Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-07-08
AFTER THIRTY YEARS OF SORROW.
p. F. Lacy Returns to Home OF Plenty iror
tho 0conee Poor House.

Only about two weeks ago p. f. Lacy,
of Seneca, who has for q number OF
years been in the bakery business at
that place, was admitted as an inmate of
the Ocopee county poor house, where he
expected, in the natural course of human
events, to spend the closing days of an
unusually sad life.
About thirty years ago Mr.. Lacy, then
q resident of Lynchburg, Va, and en-
joying the average comforts of life with
his wife and children, became estranged
from his family by reason Of trivial
misunderstanding. Resolving to sepa-
rate himself entirely from his family,
Lacy sold out his business in Lynchburg,
turned over the proceeds of the sale,
amounting to S1,400, to his wife, in
structing her to use the money f,r the
and left without giving any information
in regard to whore he intended going.
For nine years he buried himself in the
ranks of the United States army, and
after leaving there he wandered here,
there and everywhere over the country,
working for day or for month in a
town, as the fancy struck him. For
homeless, but not friendless, for almost
everybody was Pat Lacy's friend. Drop
ping into Seneca about four years ago,
Qrom everywhere, anywhere or nowhere
In particular, as you may choose
to call it) he steadied himself and
located" opened up bakery, did a
fair business and made enough to live
comfortably. During all these years Of
wandering over the country not q word
was ever written TO wife or children, nor
a syllable uttered to human being to
indicate that he had family.
But the sunny days of careless case
aud peace had their ending some months
back, when Lacy's health began to fail
His work became burdensome as i'll
health tightened its grip upon him, and
finally his business was gone and he be-
neighbors. In June last, Lacy became
an inmate of the Oconee poor house. In
Baking to Lille Cox, of Seneca, as he was
3eaving to 90 "just over the hill to the
'hoor house." he told for the fret time
the story of his unhappy family quarrel,
the sale, the disposition of the money,
his notwithstanding all his long
kept secrets to his friend as he was about
to become dependent upon public char
ity. Mr.. Cox, believing the story of his
unfortunate friend, took the trouble to
investigate the matter, and soon learned,
by use OF telegraph and telephones, that
Lacy's children still resided at Lynch
burg. The story was confirmed in every
detail, and last Thursday the money for
a ticket and other expenses were tele-
graphcd to Lacy by his son-in-law, and
he was urged to return at once to Lynch
burg, where good home and the COM
forts of life awaited him.
On last Friday Messrs. j. p. billiard
and Lille Cox, of Seneca, passed through
Walhalla on their way to the county
poor house, from whence they took him
to begin his homeward trip.
Strange indeed is truth and reality
often stranger by far than fiction. The
son-in- law who sent for Lacy is not only
an entire stranger to him, but his wife,
Lacy's daughter, was born but short
while after Lacy's departure from home,
thirty years ago, and the wife, of whose
comfort he was thinking, even as he left
his homo, as he thought forever, has
passed away and awaits among the silent
millions for the day when Pat shall answer
the summons to the world beyond,
whore there will be no more partings,
no more misunderstandings, and where
the trials and discouragements of the two
unhappy lives may all be forgotten in the
JOY and Thanksgiving of the happy re-
nninn