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VOL. XII.
NEW BLOOMFIELID, TUESDAY, MA.11CII 5, 1878.
NO. 10
THE TIMES..
An Independent family Newspaper,
II PUBLISH BD BVBRT TUB8DAT BT
R MOllTIMElt & CO.
8 UDSOUIFTtUN 1 II I C K .
(WITUIM TUB COUNTT.
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TRUST IN MOTHER.
Utile daughters full of glee,
Bright and bonny, fair and free,
Trust in mother.
Tou will never find another
Like this one so good and true,
ABd so faithful unto you
TruBt In mother.
Tell her all your childish woes,
For a precious balm sho kuows
Sweet and healing
And her kiss Is warm with feeling ;
BleSBcd kiss that never cloys
All your happy childish Joys .
Too revealing.
Maiden daughters blooming fair,
With your opening charms so rare,
Trust in mother
She'll advlBO you like no other ;
Lock no secret In your breast,
Share with her who loves you best
Trust in mother.
Growing sons, our hope and pride,
Tou, too, need a patient guide, -Trust
in mother.
Not an aspiration smother,
Not a folly fall to tell,
Her sweet counsel worketh well
Trust in mother.
Girls and boys where'er you stand,
Scattered through our beauteous land,
Trust iu mother.
She'll advise you like no other (
Loving sires yon may possess,
But, for thoughtful tenderness,
Trust in mother.
The Wife of Two Husbands.
AT A SMALL, humble, but prettily
situated cottage, built in a vale in
tt picturesque part of Essex, dwelt a
young couple, who had been married
about five years. They were most affec
tionately attached to each other ; and
though they had been united for a pe
riod certainly long enough to eliminate
differences of opinion or disparity of
temper, yet they had not once in the
term quarreled, nor, indeed, had there
passed an angry, or even cross, word on
either side. They were blessed with two
children, and these small gifts only
tended to cement their fondess for each
other, and render their union yet hap
pier. The husband, Harry Mitford, had an
excellent situation with a farmer, who
owned an extensive farm not a greatdis
tance from their pretty above, known as
the Valley Cottage, from the circum
stance of its being the only cot in the
vale in which it stood ; and as he was
steady, Industrious, and skillful, the
farmer took great interest in him, and
improved every year the value of the
post entrusted to him. The wife kept
her little household in the neatest order
and ministered to the wants of her chil
dren and the comforts of her husband in
a manner which not only made him the
happiest of men, but won for her the
good opinion of all, far and near.
One night as she sat her chil
dren at her knee, watching at the win
dow for the return of her husband, a
man, whom she had observed Issue from
the plantation, at no great distance from
the cottage, advanced direct to the win.
dow, and accosted her.
He was a ruffianly-looking man
young, but with a grim aspect. His
hair was straggling and matted; his
beard unshaved and grimy; his face
. haggard, and his clothes ragged. At
first she took him for a vagrant tramp,
who, guessing she was alone, had come
to the cottage with the object of robbing
It. She was undeceived ; for, after he
had gazed in her face hard, aud per
ceived he regarded him with an af
frighted look, he said, "Have you for
gotten me, Nell r"
" Forgotten you?" she echoed faintly.
" Ah !" he said, with a coarse laugh ;
" have you forgotten you own husband,
Reuben Gale V"
The young woman looked ngonlzedly,
Into his face, uttered a shrill cry, and
fell senseless to the floor. The children
screamed with terror; but the man,
pushing the latched-door open, entered
the cottage and lifted her off the ground.
He placed her in a chair, and then ran
for some water, with which he bathed
her temples.
" Dang my buttons !" he murmured,
" I did not mean to fright thee, lass,
like this."
Poor Nell was in a strange lit, for
when the water brought back anima
tion, the very sight of the fellow's coun
tenance sent her into convulsions. The
man Reuben kept dashing water in her
face, but without being able to restore
her calmness and consciousness. The
children screamed terilbly, and though
bespoke soothingly they only seemed
more terrified.
In the midst of all this Harry Mit
ford appeared. For a moment the sight
he beheld when he opened the door of
the cottage almost paralyzed him. An
other minute, however, sufficed to make
him fasten upon the throat of lieuben
Gale.
" Scoundrel 1 Thief I Murderer !" cried
Mitford, with frantic excitement. " You
have killed my wife I"
Reuben Gale was a strong, muscular
fellow, and by an exertion of violent
strength he flung Harry off.
" Keep back I" he Baid. " Are you
mad ? Nellie Mills la my wife, and you
know it. I am Reuben Reuben, Har
ry 1 Reuben Gale!"
With a groan, Harry Mitford sunk
back in his chair, and looked upon iiim
aghast.
' Ah 1" said Reuben, " you both be
lieved that I was dead. You wished me
so ; but here I am come for Nelly and
I mean to have her, too I"
Harry put his hands before his eyes,
and burst into tears, sobbing in dire
ngony.
"Come, come," cried Reuben, with a
sneer. "It's no use snivelling; you
had better set to work and recover Nelly.
She'll heed you. I am a stranger to her,
you see."
Harry did dash the tears from his
eyes, but there was an air of Bt range de
termination about his features. His
brow was knitted, his lips were set
closely together, and his teeth were
clenched. He went to Nelly, and raised
her up. Reuben would have aided him,
but he shouted In a voice of thunder.
"Stand off! We will settle accounts
presently."
" Oh, very well," said Reuben, care
lessly. "I shall stay here to-night, at
all events. I am hungry, Harry, where
do you keep the grub l1"
Harry made no answer, but bearing
his wife tenderly in his arms, he con
veyed her to their sleeping-room, call
ing, as he did, to his little ones to fol
low him. They trotted after him, and
Reuben was left alone. He proceeded at
once to the larder or cupboard, and cut
ting himself some food, commenced eat
ing ravenously. By the time he had
completed his meal, Harry had succeed
ed in restoring his wife to something
like composure; and bidding her cheer
up and be hopeful, for all might yet go
well, he descended to the floor beneath,
where Reuben was, just washing down
his meal with a long draught of home
brewed ale.
" Now, Reubeu," said Harry, in very
decided terms, " you must leave here at
once."
" I shan't !" he cried defiantly.
" I tell you, you must!" he returned,
firmly. He produced from his pocket,
as he spoke, a pistol, and placed Its muz
zle to Reuben's temple. The fellow
started back, electrified.
" Halloa," he cried ; " what are you
going to do V"
"Shoot you, as I would a dog, if you
don't leave instantly."
"What!" Would you comuilf mur
der ?"
" If you like to call it so. Don't at
tempt to struggle with me. Your cer
tain death will follow any such move
ment," he added, as he saw Reuqen pre
paring to spring upon him.
" Why, you'd be hanged hanged, if
you shot me, you know !" cried Reu
ben, beginning to dislike the steady
aspect of the pistol's muzzle placed so
close to him, and which a contraction
of a muscle would cause to belch out
death to him.
" Would that prolong your life one
minute V" cried Harry. " Oo ! my finger
is on the trigger, and the spasm of hold
ing it so long there will, if you stay an
other minute, compel me to fire."
" Nell Is my wife she must come
with me !" said Reuben, doggedly.
" We will settle that hereafter," re
turned Henry. "Go from here now,
you must and shall, or within half an
hour you will be under four feet of
ground In the plantation, so help me
heaven !"
Harry almost shrieked the last words,
and they had their effect, for Reuben
rose up and said :
" Well, if I must, I must; but I will
have you and her up for bigamy, you
know. I'll be here at daylight with a
constable ; perhaps in an hour, perhaps
sooner."
"When you will but you must go
now."
Reuben rose slowly up and walked
out of tho cottage, accompanied by Har
ry, to the coach road leading to the
nearest village, and when Reuben was
fur enough on his way thither to render
his return unlikely, he hurried back to
the cottage, made Nelly put on her bon
net and shawl, and dress the children
also. When this was done, he took
them under his charge and went direct
to the farmer who employed him a
man ef considerable intelligence and ex
perience. His employer, who was about
retiring to rest, was astonished to see
him, and perceiving that something was
wrong, ushered them into his parlor,
where he could listen undisturbed ' to.
what they had to relate.
" Something wrong has transpired,"
he said, ns Boon as they were alone.
" You want my advice; now, tell me
reserve nothing."
"Cheer up, Nelly, dearest!" said
Harry, tenderly, to his wife. " Tell Mr.
Grant all; he will help us out of this
strait."
" My story is not a long, though a sad
one," exclaimed Nelly. " Oh, sir, if
you can only help us, it will save me
from death, and my dear, dear Harry
and children from misery."
" There, there, dry your tears, and go
on with your story. All will go right I
dare say."
"Well, sir, Harry, here my oh,
neaven i Harry JUitrord and 1 were
brought up together in Mannlngtree,
and from children loved each other
dearly. When we were old enough to
know what love meant, we plighted our
troth together, and vowed to be true to
each other. Well, sir, my father fell
into difficulties, and Harry's mother
was poor. A situation offered down
here, and he came to take it. After he
was gone, Reuben Gale, the son of old
Qale "
"What! the son of old Ralph Gale,
who kept the Hell and Wagon'so many
years f" asked Mr. Grant.
"The same, sir," returned Nelly
" he took a funcy to me and asked me
to have him, but I . refused him; I
would not listen to him, aud always
avoided him indeed I did, sir. -But
he had great control over his father,
and he set him to work to persuade me,
but I would not give ear to him, for I
loved Harry too well, and I was sworn
to him. Well, sir, old Ralph Gale was
father's landlord, and father owned him
a great deal of money, and he threat
ened to put father in jail unless I con
sented to marry Reuben. I was not
fifteen then, sir ; and I prayed to father
not to urge me to consent. I told him
I would beg for him rather than I would
marry the man I now hated ; but they
were all like stones to my prayers, for I
prayed to them all. Then father was on
a sick bed and the men came to take
him to jail and then oh, heaven !
then they gave me the choice of marry
ing Reuben or killing my father by
sending him to prison ; aud I con
sented and I did marry Reuben."
"You did?"
" Yes, sir ; it is true we were mar
ried!" and here Nellie burst into a
paroxysm of tears.
" This is indeed a bad Job," said Mr.
Grant. " But tell me what folldwed.
now came you to leave Reuben and
live with Mitford V"
" The very day, sir, when we were
married when, heaven forgive me! I
was In my bedroom preparing to com
mit self-murder I heard a great noise
below, and dcFcending, I found that
Reuben, who a year or two before had
enlisted, in a drunken freak, and had
deserted, had been found out by a ser
geunt of his regiment ; he was marched
there and then a prisoner by a party of
soldiers with guns and bayonets. We
heard, sir, he went to India, and father
hud a letter to say he died on the pas
snge. Shortly after this my father died,
and Harry came to Mannlngtree, re
deemed his promlne to me, and I, be
lieving myself free, married him. To
night Reuben Gale has returned and
claimed me."
HereBhe burst into another fit of
tears; but Mr. Grant, after musing a
moment, bade the unhappy couple go
home, and said that in the morning he
woul(iee what he could do for them.
He sent also a couple of his men to stay
at Valley Cottage until the next duy, to
protect Harry and his fumily from any
violence Reuben might attempt.
At daylight Reuben made his ap
pearance with two constables and gave
Nellie In charge for bigamy. In
of all entreaties to grant her time,
spite
they
Mr.
also
were conveying her away, when
Grant made his appearance. He
had two or three gentlemen with
him,
one the rector of the parish. He listen
ed quietly to Reuben Gale's charge, re
peated very insolently by him.
" Hut," Bald he, " who is to prove that
you are Reuben Gale, the son of Ralph
Gale, of Mannlngtree V"
" I'll swear that I am," cried Reuben.
" You will r" cried Mr. Grant. " This
is not a court of justice," he added, as
Reuben assented, ' but he will take your
oath."
The rector administered the oath, and
then Mr. Grant said, with a very em
phatic enunciation, "I give Reuben
Gale in charge to the parish constables
here for deserting his wife, married by
him in Colcheater, some ten years back.
I was a guardian, at the time, and sign
ed the warrant for his apprehension ;
but he escaped me, for he enlisted,
and we could not find the regiment
which he had joined. The rector here
performed the ceremony of uniting
him with one Jane Moss, and is ready
to swear that she is now living. Be
happy therefore, Mrs. Mitford; for your
marriage with him was null and void,
and you may be happy with your true
husband, Harry Mitford."
We pass over the soene of congratu
lations and joy that ensued. Reuben
Gale wag borne away In custody ; he
was proved to be a deserter from the
regiment to which he was attached,
when on its way to India, and was to
have been tried for that offense; but in
attempting to escape from his prison, he
fell from a great height and broke his
neck. Harry Mitford and his wife
Nelly, on the contrary, lived the re
mainder of their lives In peaceful hap
piness at Valley Cottage.
Ben Holladay's Nose.
"0.
;E night," said Ben Holladay,
long before the Pacific railroad
was built, I was bouncing over the
plains in one of my overland coaches.
My wife was with me. She was sick,
and lay asleep on the bottom of the stage
on a bed of buffalo skins. The night
was fearfully dark and a drizzling rain
was falling. Mrs. Holladay and myself
were the only passengers. Several stages
had been robbed within two months,and
the driver was ripping along as though
a gang of prairie wolves were after him,
Suddenly the horses were thrown upon
their haunches, and the stage stopped.
I was heaved forward, but quickly re
covered and found myself gazing at the
muzzles of a double-barreled shotgun.
By the dim light of the stage lamps the
barrels looked as big as nail kegs.
Throw up your hands and don't stir,'
shouted the owner in a gruft voice.
" Up went my hands, and I began to
commune with myself. The fellow
damned my soul, and then coolly asked
for my money. I saw that he did not
know who I was, and I was afraid that
my sick wife might awake and call me
by name. My coat was buttoned over
my bosom, but hardly high euough to
hide a magnificent emerald that cost me
over $8,000 a few weeks before In Pan
Francisco. I hardly breathed through
fear the light might strike the stone
and its sparkling brilliancy attract the
attention of the robber. I had about
$40,000 In a money belt close to the skin
and several . hundred dollars in my
pocket.
" Suddenly my friend shouted, 'Come,
shell out, d d quick, or I'll send the
devil a free lunch."
"I passed out the few hundreds loose
in my pockets, and handed him my gold
watch and chain. They were heftv. I
think the chain alone would weigh five
pounds at least.
" There," said I, " there's every cent
I've got. Take It, and let me go on. My
wife is very sick, and I don't know
what would happen to her if she knew
what was going on.
" ' Keep your hands up,' was the re
ply, while a second robber received the
watch and money. Then a search was
made for the express company's box, but
the double-barreled shotgun didn't move.
Its muzzles were wltbin a foot of my
nose. For my life I did not dare to stir.
My nose began to itch. The stiff hairs
of my mustache got up, one after an
other, and It tickled until the sensation
was intolerable. . I could stand it no
longer.
"Stranger," I cried, " I must scratch
my nose. It itches bo that I almost
crazy."
" Move your hands, 'heshouted, 'and
I'll blow a hole through your head big
enough for a jack rabbit to jump
through.' I appealed once more. 'Well,'
he answered, ' keep you hand still and
I'll scratch it for you. I hate to see a
partner suffer.' "
'Did he scratch it V asked one of Ben's
interested listeners.
' Sure,' said Mr. Holllday.
' How V asked the breathless listner.
With the muzzle of the cocked gun,'
said the great overlander. ' He rubbed
the muzzle around my mustache and
raked it over the end of my nose until I
thanked him and said that it Itched n o
longer.'
A Human Body Petrified.
IT IS a fact not generally known that
the cemetery of the Methodist Church
iu Hendcrsonville, N. C, contains a pe
trified human body. About the year
1830 Miss Adeline Byers lived with her
father, Francis C. Byers, fifteen miles
south of that place, in Henderson coun
ty. She was a bright, sweet girl, much
beloved by all who knew her, and her
hand was sought In marriage even be
fore she was of a marriageable age. At
last she was won by William Pinkney
Murray, whom she had known long
and well. Soon the nuptials were cele
brated, and the bride and bridegroom
set out in search of a new country, fol
lowing the setting sun to the Mississippi
Valley. There they located and began
the journey of life together in real ear
nest. Prosperity and happiness came to
them, nntilatan unexpected moment
death cut down Mrs. Murray in the very
prime of life. The disconsolate widow
er, consigning the body of his deceased
wife to the dust, as he supposed, sought
"surcease of sorrow" in the wilda of
Texas. A few years afterward Dr. Jo
slah Johnson, intending to return to
North Carolina, whence he had remov
ed with his brother-in-law, Mr. Murray,
disinterred the body of Mrs. Murray, for
the purpose of carrying It back with
him. Imagine how amazed be was to
find it in the coffin just as be had seen
it there years before. The same features
almost the very same expression. But
what he saw was not flesh it was solid
stone. The whole body had petrified.
In that condition be carried it to North
Carolina, and delivered it to the aged
father, Mr. Byers, who could hardly
doubt that his daughter had come home
to him asleep. The news spread that
Adeline's body had btt-n "turned into a
rock," and great was the desire of every
body to see it. Attempts were made, it
is said, to steal it out of the cellar where
the old gentleman had carefully conceal
ed it, but they were unsuccessful. All
through the war it was guarded by the
father as a most sacred trust, but few
persons being allowed to see it. About
six years ago, it was quietly buried In
the Methodist Cemetery at Henderson
vllle, where, it la hoped, it will be per
muted to rest until the "resurrection
morn."