The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-04
OVER THE HILLS TO THE POOR
HOUSE.
The Swiss BeII-Ringers Lodged in a syra-
cuse Alms.HOuse.

The Swiss BeII-Rfngers Lodged I'm Syra-
cuse Aims House.
syracuse Letter to Philadelphia Times
Mr.. and Mrs. William Peak, the seniors OF
the once famous Swiss family OF bell.ringers,
sre inmates of the Cortland County Poor
house, near Homer. Mrs. Peak Is seventy
Eve years old. 1T is hard tu be here"
she said to a reporter who discovered her.
but We are warmly clad, fare passa.
beds. We are measuIeabiy happy even
as We are, but wa look for better days to
come and we feel in our hearts that the God
of the homeless aud friendless will not desert
Us in our hour Of need" Mr.. Peak is
teventy-six years old, little under medium
size, with silvery locks falling in waves over
bis shoulders and fine countenan &c set oil
by high and broad expanse OF forehead. In
chatting of the past the bsll-ringers said that
though they were native Americans they
chose the title of the Eiss Family for ad YER.
Using purposes. Their home was in Med
ford, Mass. About forty years ago they
went with John b. Cough To Eastport, Me-,
and while there heard the Swiss bell-ri1gers
with i. L. Barnum. The Swiss people were
a. xious to return home the cllmats having
proved fatal TO two Of their number. Mr..
Peak bought them out
AFTER three months practice, SAID Mrs
Peak. will am had made himself master OF
The be j ringing art and hsd also instructed
tie other members of our family. On our
Jubiic appearance triumph aftec triumph
followed in QUICK succession. Three OF our
childTen-William Henry, Fannie and
Julia-went with rs. About eighteen wears
ago We divided our forces, William
Henry ano Julia taking the territory
west Of the Ohio and the rest of
us playing in the Eastern and Southern
States. Ecdie and Lisetta played with us.
IfrA in ha-
Eddie died at the age of twenty in Nevada.
On Western trip NV husband discovered
Sol Smith Russell. He came to rs bare
footed in Sprir gield. H., and asked the
privilege OF working for Us. We adopted
him into the troupe. He was nothing OF
singer, but he more han made up by his
genius for comedy
William Henry Peak was, when the par.
ents last heard from him, in Australia,
where he was unsuccessful with large
company on his hands Fannie was married
to John Fitch, = wealthy Southerner, who
loet bis property In the war and died soon
after its close. After tray cling with the
family for some time Fannie settled in
jamestown, Oak, with her son and daueh-
ter, where she has an interest in q large hard
ware store and also in a lumber yard.
Her parents have not heard from her
in more than a year. Julia is IN California,
and she is now Mrs William Baisdsll. She
and her husband had a company of their
own in the extreme West. During the past
week Mrs. Peak received letter from Will
liam Henry's wife, who lives at Niles, Mich.
She begged her parents to make her home
with her, but they will not do so, as they
fear that her circumstances would not war
rant the expense of their support.
Mr.. Peak, in explaining his present desti-
tuition, said that in the days of his prosperity
he lavished thousands on his children and
spent great deal in charity. In st. Paul,
Mimi, he lost $4,000 in gold speculation
ard also sank a large sum in q theater at
Pixies Peak in its mushroom DAYS. Neither
be nor his wife attaches any blame to their
children for their present destitute circum-
stances. For the last few years the aged
couple have appeared only in small places
They were stranded about the middle OF last
December in jamestown, Pa, and vera, as a
last resort, obliged to appeal to the Superin-
tendent of the Poor IN Cortland County,
where they han lived long enough to secure
a residence. They reached the Poor House
on New Years Day. A movement is on foot
for the removal of Mr.. and Mrs. Peak to the
Old Folks Home at Elmira.