The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-04-30

family well; she was left a widow with
several daughters and this one son; l
used to hear much about his wild
youth in old Boston, which scandaliz-
ed his mother and sisters; he stayed
out nights, joined carnival parties on
the harbor to old Fort Williams, cal
led the Castle" and seemed fast 60
ing to the bad; he had an affectionate
nature, which made all his relatives
love him in spite of his reckless do
lngs; he played traunt from school;
his mother was distracted, and | rem
ember very well the story that was
whispered in family circles, that his
mother almost distracted confined him
to an upper story of the house with
out his clothes, leaving him only the
garments of his sisters. From what
l knew of those sisters when they
were women | can well imagine they
helped him escape from that "durance
vile. lie had an uncle who was a
native OF New Orleans, or had a home
there; man of some consequence; |
have always thought that fact led
him to leave home as mere youth
and turn up in the southwest; many
from that city joined the fighting
Texans, and this Boston boy among
them. The Alamo incident was, as |
have said in 1886. in the very back
ground Of memory lie scraps of stor-
les OF his doings; among them it went
that he was at the Alamo, feigned
death in the final struggle in the old
mission building, falling before the
volley hit tn defenders, and the dead
lay on top of him; that later he crawl
ed out, escaped and told the story of
that dreadful slaughter; but all pub
lished accounts agree in saying not
one of the Alamo defenders were left
alive; all accounts we have of the fight
are from the couriers sent out while
the battle was in progress and from
the MeXicans themselves, who took
part in it. 1t is possible that the
story got mixed with some other fierce
encounter of that sanguinary Texan
war, and that the family tradition fix
I'd the Boston boys experience in the
Alamo, or my memory is at fault; or
ne may have been boaster; | recall
that in the summer of 1865 a young
fellow was at my home and told won
1erful stories of his regiment being
he first of Grants army to enter
Richmond. and that he was one of a
corporars guard to raise our flag over
the Virginia state house; our family
wondered at his glib story, as it was
not what we should expect of him;
later, when we learned that it was the
Massachusetts Fifth Cavalry, a col
pred regiment, that so entered Rich
nond and so placed the flag. we knew
that the young boaster was only
5lack-hearted and an unmitigated liar.
Just what we might expect him to be
and do: more likely he was in the
guard house at that time in the far
rear. But the story this Boston boy
old of his Texas doings seemed Just
IKE him. Before the Civil war one
would frequently hear such stories
in shops and social parties; but the
remembrance of them was covered
and buried by the war of 1915. This
boy of whom | have written was we'll
known all through my family and re-
g;on, and SO many exciting stories
were told of him that l had formed
him wonderful hero in my mind; he
became world-wanderer and in one
OF his occasional visits with his re-
latlves he came to my home; but
was Ill. and could not talk with nv
hero; | well recall my heart-burning
that they would only allow him to
come to my bedside moment, and
| have the picture of a tall, bronzed
man with open and rather winsome
face, who laughingly shook my hand
as my mother told him how | idoliz-
ed. then he left the darkened room
and went out of my life. Through
our. land there are thousands of lust
such scraps of life stories. which only
exist in some faint memories; how I
would like to talk an hour with that
wild. Texas patriot. What wild
strain came down into that Puritan
| Boston family and worked out in him
OBSERVER.