Year: 1859

A Romance of the Last Island Calamity.


A story, strange and romantic enough to seem


the invention of an imaginative mind, became
known recently to few persons in this city; vet
however romantic or strange it may sound the
gentleman who communicated it to me assured


me of its absolute truth, and gave me the names


of the parties connected with the affair. At the


time when that terrible catastrophe occurred at


Last Island off the Southern coast of Louisiana,
by which so many unfortunate people were swept
bodily into the Gulf by the raging tempest, or


oyertaken and drowned by the rising food that


overwhelmed the low, sandy key, a middle-aged


gentleman and his family, consisting of wife and
two or three children, were involved in the caIam.
lily.


In the midst of the thick gloom, the storm, the
confusion and terror of the scene, the gentleman


became separated from his little family and bare
ly escaped with his life. The horroR-and dis
| tress of the poor man at the sudden loss of his
dear ones may be imagined by those who love
their own wives and children. For several days
his friends feared that his mental sutferings would
deprive him of reason, and one of them kindly
| invited him to make his home at his house, in
| New Orleans, for time, hoping that he would
gradually come to look more calmly upon the
misfortune that had befallen him


| 1t happened that with the family in which he
thus became domestcat, was living young and
accomplished lady, Of fine person and manners,
who, having compassion upon the afflicted stranger,
took upon herself the pious duty of doing every
thing in her power to alleviate his sorrows and
make him forget the past She played and sang
for him. read to him. talked with him, walked
with him, rode with him. and finally jOked with
hm-so feetng and transitory are the greatest
of human griefs when brought under the influence
of the enioyments and delights of life. In brief
-b riadh har far ar tba
tleman became enanored, infatuated, and offered
her his hand and fortune. Whether she recipro-
Gated his passion, or whether the fact that she
was a poor school teacher and he wealthy
planter, Influenced her decision on this PROPOSE
ton, is not question proper tc be considered
here Suffice it to say that she accepted his offer,
STIMULATING that out of due respect to public
opinion, year must elal Sc before their union
should be consummated. AS time passed on the
preparations for a magnificent wedding proceeded.
The gentleman purchased splendid trousseau,
mid out his plans for d bridal tour and for their
subsequent domestic settlement, and, in fact,
everything went on swimmingly until near the
close of his term of probation.


The event of n single day, in this case as in
thousands of Others served to destroy in an in
slant his matrimonial schemes, though whether
his subsequent peace of mind and happiness were
not promoted thereby is question. A short
time previous to the day assigned for his wedding
he received letter from his wife-stl in the
hesh-dated at Rio de Janeiro, informing him
that she and one of their children were alive and
well, and would probably be in his arms within
very brief period 1t appears that amidst the
destruction and chaos of the terrible storm in
which it had been she and her little ones were
lost Madame olung to her youngest child,
and when the waves submerged the island and
swept away everything upon it, she Aoated out
into the gulf upon certain fragments of the general
wreck


Drifting, finally, after much suffering into the
track of sea-going vessels, to and from this port,
she was picked up by an outward hound vessel
and carried to Rio, no opportunity occurring, IN
the meantime, to send her back to the States.
The voyage was long one, and sickness had
prevented her from taking passage in the first
vessel that sailed fol her native land, and by
some fatality the letter which apprized him of
her existence reached his hands but a few hours
previous to her ewn arrival. What followed can
readily be imagined-how the sober, staid, middle
aged gentleman, doubtful whether to be disap-
pointed or happy, broke the astounding news to
his unsuspecting fance; how she, poor girl, went
first into tears and then into Mysteries and was
finally consoled by his pecuniary liberality, and
how all parties ultimately resumed their original
positions and were happy, the wife not being
permitted to know how narrowly her husband had
escaped slipping his neck into a second matrimo-
nial halter.


New ORLEANS, May %, 1859.