The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-24
MODERN ENocH ARDEN.
James Chapman Won Wealth, but
Lost His Wife.
(Cincinnatl Enouirer.l


fiction at that. Indeed, to find d coun-
terpart for the romance that has char
aeterized the life OF This man and en-
oiEtered his later years one must turn
TO the hero of q pOem-to Tennysons
'EnOch Arden"
There is I, strange. sad similarity in
the histories of these two-the hero of
the poets fancy and the hero in real
life.
After spending his best years in the
pursuit of wealth-years of toll and
great hardships, many OF them-Chap-
man is now possessed of millions, but
he is a broken-hearted old man, with
the joy gone from his life and nothing
but his gold TO give him comfort. Even
the pleasures OF anticipation, the hope
that some day he should share his
wealth with the woman who was the
companion of his young manhood, even
that is denied him now. Had it not
been for this hope, which was his until
recently, James Chapman would in all
probability never have amassed a for
tEGa.
The hope was the inspiration that
nerved his heart and steadied his hand
during the long years OF hard work and
perilOus adventure that ne experienced
before the goal ne had striven for was
won. That other goal-the happiness
he fondly dreamed would come TO him
when fortune should az last smile on his
determined suit-he was destined TO
look for in vain. But the illusion re-
NAMED with him until he had accom-
pliShed everything he deemed necessary
and then came the awakening.
Here is the story of his life-a true
story, though as sad as that other that
Tennyson only dreamed
Fifteen years ago James Chapman
was young man-young in years,
young in strength, in energy and in
hope. He was an employee of the great
manufa curing, concern of Whitman,
Barnes. & CO. OF AlSron,.O- BY inherent
ability he had risen from one grade TO
another until he held the position of
head bOOkkeeper. He had fitted up an
unpretentious but comfortable home, in
which he lived with his wife, and the
happiness of the young couple was the
envy of many.
But CHAPMAN was ambitious Tales
Of great fortunes suddenly acquired in
the PARKWAY land OF the new west in
famed his imagination and made him
dissatisfied with his condition. one day
he told his wife he was determined 10
leave Akron and go west. He had
saved q comfortable sum from his sal
airy and this he turned over to his wife
before leaving home. He took money
enough to last him only a few months,
trusting 10 his ability to make more. At
that time his intention wass to make
only short stay in the west, and then
TO return to his home. q
Chapman went to California, to Gre
gon, to Washington, always seeking Tor
wealth and always failing to find 1t.
Luck seemed against him, and at
times he was scarcely able to earn sui
dcient for the bare necessities of life.
He wrote regularly to his wife, VINO
was waiting patiently for him In thelr
Ohio home, but several years passed
awav and he was not yet ready to re-
that he would
never go back to his native town and
confess that he had been unsuccessful
in his search for fortune.
o g %
A few years ago, while Chapman was
in the Kootenay district, in British Co
lumbia. he met a miner who had re-
Gently returned from the Yukon cOup-
/ try in Alaska. The miner told stories
| of gold that lay in the creeks along the
course of the great river Chapman
/ went to Alaska
/ That. was before the rush of gold
/ hunters that followed the klondlke ols-
| coveries. There were no mail facilities
/ in the interior, as there are now once
] a man got into the wilderness he was
4 effectualiv cut off from communities
ton with the outside world until he
again made his way to the coast Chap
man lived and worked with the Few
I hardy prospectOrs who were at thar
I time In the. country HON AAAuAhS a
/ pocket" now searching for months
/ without finding even trace OF color
/ to reward him for the hardshipS incl
/ dent to life in that inhoSpitapie lana
He did not write to his wife. though
constantly she was in his thoughts Tbs
hunt for gold had become a passion
/ with the man, but he dreamed con
I tinually that some day he would De
: able to return home and shower lux
( ury upon the faithful little woman VINO
was waiting for him 1t seemed to hin
she must know he was searching 1ol
wealth. and that while he searehed ht
was working for her.
( Then came the news that q couple
of prospectors had found gOld-lots o.
gold-on the Klondike, far up she Yu
xon. With renewed hope Chapman ant
his companions packed up their scanty
belongings and with all haste sough
the new diggings. They were on thu
ground early, and knew the pecul1ari
ties of the Alaskan ground. Every
man in that party secured one or NOR
claims that proved wonderfully rich II
the precious metal.
And the most fortunate Of all wa
James Chapman. The one time book
keeper suddenly found himself a mil
lionaire. His original locations turne'
out to be immensely rich ana he bough
other claims that were rich also.
At last fortune had been generous t
him-more generous than he had dare
+, I to hone in his widest dreams. He cOul
[ return home, now-home to his nativ
town. home to his wife, who had waite
for him all these years. He had bee
. absent fifteen years, though it SCENE
but a short time, now that he wa
rich. Taking letters of credit for
million or two and a big sack of gol
nuggets, just for mementos, he set on
on his journey TO Ohio. To his felloy
travellers on the steamer that finall
landed him at Seattle he cOnfided hi
plans for the future. He pictured tn
, joy that would illumine the face of hi
wife when she should see him return t
her a millionaire.
But fifteen years is a long time for
woman to wait for a man. particular
if the man does not communicate wit
her and she is unaware if he be dea
or alive. It is even longer if the pine
of privation is felt. Years after tn
husbands letters ceased Mrs Chapma
still hoped for his return. But as tim
passed and no tidings came from tn
absent one she began - fear he wa
dead; that he had persisted in some faI
away mining camp in that great coun
try Of the west that had alIured hir
from her side. The fear grew into
I certainty.
The little hoard of money that ha
been left with her gradually melte
away. The wolf of hunger appeared a
the door of her home. An honest, in
dustrious man who was able to care fo
her, and VINO loved her, offered he
marriage. For a long time she CAV
No ~ e,eY,,a,,t 70 tho emit Of Cho ~.