Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-08-04
BILL FORD'S STORY.
he WAS HAUNTED by THE LOOK AND
WORDS OF HIS PARTNER FOR YEARS.
IL 9. D. nnIamAM. wAsnlNaroa. D. G.

EY c. D. BRIGHAM wAsmSGros. D. G.
During he war learned the parlicn-
lars If the life Of soldier which,
narrated in the planest manner, would
be as interesting as any romance ]
propose only to make a rapid reference
to them The soldier refer to was
enlisted into a New York regiment of
infantry AT Albany, but for peculiar
reasons he had been transferred To the
artillery Il wanted that kind Of fight.
ing said he. 1T was The service OF
greatest DANCER, ami for that reesen il
pleased me best On being urged for
the reason he saw an explanation would
be the history OF the larger part Of his
life, and this be proceeded to give.
Myself and friend, both being
single, with our fortunes to make aud
the love Of adventure to crafty, Joined
The grand army of Forty Miners 10 Cal
itornia. We were full % life. and had
money enough - swing ourselves into
line, rs we ust 4 to say, We took cur
chances had the usual experience of
ups and downs, and enjoyed ourselves
without caring much about fortune
making AT once. We followed a river
into the interior, and frequently we're
on It's waters enjoying the pastime of
rowing. One afternoon when we were
thus engaged dispute about some
tritling matter arose between myself
anu my friend, whose name was Joe
Dunbar my own being Bill Ford,
though that is not the one that is born
on the roll of my enlistment We be-
came angry without any good cause.
BY false step Joe fell overheard. Ia
my anger, while be was in the water
exertng himself to the utmost to re-
gain the boat, ! struck him with the
oar ! had i'm my hand. The look he
gave me, which was not so much of
rage as an appeal to save him, cannot
describe. In an instant | was over my
own anger. and would have given my
own life To save his He disappeared
below the surface. / rowed for the
shore rs quickly as possible. The in
slant | touched it I leaped from the
boat and fled, thinking of nothing but
the terrible act II killing my friend. |
must have made long distance before
| stopped; for when | came to myself
was among strangers, and the surround
remorse | fell for what | had done
drove all other Thoughts from my mind.
Day and night, every minute, that look
he gave me when he disappeared in the
water was before my eyes The words
he spoke, which We're, Don hurt me,
Bill, were always sounding IL my ears
That look and those words | could never
get away from. | worked, | mined and
got gold in any quantities | would
haze given it all could have closed my
eyes TO that look and my ears to those
words pushed on from place to
place with more gold than / could
carry, Vet burthened chiefly BY remorse
for my crime | was not dissolate.
did not drink liquor to down nv re.
morse. gave away my gold to those
who had none BY living correctly |
hoped ali the time, thinking, To be for.
given, that possibly could some day
do something that would purchase for
giveuess | became morose and unsoci-
ahe, and was regarded as an undeSir-
able fellow by many. as really was,
no doubt | stunned my fellows and
wandered | Was always successful in
gold digging whenever / worked. which
u
only Joe Dunbar was always with me
VITA his appealing looks rs he went
down before m, eyes, and his beseech-
INC word, ringing u my ears. We two
were together as we had always been
from childhood. though had kj.led
Joe. and seen him sink 10 the river
Sometimes / would 60 into a mining
town. aud among the miners, where
they we've in numbers collected, hard
lot generally. Yet among them men of
education and ability, with strange Iea-
sons tor being here, wondered wheth
er there would not be one 10 whom |
could impart my secret and who could
help me carry my burden. Al times
would 20 among these men with the
strange idea | might see among them
jos Dunbar, notwithstanding he went
down before my eyes appealing To mt
TO save him. More than once | thought
heard his Voice IN motley assemblage:
Mt night N the camp, in the gambling
rooms, and drinking places wherever
else miners congregated. | felt | wa
an uutcast and ought to suffer for my
crime Were | to confess, what woul,
it amount to- There WAS no law Their,
IN those days. and ! would be laughed
at, and called craA man. VINO o
those which | met had not done simila
things3 fhis | would ASK myself, 10
how true / was that crimes were fire
quent | welt knew and yanll tried /,
dismiss my thoughts. they wore int
my brain, and every moment, Of M
lite. and everywhere, they rad possess
ion Of me.
Finally | determined to return I