The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-18
BACH TO HOME AyDFATaER
Kettle Flowers Finds Them Alter
Being Sought Tor p Years,

Little Child-In Spite Of Her Guardi-
ans Neglect and a Husbands Faith
lessness She Made Her Way in the
World-A Letter Sent without Hope
Reaches Her Anxious Father.
Among the passengers on the Nacoo-
chez, which arrived at the dock at 1
o'clock this morning, was Mrs Heltie
Flowers and hcr little daughter Nettie.
1t is % years since Mrs. Flowers
left her native state, child of
nine years of age, to live with strangers,
since which time sine has been as COM
pletely lost to her family as though she
We're dead. In fact, Jhey believed her
dead, having, in their repeated efforts,
failed to obtain any trace of hor.
Mrs. Flowers herself was anxious to re
turn TO her people in Georgia, but could
hear nothing of them. a short while ago
she wrote letter to the postmaster at
Macon, inquiring if c. II. Flowers was
still living and if he knew any one by
that name in Macon or else
where. She received an immediate
reply, stating that A. H. Flowers was
dress. Correspondence between the father
and daughter followed, which resulted in
her arrival here last night. Mrs. Flowers
was met at the steamer by her brother
in-law, Mr. r. p Walker. who lives at
No. q 4 Gordon street, in this city.
Mrs. Walker is the only survivor Of
the family of four children who were
alive when Mrs Flowers left Georgia,
her two brothers having died.
MRS. FLOWERS STORY.
The following is the story told by Mrs.
Flower: She was born in 1866, in Ma
con. Her father, Charles A. Flow
ers, fought bravely for the cause of the
confederacY. He was a plumber by trade,
and he prospered when he dotted the but
ternut uniform and returned TO civil life.
He married and his first born was Het-
tie. His wife died young, leaving him
with two little babies to rear.
Among his acquaintances Flowers
counted family of northern people,
man named Smith, his wife and their two
children. With Mrs. Smith. who was
going north to reioin her husband who
had preceded her, Flowers made an ar
by which Hettic should 80
along, be brought up and educated and
her support and maintenance provided
for by regular remittances.
LEFT HER HOME.
For some reason which has not been ex-
planned, Mrs. Smith left Macon one day
in a surreptitious manner, taking little
Hettie along, and from that day until
about a month ago, Flowers remained in
ignorance as to the existence of his first
born. He had searched diligently for her,
but had long given her up for dead. Het-
tie grew up with the Smiths but nothing
was done to educate her She was not
subjected to harshneSs or cruelty, but was
simply neglected. Twelve years passed
in this fashion. About eleven years ago,
while they were living in Hoboken, Mrs
Smith made a journey to some weste TN
city As her trip was to be of some dura-
lion, she left Hettie III charge of the
matrOn of some institution in Forty
second street. Hettie can not identify
this place any more specifically. She says
that she thinks 10 was an old ladies home
In this place she gradually worked into
lhe position of waitress and general at
-endant, and, growing more capable and
left the institution and got
lucrative employment elsewhere in this
,lty A few months later Hettie met
Louis Place, young man, and married
him.
UNDER A VEIL OF MYSTERY.
There is a veil of mystery over this
period of Hettie Flowers life which she
alone can raise. This she declined to do
when relating the incidents Of her strange
career to a World reporter yesterday.
She asserted that her martial experience
was but vague memory Her husband
was about her age, she thought. He
worked in shirt mandatory. He
abandoned her after less than two years
IF matrimony. 1t was after his deser-
ZION, when Hettie was Is years old, that
ler child was born. She was both philo-
5Ophical and plucky. She did not take
and never has taken any steps TO free
herself from the marital bonds that held
her to Louis Place She dropped his
name and resumed her own.
Since then Hettie has worked dill
gently in the capacity of hOuseKeeper.
She has served three families, named re-
5pectively, Darling, Van Ness and Nc
.ntyre. These are all Mount Vernon poo-
pie, SO that Hettie considers that pretty
Westchester suburb Of New York as her
acme.
GAVE UP HER PEOPLE.
All thought of ever meeting her own
people had left the hard working house
keeper, but her employer, Mrs. Mcintyre
TO whom she happened to tell the story of
her life, few months ago determined TO
solve its mystery, if possible. She told
HettW that she would write to Macon.
AA0i IA obtbN "a A41lllN . btll0l Llidb IL W DIS
hopeless, as her father must surely be
dead, the letter was written ana ad-
dressed to the postmaster at Macon.
It's mission was successful. To the in
quiry as to the existence of Charles Flow
ers came an answer written by him.
Father and daughter exchanged letters.
That of the father told the daughter how
she had been taken away from him, how
he had searched for her and how happy
his old days would now be- He told her
0f her sister and Of his position in life
he had prospercd. He was rich, and the
home she was coming to was one of com
fort and luxury. A eood-sized check en-
phasized this portion of the letter
The meeting between the two sisters
who had not seen each other for % years
was very affecting. Nettie, Mrs. Flowers
little girl, who Is just as old as her
mother was when she left
Georgia, is a very bright and pretty little
child. Mrs. Flowers will spend several
days with her sister in Savannah before
going TO her fathers home in Macon.
KILLED BY LIGHTNING.