Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-12-30
Bill EI|ersIey Dead After 80
Years Alone.
Victim Of Brothers Dup|icity and
Wfe's UnfaithfuIness.
Heart Broken al the Ruin Of His Home While
In the Army.

set county, is dead. Poor Old Bill,
as he was called by those who knew
him from the day he renowned all
things social has crossed the river that
has no returning ford. For more than
80 years he lived in the Maine wilder :
ness, recluse from the social world,
living on the bounty of Nature and
permitting no favors from any human
being. The treachery Of his own
brother, the one he had cared for in
youth, made Bill Ellersley a hermit
and spoiled a good life. happy home.
Ellersley was born in West Franpton,
/ Carada. of English parents. At the
age of is years he came to Maine, MAX
| ing his home with the late Edmund
Grey Of Moscow. For several years he
was employed about the Grey farm and
| in the woods When Ellersley was y
years old he married Emily Morris Of
| Pleasant Ridge plantation, but in less
| than a year after the marriage the
| Civil War broke out and Ellersley en-
| listed in Co. + of the Sd Maine Vol
unteers. His parents having died a
few years before leaving a young son.
John. William had sent on to the
province for the orphan. and had pro-
vided for him. William, at the break
ing out of the War of the Rebellion.
| lived on fine farm that he had paid
for and had stocked Well. When he
attained his majority. Mr. Grey, who
regarded him with the affection Of a
this was in a Skowhegan bank Will
liam left his home and young wife and
went to war. with the brother. three
| inn in, pI,a
| at home. After an absence of two
years in the field, William returned
home on sick leave" After three
| months recuperation he went back TO
the front. Just before rejoining his
| regiment. however. he was induced by
| his brother to make over to the latter.
| by deed and other transfer the farm
| ana bank account for. as John said,
| You may never come back. and you
| had better make the property over to
me and Will see that Emily is always
| cared for" William did not require
much urging. for he trusted his broth
er fully. and he thought he could see
| commOn-sense in the suggestion.
When the war closed William still
| existed. and he returned North to
again take up the old life on the farm
the little one that had come to bless
! the union.
The return of the soldier brought No
! glad light Of love or happiness to the
eye Of the Wife. but rather. over her
| countenance was cast a look Of dis
i appointment, and there We're no affec-
| tionate greetings from her When the
stage rolled into the village three miles
| from the Ellersley home. one evening
no one was watching for the war hero:
no wife beaming with radiant happi-
| ness at the return of the husband who
had. for nearly four years. with barred
| breast. shielded from insult the flag of
| his adopted country: no brother waited
with conveyance for the one who
had taken him into his family and
given him a home. William EllersIey
walked home that night believing his
| people had not received the letter he
had sent week before. and thinking
| of the great. glad surprise he was to
| give his wife.
| Reaching home at last he entered
what he supposed was his house En-
tering the house without knocking he
| found his wife and brother in the sit
| ting-room. The brother simply looked
up and said: Hello. got back, have
your The wife said nothing, and
| when the husband bent to press the
| lips that he believed he had a right to
| caress, the wife turned to him her
! cheek without n word of welcome
| What must have been the husbands
| feelings the reader must imagine
| When explanations We're asked for the
| stay home brother the man who
| was going to look after the property
| and Emily" cOolly told William Eler-
| sley that the home was no longer his.
| and the sooner he went his way the
| better for all concerned. The wife
| echoed the sentiments of her brother
| in-law
Stunned. the blood that had coursed
| in patriotic fever on the field of battle,
| chilled and became as ice in his veins
Let Bill Ellersley tell the story here
as he told it to the writer on the south
slope of "Sugar-Loaf' mountain. sew
eral years ago. the writer having
climbed the mountain for the purpose
Of an interview.
of course, ! understand folks call
me hermit and all that. but why
should | care. they are nothing TO me
ana am nOtnlnS TO them. Before the
war came | was as good as anybody
| and did my level best to use everybody
| on the square. l did the right thing by
my brother, but l should say | did the
wrong thing by myself. When l mar
! ried / thought | got the best little
| woman in the world, just as every
| other man thinks when he marries.
| My wife was affectionate and I be-
| lieved she cared a good deal for me
| When war came on she did not want
| me to go, but that was natural and Just
! said felt that | must go, and go | did
| When | came home on a furlough my
wife treated me all right and so did
| John, so when they asked me to make
| over the property | agreed with them
| that it was the best thing / could do
! to make things safe for Emily, for I
knew John thought an awful sight of
her, as much as any young brother
| could think of a sister. When | came
| back that night after the war had
| closed, | was completely upset by the
way they welcomed me. l had sent nv
bounty and pay home and had only a
| little more than a months pay in nv
| pocket when | got home When John