The Southern herald., 1886-02-20

HoW Mrs RiHhsph Discovered HeF Lsna'
Lost Boy.

AoW Ms, Hi1haph Discovered Her Asna.
Lost Boy.
tPhiladelphIa Nsws.l
TO allttle two-story ana q half house
built Of wood, on Girard avenue, near
Marlborough street, there Is romantic
history attached. In 1e4g there came 10
this country from Baden, Germany, one
William Bishoph and his wife. They
brought with them boy six years Of age,
Mrs. Bishoph's son by her FIRST husband,
named Willie Fisher. Mr.. Bishoph was 9
barber ID an humble way and employed no
assistants. As his trade grew he taught
his wife the business, and she became skill
full with the razor. Little Willie Fisher
was an unusually intelligent child and ex-
ceedingly popular in the neighborhood.
He was nicknamed "Young Hecker"
because Of his precocity. One day
he was missing. He was so universal
afavorite that at first nothing was Thought
Of his absence, and II was supposed thathe
was passing the time with some OF his
many feends. But the boy had not re-
turned by night. All inquiry proved fruit
less. He was nowhere to be found, He
was not demonstratively afIectlonate to-
ward his stepfather, but there was no
doubt Of his great love for his mother, and
IL was difficult TO believe that he had vols
unfairly deserted her. Poor asthe Bishoph's
were they expended time and money
through many years in the vain search for
the child Then came the great civil war.
The shop became the frequent resort Of
I soldiers Of the Union. One afternoon two
soldiers entered the shop, one of them de-
string to be shaved and the other going
along merely to keep him company. Al
though the chair Of the old gentleman was
vacant, the soldier insisted upon waiting to
be shaved by thewoman. This was thought
nothing Of and laughed at as something Of
o joke, for the woman barber was by this
time advanced in years, She shaved the
soldier and he and his friend left. They
came back the next morning, and the same
man whom the woman had shaved the day
before had his hair cut by the husband.
When the young man had gone away Mr..
Bishoph said to his wife: ~
"Do you remember, mine frau, that Pc
culiar bump upon the leftside at the back
Of his head Of our little WillieG"
II do" she replied, "but why talk Of
that2" 4H 8aH
"Because, mine frau, that soldier, whose
hair ! cut to-day, and whom you shaved
yesterday, has exactly the same bump In
exactly the same placer f#
Z Mro piohoph .hano,oa infauoalx1 arwatfod
but waited anxiously for the coming again
Of the soldier boy. She was satisfied he
was her son. Come again he did, and he
sat down in. the chair and she shaved him.
As she put the last touch upon his hair she
looked into his eyes and said;
| care you not Willie Fisheri"
eyes, am your son,' said the soldier.
| 1t is unnecessary to go over in detail his
many years Of wanderings until the firing
upon Sumter found him in New Jersey.
Then he entered aregiment from that State
and served gallantly during the war. At
the end of one of the terms of his enlistment
he came to Philadelphia and went into
the neighborhood of his old home in
Kensington. He saw the house just as it
used to be, with the familiar names upon
the sign, and he entered with the intention
of throwing himself into his mothers
arms, but finding that he was not recog-
nized he could not resist the temptation
of trying to see how long it would be
before his identity would be discovered.
Mr.. William Fisher is to-day somewhat
well-known resident Of Kensington, is mar.
ried and has large family. The old
shop is still in existence, and is carried
on under the same firm name of man
| and wife, La