The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-01-15
A MAYNARD MAN
AND HIS STRANGE HISTORY,
Ehs Heir to wealth He squAudSrs His
Fortune in RiOtouS Living, BSoOnsGA
Convict aud Is PArdonSd for Heroic
Rescue ofshIp Wrecked Sailors,

CHIcAGo, Jan, l4.-SilAs Mc0loon, one
Of the four Deer Island convicIs who were
pardonsd at Boston this week for hsroihm
in rescuing the remnant Of the crew ol
the wrecked schooner Juliet, off Winth-
rop Point, has had romantic career, &C.
cording to the history Of his life, which
was published here to-day, McCOon'S
father was q wealthy merchant and ship
builder OF Rockland, Maine, and was
worth at least $l,5OO,OOO at the time Of
his death. The inheritance was divided
between the mother, two daughters and
the son, he receiving, in accordance with
the provisions In the will, one-third Of
the whole fortune, The residue was
equally divided among the other heirs.
One Of the daughters soon after the dis
position Of the estate, married an ex'Leu-
tenant Governor ol Massachusetts now
one Of the most prominent members of the
bar Of that State,
Silas became the husband OF Q young
lady distinguished In the society Of HAV-
erhill, Mass, for her great beauty and 40.
complishments. A $4,000 residence at
RocEland was his first Investment. His
next was the fatal purchase Of hall In.
terest in the incompleted invention Of a
Yankee TO utilize steam without allowing
an exhaust, Thousands after Thousands
Of Sdollara melted away in the scheme.
The financial baeker, inexperienced and
perfectly insane With enthusiasm, has
tened on 10 Europe with imperfect models
and illuaiIatlons 10 introduce 10 the Old
World an unpatenied patent that was
destined toT5volutionize the poWeTaupply-
ing methods Of the universe iftla
eharpers at London and PaFia HaW the
weakness OF both the man aud machine,
and while Rttesting to the marvellous
worth Of one, showed no hesitation In
patrolizing the apparently inexhaustible
wealth OF the other. Young McCloon, 1t
Is said, had wined and dined himself out
Of nearly 100000, when his married sister,
then In Paris with her husband, had him
spirited off to America one night. He
stuck to the invention sharper until his |
available resources were disSipAted.
TURNED ADRlFT.
Nothing was left but The RoCkland |
house and limestone quarry that yielded |
an income Of s6,0OOa year. These he one
day gave to his wife, convinced that he
was irreClaimable. His mother gave to
him with lavish hand, but when she saw
that he was falling lower with each gift |
she withheld her tavors. For his own
sake, thinking to nerve him to better
deeds, his sisters closed the doors Of their |
rich homes against him. At last bis
mother gave him a purse with which to
start anew in the West, exaCtinR
promise that he would never return to |
her until he had overcome his unfortunate
appetite.
In February 1877, young McCloon pass
ed through Chicago on his way TO the
Black Hills, the scene Of the gold excite.
ment. lie had not allowed an intoxicant
TO touch his lips for . full month. At
Omaha, while tie overland train was wall. |
ing for lunch, he bought bottle Of ale.
The next night, while the train was speed
ing past 'Gibbon, q small station In Me-
braska, the keeper was shocked TO see Q |
body fall and apparently roll under the |
wheels. He took the unconscious man |
into the station and restored him. It was
the young New Engander. He had mi.
raculously escaped with only few bruises
on the head. The following train took |
him on to Cheyenne. Then for two days
he surprised the border men by his muni. |
fcence and princely ways. On the fourth |
day he awakened with q meager $500 bf |
the $4,000, which his mother had given |
him for the lrst installment on the pur.
chase Of q cattle ranch.
McCloon's next effort at reformation
was made in exile on the Medicine Bow
Mountain range, where for four months |
he remained searching for gold where
human beings are rarely seem and where
intoxlcants could not be had. At the ex.
piration Of that period, having suffered
the adverse fate ol most gold hunters,
returnsd home to his wife and
two children In Maine, sure that Circum.
stances had redeemed, and resolved to re.
cover by hard labor the fortune he had 20
recklessly tquandered. His release from |
q conyicts cell for bravery 10 the first that
has been heard from him since then.