Year: 1866

The old adage, "Truth is stranger than
6.t;on receives another illustration in the
ElIow;no story, the. truth of VI. ich can te
voucbed for by many known to the circum-
stances:


In the year of the great exodus to Califor-
nia-1950, among the many thousands who
left comfortable homes to gather up a. ready
made" fortunes in the modern Ell Dorado.
Was Smith. Bidding his wife and two chill.
dren, aged respectively one and two years
an affectionate farewell, he left his - old
Kentucky home" with heavy heart, but
bright hopes Of an early reunion and plenty
Of that which 50 many foolishly think can
alone make home happy-gold. Braving and
surmounting all of the many difficulties and
dangers of the early pioneers in crossing the
plains, he arrived safely in the promised
land in the fall Of the year in which he left
home and commenced digging for gold
Time, tedious at first, few rapidly onward /,
and when the period had arrived that he had
hoped to start for home. Smith was no rich
er, and but little wiser than when he begun
his fruitless search fora fortune. Like most
of others, he found that though there were
many Of the aforesaid ready made" for
tunes, yet there was not one for all. But,
as in ninety nine of hundred such cases,
experience failed to teach him what was
best, and, instead of rejoining his family, as
he could and should have done. he toiled on
hoping that each succeeding year would
change his luck" and realize his home
dreams of wealth that was to bring ease and
happiness Years had come and gone. and
the wife and children removed to Indiana
with her parents. The removal caused a
temporary suspension Of the correspondence
between the husband and wife-an interim
fraught with strange consequences To the
long separated pair, as the sequel proves
A person representing himself as having
been intimately acquainted with Smith in
California, and who had just returned from
there, impaired to her the sad news of his
death-assuring her that he had seen him
buried but few days prior to his departure
for home, The wife and family bad no rea-
son to doubt the truth Of the Intelligence of
her husbands demise. He did not know.
nor could his home friends give him her new
address. A year passed, and she had
mourned his loss-mourned it as long per-
haps. as the memory Of California husbands
deserve to be m burned by their long forsaken
wives-and contracted sec5nd matrimonial
alliance. Bat the Fates had not vet com
pleted the odd thread they had destined
should be spun for her. Two years had not
elapsed before she was in her second widow
hood with three helpless dependent upon her
exertions for support. By another odd freak
of the Fates perhaps to keep up the cnnsist-
ency of strange story, the news of her second
husbands death reached the ears of her first
husbands friends as her death. which intel
ligence was at once transmitted by them to
the absent husband, and he in turn mourn
ed the death of his wife. Each now believed
the other dead He toiled on in search of
gold, still hoping and believing that his
"luck" would turn. and that he would yet
20 home with competency for his children.
though she for whom he had so long toiled,
no longer lived to welcome him home and
enjoy the fruits of his long suffering. She
was not idle. Being a woman of energy and
education, and having acquired some
knowledge of medicine of her second hus.
band, who was a physician, she started out
as doctress and agent of some popular med
icines and recipes. Having visited many of
the States and the Canadas in this capacity.
and accumulated considerable money, she
at last concluded to settle down Mt her home
in Kentucky. Hardly had she arrived there
before learning that the husband of her
youth was alive and well, and still in search
OF ready mace fortune IN California !;
also that he and her friends had long believ-
ed her..dead: Recently Smith received rather
an interesting letter from a young gentle
man of Louisville, Kentucky, who is acquir
ing the dental art in that village, and who
claims Smith as his immediate paternal
parient." Since then the correspondence
between the dead Smith and his wife has
been resumed, and we hope soon to have the
pleasure of announcing Smiths second mat
rimonial alliance with his first wife. and his
wife's third one with her first husband
Amador Ledger.