The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1895-08-23
LOST FAMILY AND HOME.
Story OF Tho Sad Life OF a vir.
glnia Man.
He Was the Victim Of Murderous Fcud--
Ills Home Burued and Tits wife
aud child KILLED Going
Out West


The other day a sad.hearted man
with anguish set deeply In the fur
rows Of a suffering face, passed
through this city en- route for Oh,
far west, says the Cincinnati En-
quirer. His name Is Ambros,
Christian, and at one happy time II
his life he was the owner OF o fruit
tul little farm on the headwaters 81
New river, away up In the noun
tains OF West Virginia. His pretty
wife and child were then with him,
and his hearth was surrounded
with good cheer; but, alas, sadly
have events drawn the sable cur.
tains Of despair across the last chap.
ters Of this once happy and contented
mans life. In the wild, rugged
country where Mr., Christians farm
set, like flower bed among thorns,
lived few families here and there
who were full Of the feudal spirit and
constantly warred against each
other. In one OF these feuds Chris
tian became entangled, and from that
time on o minutes peace was never
melted out TO him. On one cold
winter night he was called to his
door by the voice Of one who was
evidently in trouble. "Murderl
Helpl HelpN came the appeal, and
Mr.. Christian leaped to his door but
10 receive q shot from some cowardly
assassin in ambush. His wound
came near being fatal, and for weeks
he lay at the point Of death. The
rufiians ceased hostilities during
the time, but as soon as he was on
the road to recovery they began
again to threaten his life. About
four years ago he woke up one night
to find his neat little farm home in
flames. Gathering up his little babe
that was only few weeks old he ran
with his wife for life, as the rafters
were then falling In. AS the little
family ran distracted from the
flames the brutes who had set the
building on fire had the heartless-
ness and inhumanity to again fire
upon him, and his wife and child
we're murdered In cold blood before
his eyes. Knowing the mountain
paths well he managed TO escape
death himself, and with one arm
shattered by o rifle ball he beat his
retreat into the thick bushes Of the
hills. Then followed q period Of
three years, during which he was q
wanderer over the country, heart
broken and forlorn.
AT last, hoping that his enemies
had forgotten the trouble, he wan
dered back TO look again at the
green spot where once he was so
happy He returned to the little
farm in the hills aud found it occu.
pied by another; nor could he find
any trace Of the spot where his wife
and babe had been buried He was
not allowed to search very long, how
ever, for on the fourth day after he
arrived a shot from behind q tree
some distance from him gave warn
ing that his presence was known.
Up to this time he firmly believed
that nobody had recognized him.
The ball from the bushwhacker came
near closing the last sad chapter Of
o life no longer worth the living.
For over five months he managed to
escape death, and like q wandering
refugee, lived around the country
near his beloved farm. At last,
wearying Of the strain she task i'm
posed upon him Of keeping
up such an unequal fight, he con
cluded to abandon everything and
go far away into the west In search
Of little peace. While waiting for
q train at the Grand Central depot
he told the story Of his life's tragedy !
to an Enquirer reporter, and as the
train pulled out it took one with il
whose burden Of sorrows might have
ireighted an argosy.