Wichita eagle., 1890-01-18
HALF A CENTURY.
MEETING OF BROTHERS WHO WERE
PARTED FOR FIFTY YEARS.

A Lad, Driven from Home by an Elder
Brothers Cruelty. Settles in Kentucky and
Becomes Rich and Popular-The Discov-
cry Made Through the Signing of Deeds.
In conversation with an aged gentleman
from Pembroke KY, a Chronicle reporter
heard story which reads like romance, but
nevertheless is true.
Away back near the close of the last CEN
fury there lived happy family in the ''Old
Dominion" blest with all the comforts that
surrounded a Virginia homestead at that
date The family consisted of father and
mother and two sons. They were as happy
as one could imagine family to be, who were
blest with all the Injuries of primitive hug
bandry The father was stricken with par
alysis one day, and lived only a short time.
The demise Of the father was soon followed
by that of the mother, and the two boys were
left to divide the estate, the father having
nlado no will Things moved on pretty
smoothly for awhile until the elder brother
married and tried to take possession OF the
homestead and make a general utility man
of his 16-year-oh brother. The outcome of
this was that the younger brother proposed
to leave home, and called for his half of his
fathers estate. He was met by his married
brother, and was told that he could have
nothing. A quarrel ensued, and a fight in
which the boy came out considerably bruised
by his brother was the result.
DRIVEN FROM HOME.
The young man, stung to the quick by the
brutal treatment of his brother, packed up
what few clothing he could carry in sack
and turned his back upon the home Of his
childhood, to try his fortunes in the west.
At that early day Kentucky and Tennessee
were open for settlers, and people were pour
ing into the new states by the hundreds.
One day a youthful looking person came
into a settlement, near where the town Of
Pembroke, KY, is now located, and asked
for work. He told the people that he was
from Virginia and had come west to make
his fortune. He was taken into full mem
bership by this band of pioneer settlers and
given work and place to sleep. He worked
along awhile and finally entered piece of
land for himself. He turned out to be the
shrewdest man in the camp, and soon was
recognized as leader in all public affairs.
He grew wealthy by degrees, and by the
time the section in which he lived was fully
settled, he was regarded as one OF the rich
men of the community. In early days he
moved to GAINESVILLE and went into the lum-
Der business-that The employed a force of
men in rafting logs down the Cumberland
before there was much Of a settlement here.
This venture proved remunerative beyond
his most sanguine expectations, and he soon
went back to the Pembroke neighborhood
and invested his gains in land.
After Pembroke had become a little vii
lage, and people were raising all kinds of
farm products in the neighborhood, an ell
derby looking gentleman drove into the town
one day and put up at the little tavern. He
remained in the town several days before he
made known his business. When he had ex-
amined the country closely, he made known
that he wished to buy home. He was re-
ferred, by the landlord of the tavern, to the
gentleman mentioned in connection with the
early settlement of the place.
REUNITED.
He sought out the man who owned more
property in that country than any one else,
and made known his business. A trade was
soon made, and when documents We're drawn
up transferring the property, the elderly gen
tleman became very much excited and be-
trayed considerable emotion. On being ques-
toned by the gentleman he said: 81 once had
a brother by your name who left Virginia
some fifty years ago at the age of about 16
years, and seeing the name brings up thoughts
of home, when he and I were boys together,
happy in father and mothers love-" The
man wept bitterly and said that he had hunted
for brother, for years, that he drove away
from home in Virginia. The men compared
notes, and soon found out that they were
brothers, and that they were the same broth
ers that parted in boyhood, vowing eternal
enmity to each other. They fell ON each
others necksand wept like children, curious
crowd standing around looking at the trans
action. When the two brothers parted in
boyhood they had heard nothing Of each
other-in fact, they had not tried to commu-
nicate. They are both now dead, but have
descendants living within ten miles of Clarks-
vile, and others near Hopkinsville and Penn
broke They were both good citizens, and the
younger of the two was sent as representa-
tive to the Kentucky legislature two or three
times, and made one unsuccessful race for
congress years ago.
The gentleman who gave the information is
now an old man and says that the circum-
stances occurred as related above, when he
was boy. They lived on adjoining farms
after the older one moved to Kentucky, and
were fast friends Their names are with
held on account of family relations, but the
whole affair certainly occurred as narrated
above If it doesn't read like romance,
what is iti-Clarksvile tTenn.) Chronicle.