Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-05-16
LONG SEARCH REWARDED.


After a weary selrch for twenty seven
years, former Chicago man has at last
found his family. In June, 1862, Fred
Cummings, a contractor and builder of
Chicago, and the possessor OF wife and
five sm,ll children-three girls aud two
boys-marched forth 10 battle for the
Union. At Chattanooga he was wounded
and taken prisoner, being listed as killed.
After eight months in Southern hospitals
and prisons, he made his escape, rejoined
his company befor9 Atlanta, and marched
with Sherman 10 the sea. He wrote his
wife an account CT his capture, escape,
and the subsequent campaign, but it was
one of the letters that never came. His
wife, lelieving him dead, and having a
large family to support, married again,
moving TO another part Of Chicago. At the
close of the war Cummings returned.
His wife and children were g,ne-
no one knew whittier. Heartbroken he
began weary search for them, travelling
NIL over the country. When his money
was exhausted he earned more and started
again on his search. He drifted TO Lead.
Vile, made considerable money and spent
ii all as before and returned TO the West.
A short time ago he went to the mining
camp, and as he sat at the camp fire his
attention was attracted by scrap of
paper blowing tlong the ground. The
greatest solace to mon who delye in lonely
places is news of the outside world, and
Cummings eagerly grasped the scrap of
paper and began to read it. 1t proved to
be fragment of the Detroit Free Press
and he found in it an account of a recep-
tion to be given by the Odl Fellows OF
Detroit. He saw among the names Of
those who were conducting the prepara-
tions for the reception that of John H.
Cummings. This was the name of his
eldest son, and he lost not q
moment in going TO Detroit. He
found that John II. Cummings was
the inside steward of the Russell House.
The stranger poered eagerly into the
young mans face, and then stretching
out both hands, cried: John, John, my
boyl don't you know your father2" The
mist cleared away, and father and son,
who had not seen each other for over
twenty-seyen ye lrs, were clasped in each
others arms. That night Alfred Cum
mings slept under the roof of his son.
Now comes the denouement. A few years
ago the second husband of Mrs. Cum
mings died, and she has since lived in
Toledo with her son, Charles E. Cum
mings. All three daughters are married.
The commissioners appointed in
quire into the feasibility of q bridge
across the Detroit River at Detroit met
in the latter city. Gustaf Lindenthal, of
the New York Long Span Bridge Com
pany, demonstrated TO the commiss toner's
that single span bridge was impractical
BILE, but advocated three-span structure,
the approaches to which would be be-
tween 5000 and 1000 feet, and the esti-
mated cost OF which would be about So
500 900. The height Of the towers would
be about one hundred and forty feet, but
Don M. Dickinson showed that vessels
with masts extending l65 feet we're sail
ing on the lakes, and in view of that he
urged winter draw-bridge. W. X. Muir
announced that the railroads we're back
ing this bridge project. William Living
stone, a representative lake man, opposed
the entire bridge scheme as impracticable
and destined TO injure the vessel inter-
ests.
John Burns, a farmer living in
Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County,
stabbed aud mortally wounded James
McMichaels in drunken quarrel. The
affray occurred at the house of a man
named Masters, and Burns first attempted
to murder him. McMichaels intsrfered
and tried 10 avoid bloodshed, when IN
ugly looking knife was plunged into his
stomach.
st. Johns now has ten saloons, from
which the village receives revenue Of
! $500 and Clinton County like amount,