The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-08-10
READ HIS OWN EPIrAPn.
The Experience OF rlan rIourned %
Dead for Thirty Years.

Randolph H.. Waters. who has lived
at the Soldiers Homo at Leavenworth
for several years. stood at grave in
Elmwood cemetery yesterday and read
HIS own epitaph. placed on the stone
two years ago by his only sister, who
had mourned him as dead for SO years.
1t was a peculiar experience for him,
as he admitted afterward.
Waters was a boy in Louisville when
the war broke out. His father was a
partner OF the late George ID. Prentice
in the Louisville Courier-Journal and
died about the opening Of the war.
Waters ran away and went to the front
with the Union forces, and his mother
brought him home. Later he ran away
again, and, for fear he would be taken
home, he did not write for over q year.
AT the close OF the war he lost track of
his relatives, and until last Friday he
had supposed they were all dead.
Two years ago the mother or Mr..
Waters died here and was buried at
Elmwood. When her daughter Mrs.
John w. Zahner, erected a marble shaft
over her grave she had placed on the
opposite side OF the shaft an inscription
in memory OF her brother, who was
supposed to have died in the Black
Hills 33 years ago.
The story of how Mrs. Zahner learned
OF her brothers existence was told in
the Journal last Friday. When she
learned he was at the Soldiers Home
she went at once to Leavenworth, and
on Friday met him, and the two men,
bers OF the family were united after
their long separation. IL was a touch
ing and affectionate reunion. and Gov.
Rowland at once gave him a furlough
Co.. Is.xr n
visit his sister. he is now with her at
her home, 1913 East 18th street.
Their first object OF visit was their
mothers grave at Elmwood The next
was to the pension inspectors Office to
thank Special Inspector Henry Arnold
for his aid in bringing about their re-
union. Both were profuse in express
sions of appreciation of his two weeks
work looking for the woman whose tes-
tiInony was necessary in the pension
case and whose existence her brother
did not dream of.
II was walking along the barracks
at the home last Friday" he said to
Mr.. Arnold, when one OF the boys
called to me and said my sister had
been found and was coming to see me.
i had believed for so long that all my
folks were dead that laughed and said
they were 'josning' me, but they read
me the story in the Journal, and my
heart came into my throat as I listened
and learned of her antecedents and rec
ognized them as my own. went to the |
governors office to see II any word had |
come to me, and there found my sister |
waiting for me. 1t did not take long
for me to convince her who / was and |
she to make me believe she was my sis |
ter.
This morning at the cemetery I |
found my own epitaph on the stone |
over my mothers grave. where sister
had placed Ii when our mother died two |
years ago. 1t is a strange world, and |
the things have crowded upon me 80 in |
the last week that am bewildered.
When the war was over l tried to |
find my folks, but was unable to do so. |
The letters sent were returned to me,
and, beliving they were dead, / went |
west. I make my home at the Sol
diers' Home provided by the govern
ment, and my pension goes to the sup
port of my three children. kansas
City Journal.