured meat
was of worldwide reputation. He had
/ Just married in a neighboring village
now a prosperous manufacturing city
young lady acknowledged to be the
haIdSOmest woman in Ohio, and who
disputed with Sallie Ward, the then
famous Kentucky belle. the palm of
loneliness when both were visitors in
your city. | well remember the we'd
ding, as it was n famous one The
beauty and popularity of the bride
drew an immense cOncourSe of people
to the church. Fully a thousand per-
sons who failed to gain admission
blocked the street for a square. and on
the approach of the bridal party, and
on its exit from the church the bride
was greeted with all the earnest mani
festa;ions which 4 devoted people
would extend to queen.
During his engagement the mer chant
had purchased beautiful grounds and
built what was then considered the
most elegant house in the CITY and fur
nished it without regard to expense.
This was his wedding gift to his wife
Nd Of
previous to its occupancy a steady
stream of visitors poured through the
sumptuous rooms, and all were lavish
in their praise. After returning from
an extensive bridal tour, they settled in
their luxurious home and entered into
a season of gayety. Elegant parties
were made for them and they enter
tanned royalty. But the great pork
crash came-what year 1 do not re-
member-and carried down everybody
engaged in the business, our merchant
among the rest. He struggled long
afterward in an embarrassed way for
several years, his wife mortgaging her
home to furnish him the limited means,
but at last was unable to compete with
the fresh blood and capital invested in
the business, and he succnmbed entire
ly. Having some genius for mechanics
he made number of futile attempts in
the direction of invention, wasting the
little remnant of his wife's resources.
His last attempt was to win the prize
offered by the State of New York for
motive power for a canal boat that
would not wash the banks His health
had been breaking for long time, and
this failure Frustrated all his energies.
He died few years ago, leaving his
wife and three children in the last de-
gree ofimpoverishment. The son. now
young man. had steady employment
for awhile, but through a protracted
spell of sickness, lost it. The eldest
daughter has destroyed her health in
running one of the presses in the Treas
ury Department, and the mother, whose
glorious beauty and noble qualities en-
tranced all eyes and won all hearts,
with her invalid children, her own
frame racked with rheumatism, strug-
giles out of year of sorrow into one
without hope.
The incidents related came to me
freshly few days since on receiving
request from the SON to aid him to OBJ
tain situation which he has not yet
been able to secure Cincinnati Meas.
Journal.