The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-07-14
A JOYFUL MEETING
william J. Applegate Meets Son He
Had Not Seen Since Breaking
Out of Civil War.
An Interesting and Romantic Story
of Long Separation and a
Happy Meeting.

Many an interesting story of ro-
nance and adventure has resulted from
the civil war, and in their reality have
made the most exciting fiction very
tame indeed. The fortunes of war
have told of many strange separations
Of families, and of lovers, the partings
with many to be forever, while with
others after lapse of many years
there have been happy reunions.
One of these romantic chapters that
opened with the call to arms at the be-
ginning of the war and closed well
nigh forty years later, is that in which
William J. Apologize of Princeton
and one of his sons figure conspic-
uously.
In 1862 William J. Apologize enlisted
in Company B, 121st N. Y. Infantry
at Mohawk. N. Y, and when he donned
soldiers uniform and started to the
front he babe an afectionate au
revoire to his wife and two little boys
one named after his father, but two
years of age, while the other was
mere infant.
Mr.. Apologize served through the
war, but never returned home on
furlough to visit his family. He was
taken prisoner and was sent to Libby
prison where he remained until the
InIncn nf hn
that he died in that horrible abode of
suffering, and his wife not hearing
from him mourned him as dead and
in time married again and moved west.
After being discharged Mr. Apple
gate ascertained that his wife had
given him up for dead, had married
and gone west, and he went to New
York and worked for the street rail-
way company. He was injured in an
accident and his first wife and his
children who it appears in time learned
that he did not die in the war, had
tidings that he met death in the street
car accident, and supposed him surely
dead.
Thirty years ago he moved to
Princeton where he married and
started life anew, and has by his
second marriage four daughters and
two sons. In course of time the babe
and little lad he left with their mother
in Mohawk. n. Y, grew to manhood
and went out into the wide, wide world
to seek their fortune.
Less than year ago the mother of
William J. Apologize died at a ripe
old age in Mohawk, and her death
notice appeared in the local paper, as
we'll as papers in Utica, N. Y, and
other places. The Oldest son of Will
liam J. Apologize, who lives in Min
neapolis, saw the notice of the death
of his grandmother in one of the pa
pers and to his surprise found that
two of the sons, William. and Henry
were living in Princeton. He could
hardly believe the statement, and for
time put little credence in the story
of the obituary notice, but he was not
satisfied and concluded to make a
visit to Princeton and verify the state
ment if possible. He arrived on June
18th and begun to make inquiries, and
soon found that two sons, William and
Henry Apologize lived here. He en-
gagged A. II. Sleeves to drive him to
the home of William Apologize. and
on the way over they met him. Mr..
Sleeves called to Mr.. Apologize and
Informed him that the man with him
in the buggy was looking for him and
claimed to be his son. The father
was startled at the statement as he had
long given his Oldest son up for dead,
and could not believe that he was look
ing at his frst-born child, but here
was case where truth is stranger
than felton, and it did not require
much comparison of family data to
prove that father and son after
separation of nearly forty years were
reunited, and here the curtain drops,
but it is proper to say that the father
and son lived over the long years that
had flown and the first meeting was a
long one.
The son is married and has family.
He is a painter and paper hanger by
trade. He said that he expected when
he met his ather to see a gray-haired
man on crutches, bent over with the
infrmities of years, but he was agree
ably surprised. for though sixty-eight
years of age Mr.. Apologize does not
look to be much over forty.