News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-01-03
A LOST BOYS STORY.
Charles Lispenard Finds the Mother
From Whom He was Stolen in
lSR3

There is one happy mother in Brook
Ign. She is Mrs. Martha Lispenard,
and she rejOices in the fact that son
whom she had mourned as dead for more
than twenty-five years has turned up
alive and we'll and IS now on visit to
her.
This son is Charles Lispenard. He
reached Brooklyn last Friday night, and
his striking resemb' ance to his brother,
George Lispenard, bore out his state
ment that he was really the person
whom many Brooklynites had believed
found watery grave quarter of q cen
fury ago.
Until three months ago Charles Lis
penard had always known his name to
be Charles Allen and under that name
he married an estimable Indiana lady.
He knew nothing of his parents, but had
a faint recollection that relatives lived
somewhere in the vicinity of New York.
He could recall incidents Of his child
hood thai he was positive hid not taken
place in the West. InLogansport, Ind,
where he lad settled and where a happy
wife and children are now anxiously
awaiting his return, there were many
there as lad. But they knew nothing
of his previous history. So when James
L. Wooten, q Benton county farmer,
visited Logansport last September and
astonished "Charies Allen with the ex-
ciamation that Charles Aliens real name
was Charles Lispenard, the latter be-
lieved that he was being made tue vic
tim of n practical joke. But Farm r
Wooten was not joking and soon con-
WINGED his young friend that he said was
true.
Little by little Mr.. Lispenard learned
something of his previous history.
While very young boy he was put to
work on the farm of q man named Allen,
in Benton county. This man treated
him 50 badly that he ran away. But
Allen followed and caught him and then
brought the unfortunate back to the
farm, where he treated him more shame
lessly than before, and finally hanged
him in barn until nearly dead. Neigh
bors rescue d him and the farmer and his
two sons were arrested. They were cou-
victed and sentenced to long term of
imprisonme Mt. 1t was some time after
this that the boy wandered to Lo2ansport,
where he obtained good position, and
where eventually he settled down. In
this place he studied for the ministry as
Mr.. Allen, and people knew him hy no
other name.
AS soon as he was convinced that his
name was Lispenard, he consulted a
lawyer in his own town, and not many
days after this the lawyer opened q cor
respOndence with Mr.. George Ryall,
lawyer who has an Office in Broadway,
this city. Mr.. Rya'l consulted the
school records of Brooklyn, and found
that the names of George Lispenard and
his brother, Charles Lispenard were
duly entered there. He continued his
investigation further, and learned that
while George Lispenard still lived in
Brooklyn his brother Charles had mys-
teriously d sappeared years ago. He
connected these two links, and after
many weeks lie learned, to his own salts
faction and to that of Mr.. George Lis
penard that the Charles Allen, of Logan
sport, Ind, was mono other than Charles
Lispenard, of Brooklyn, who one even
ing in the fall of 1868, while he was on
his way home through First street, then
Williamsburg, with an armful of chips
that he had collected in a shipyard, was
asked by man who was being driven
slowly along in a cab to stop in.
Charles did so, and from that day IN
til last Friday night he never set foot in
Brooklyn again. He was driven across
the ferry 10 this city and thence, with
several other boys, was transported to
the West, where he was hired out to
Farmer Allen.
The poor mother waited patiently for
her sons return on that eventful night,
and spent every dollar she possessed in
an unsuc ressful search for him. In the
end she believed that her missing boy
had fallen overheard and was drowned
and that his body was carried out to
sea.
When I called at Mrs. Lispenard's
residence, was told that she with her
long lost boy and other son, George, had
left early in the evening to visit friends
in another section of Brooklyn. A lady
living in the house who answered my
queries, smiled pleasantly as she related
how the mother clasped her long lost
boy to her bosom when he reached his
native city few nights since. She said
that from what she had heard Mr. Lis
penard would remain in Brooklyn many
days.-N Y. HeraIl.