Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1895-08-22
WHO is VERNON?
Old Patrick Vernon, Alleged to be of
This City, Starts for Ireland and
Dies at Sea and is Buried.

Dies at Sea ana Is Buried
The Philadelphia Times Monday
published the rather sensational story of
the death at sea of an old man named
Patrick Vernon, whose home is given as
Bridgeton. Who is Vernon? At this
time the old man cannot be located. The
following is the entire Times story.
Lawyers in this city have just been re-
tanned to look up some little piece of real
estate in Southern New Jersey which
stands in the name of Patrick Vernon,
and the communication sent here from
the mans heirs in Ireland tells In a
pathetically incoherent way why the
services of lawyers are needed, Vernon
was an old man who lived near Bridge
ton, N. j.. and had charge of a handsome
residence there. His wife, who lived
with him, died on Christmas Day, 1888
and since that time he has lived by him
self. He had no relatives, and few close
friends in this county.
Last spring he determined to return to
his home in the city of Dublin, Ireland,
where he has five married sons. He
packed up all his belongings, and not
finding a purchaser for the property he
owned near Bridgeton, left that to be
sold by his late employer. He had, be-
| sides this, quite little money in the
| bank, and this he took with him. As he
bid goodbye to his neighbors he told
| them how glad he was at the prospect of
seeing his old home again, and said he
would never leave it until he died.
| He engaged passage in the steerage Of
| the American Line steamer New York,
sailing on July last. He could neither
read nor write, but his friends wrote to
his five big sons telling them when their
father would arrive. In reply letters
came saying that the sons would meet
the father at Southampton, and that
preparations for his home coming had
already been begun. Tears of joy filled
the old mans eyes when the letters were
read to him.
| He Was Going Home.
| Among the three hundred steerage
passengers on the big steamship when
she passed down New York harbor there
was no one half so happy as the old man.
He was the life of the ships hold. On
the second day out he led in the celebra-
ton of the great American anniversary
and popped irecrackers on the iron
grating facing the engine room with as
much ardor and enthusiasm as any
youngster in Philadelphia. In the even
ing there was singing and music, and he
wound up the day with an Irish reel
that was an echo of his own distant boy
hood.
Within two days everyone in the
steerage had fallen in love with the old
man and to everybody he told of those
five strapping big sons, who were going
to meet him on the wharf at Southamp-
ton. A few first cabin passengers who
visited the hold ran across him and one
day he was nearly tickled to death at the
honor of shaking hands with National
Democratic Chairman William F. Harrity
and United States Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge, of Massachusetts,, both of whom
were occupying handsome state rooms
two decks above him.
The old man looked strong and healthy
and ON the evening of July 8, when the
lights of the Lizard were visible from the
ships side, he stayed up late to pack his
belongings into his brand new little vel.
low trunk. Towards midnight he com.
planned to his neighbors in their wooden
hunks that he felt dizzy, and after he hao
retired they heard him groan once OF
twice. But he said he did not want {
doctor and would be all right in the
morning, when he would reach home
Presently he was still and his neighbors
thought he had gone to sleep.
The Five Sons Were Waiting.
In the morning the big vessel was
steaming rapidly along the Devonshirt
coast and everybody was on deck looking
at the gray English cliffs with glad eyes
The steerage steward noticed the ole
mans recumbent form in his bunk Ions
after the call for breakfast had sounded
but he did not disturb him. AT 10 O'Clock
he thought it was time to get him up an(
he shouted out his name. There was M
response, and the steward crawled ove
to the bunk and shook him vigorously.
The body was cold and stiff and the ole
man was dead.
In an instant chill of horror RAJ
through the ship, but in the excltemen
of making landing, it passed as quickly
as it came. Passengers spoke OF the
tragedy with fearful voices, and then for
gotit. On the landing wharf at South
hampton were hundreds of happy people
waiting to clasp long absent friends II
their arms. The busy and noisy harbol
even attracted attention away from ;
scene in the dark stern of the ship, where
six solemn-taced sailors slid long blacl
sinister looking object, weighted with
lead, into the sparkling waters.
When the passengers had all landed {
little group of anxious people were still
standing near the steerage gangplank
and among them were five men, noticea'
BILE for their size. All they saw, however
as they stood and watched, was little
yellow trunk come sliding down the
baggage chute, rolling and tumbllng with