The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-07-25
NO. 80.
RECOVERY OF A CHILD.
Found after Twenty-Five Years and
Restored to Her Father.

Found after Twenty-Five Years and
Restored to Her Father.
A pathetic story of u father and
daughter separated for twenty-five
years and at last reunited by accident,
is related in The New York World.
The daughter is Hettie Flowers and
the father is Charles HI. Flowers, of
Macon. Twenty-Five years ago, Hettie,
then u nero child was taken away
from Macon by stealth. A few DAYS
ago, by mere chance, she discovered
the whereabouts of her father. Cor
respondence ensued, and the long lost
daughter is now on her way to Macon
to join the parent from whom a cruel
fate has 80 long separated her.
The Worlds story s'as follows:
Among the passengers who sailed
yesterday afternoon for the sunny
South on the steamer Nacoochee, of
the Savannah line, was slim little
woman with pale, carewOrn features,
young in years but aged by experience.
Deprived of her mother by death when
mere babe, taken away from her
home when child of five, u runaway,
determined to make her own way In
the world while yet in adolescence,
married at seventeen and soon aban-
doned by her husband, she is found at
last by her old father, who for twenty
two years has been searching for her.
Hettie Flowers was born in 1866 in
Macon, Ga. Her father, Charles H.
Flowers, fought bravely for the cause
of the Confederacy. He was u plumber
by trade, and he prospered when he
doffed the butternut uniform and re-
turned to civil life. He married, and
his first-born was Hettie. His wife
died young, leaving him with two little
babes to rear.
Among his acquaintances Flowers
counted family Of Northern people-a
man named Smith, his wife and their
two children. With Mrs. Smith. who
was going north to rejoin her husband,
who had preceded her, Flowers made
an arrangement by which Hettie
should go along, be brought up and
educated and her support and mainten-
ance provided for by regular remit
tanceS.
For some reason which has not been
explained, Mrs. Smith left Macon one
day in surreptitious manner, taking
little Hettie along, and from that day
until about month ago, Flowers re-
manned in ignorance as to the existence
of his first born. He had searched
diligently for her, but had long given
her up for dead. Hettie 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.
sAbout eleven years ago while they were
living in Hoboken, Mrs. Smith made
journey to some western city. AS her
trip was to be Of some duration, she
left Hettie in charge of the matron of
some institution in Forty-second street
Hettie can no. identify this place any
more specifically. She says that she
thinks it was an old ladies home. In
this place she gradually worked into the
position of waitress and general at
tendant, and growing more capable
and independent, left the institution
and got lucrative emplyment else
where in this city. A few months later
Hettie met Louis Place, a young man,
and married him.
There is veil of mystery over this
period of Hettic Flowers life which she
alone can raise. This she declined to
do when relating tho incidents of her
strange career to World reporter
yesterday. She asserted that her
marital 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 of matrimony.
1t was after his descrtion, when Hettfe
was eighteen years old, that her child
was born. She was both philosophical
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 Hettic has worked dill
gently in the capacity of housekeeper.
She has served three families. named,
respectively, Darling, McNess and
Mcintyre. These are all Mount Ver-
non people. SO that Hettie considers
that pretty Wcstchestcr suburb of New
York as hor home.
All thought of ever meeting her own
people had left the Woodworking
housekeeper, but her employer, Mrs.
Mcintyre, to whom she happened to
tell the story of her life a few months
ago, determined to solve it's mystery, if
possible. She told Hettie that she
would write to Macon, and, in spite of
Hettie's belief that it was hopeless, as
her father must surely be dead the
letter was written and addressed to the
postmaster at Macon.
It's mission was successful. TO the
inquiry as to the existence of Charles
Flowers 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 of her sister and of his
position in life. He had prospercd
He was rich, and the home she was
coming to was one of comfort and of
luxury. A good sized check empha-
| sized this nnptinn nf tho lnftnr Mn
Mcintyre, who is a real estate agent in
this city. accompanied his former
housekeeper to the steamer yesterday.