Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-01-21

A Once Wealthy New Highlander
PnrdOned fer bravery as n COn-

A Once Wealthy New Englander
PnrdOned fer bravery as n COn-
viet.
CHICAGO, Jan. 14.-Silas McCloon, one
of the four Deer Island convicts who were
pardoned at Boston this week for heroism
in rescuing the remnant of the crew of
the wrecked schooner Juliet of Winthrop
Point, has had romantic career, accord
ing to history of his life, which is pub
lished here to-day. McCloon's father was
a wealthy merchant and ship-builder of
Rockland, Me-, and was worth at least
81 500, 900 at the time of his death. The
inheritance was divided between the
mother, two daughters and the son, he
receiving in accordance with the pro-
visions in the law one-third Of the whole
fDrtune.
The residue was equally divided among
the other heirs. One of the daughters,
soon after the disposition of the estate,
married an ex-lieutenant-g governor of
Massachusetts, now one of the most
prominent members of the bar in that
state. Silas became the husband of a
young lady distinguished in the society of
Haverhill Mass, for her great beauty
| and accomplishments. A $6O,000 resi-
dence at Rockland was his first invest
ment. His next was the purchase of a
half intefest in the ineompleted invention
of Yankee, TO utilize steam without
allowing an exhaust. Thousands after
thousands of dollars melted away in the
scheme. The financial hacker, in
experienced and perfectly insane
with enthusiasm, hastened off to
Europe with imperfect models and
illustrations to introduce to the old
world IN unpatented patent that was des-
tined to revolutionize the power-supply-
ing methods of the universe. Sharpers
of London and Paris saw the weakness Of
both the man and machine and while at
testing to the marvellous worth of one,
showed no hesitation in patronizing the
apparently inexhaustable wealth of the
other. Young McCloon, it is said, had
dined and wined himself out of nearly
5000 900, when his married sister, then il
Paris, with her husband had him spirited
off to America one night. He stuck to
the invention sharp until oil his
available resources were dissipated. Moth
ing was left but the Rockland house and
limestone quarry that yielded an income
of SIS 900. These he one day gave to his
wife convinced that he was irreclamahle
His mother gave to him with n lavisl
hand, but when she saw that he was fall
ing lower with each gift she withheld hel
favors for his own sake, thinking to nerve
him to better deeds. His sisters CLOSED
the doors of their rich homes agains
him. At last his mother gave him I
purse with which to start anew in tn
west, exacting n promise that he woul'
never return unless he had overcome hi
unfortunate appetite.
InFebruary 1877 young McOloon passe,
: through Chicago on his way to the Blacl
Hills then the scene of gold excitement
He had not allowed an intoxicant T.
touch his lips for q full month. A
: Omaha while the overland train wa
! waiting for lunch he bought n bottle O
ale. The next night while the train wa
5 speeding past Gibbon, small station i
r Nebraska, the station agent was shocke
Y TO sec body fall and apparently 70
under the wheels. He took the uncor
l scious man into the station and restore
!. him. II was the young New Englandei
: He had miraculously escaped with fe'
Q bruises on the head, The following trai
t brought him on to Cheyenne. The
! for some days he surprised th
J. border men by his munficene
n and princely ways. On the fourth du
l. he awakened with meagre 5000, Il
n remnant of the $40, 900 which his moth,
d had given him for the first instalment c
d the purchase of cattle ranch. His ne
10 effort ut reformation was made as an exi
on the Medicine Bow Mountain RAM
1t where human beings are rarely seen al
/ where intoxicants could not be had.
}. the expiration of that period, having 81
g. fered the adverse fate of most go
hunters, McCloon returned home to /
at wife and two children in Maine, su
m that circumstances had redeemed hi
10 and resolved to recover by hard labor t
a fortune he had so reoklessly sguandere
I'd His release from a convict's cell 1
ps bravery is the first that has been hea
in from him since then.