Year: 1874




Submerged In . Sea Of Troubles.


During the oil excitement, j. j.
Burrell, Of Martville, Cayuga coun-
ty, man who had Travelled the
country considerably, and who was
. person of refined tastes and a
fair degree Of cultivation, invested
in Pennsylvania oil lands and made
. fortune amounting to $50, 900, or
thereabouts. He put most of the
money into buildings in Pithole,
then a growing : wn, and believed
by oil speculators to be the coming
queen of that section. Soon after
ward the great FIRE at Pithole swept
away his entire possessions, upon
which he had not cent of insur
ance.


Before he had fairly recovered
from the stroke of fate which i'm
poverished him, he received q
Telegram from Martville stating that
his only children, twin boys. we're
drowned. He went home and
found that one of his boys had
broken through pond while
skating; the other heroically at
tempted to save his brother, and
both perished. NJ. Burrell buried
his boys, and shattered in fortune
and mind, went back to Pithole to
gather up the remnants of his
business. Soon thereafter he was
notified of his wife's death, she
having fallen a prey to grief grow
ing from the death of her children.
He buried his wife beside his boys,
and, stripped of family and fortune,
started in to buffet the evil tide
which seemed setting in so sternly
against him.


In early life Burrell had learned
the trade of shoemaking, and he
started a shop at Martville. One
day this fall he concluded to go
down to Fair Haven and pick up a
few orders for winter boots among
his old friends, who, knowing his
misfortunes, he believed would
help him at least to earn his bread.
He succeeded handsomely, and,
when starting for home, found that
the ticket agent was not in his
Office, and paid the conductor 81
on the train. He believed that
there was some change due him,
and had some words with the
conductor about that matter, but
did not receive the change which he
claimed. At Sterling junction, he
got off to speak to lady whom he
saw upon the platform, and con
tinued talking to her until the train
was under headway. He then
caught the platform rail and swung
himself on. As he was about to
open the door of the coach, he
alleged, the conductor met him
thrust his dollar bill in his face sc
rudely and with such force that he
was pushed off the platform, and
as he fell, his arm struck across
the track and was cut off between
the wrist and elbow.


He was now deprived not only
of fortune and family, but the hand
that had earned his own scan
living. He authorized Churchill &
Nutting, of this city, to commence
action against the Southern Centra
Railroad Company for damages, ant
came to Oswego to stop. He en-
gagged little fruit stand near tn
Fittzhugh House, and took room
in that hotel


One morning this week he wa
found stupid in bed; physician
were called and found that he ha,
taken morphine in fatal quantity
next day he died. It was said tina
he was Mason, but examinatio,
failed to show that to be true, an
he was buried with other suicide
and paupers in Potter's Field.


It is a plain bit of true history
told with the daily newspaper
reportorial terseness and bluntnes!
but what page of fiction reveals
more dramatic story?