Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1893 — BREAD UPON THE WATERS. [ARTICLE]

BREAD UPON THE WATERS.

Showing How Kindness to Others May Bring Interest. “In the fall of 1849,” 3aid David McLeod, the white-haired pioneer, “ I sailed from New Orleans for California by way of Panama with S2OO in my pocket. On my arrival at Panama I took the Chagres fever and bad to lie over. I was a carpenter and had brought my tools along. One night as 1 lay in my tent Spauish thieves broke in, stole all my money and even carried away my tool*. When I woke up my condition was desperate. However, I was about well of the fever and I set out to trail the thieves. At length I found the broken open and with a few of the tools yet remaining. I went to a man who kept a hotel there and told him I was robbed, was a carpenter and had nothing to eat. I told him I must have some work. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘l’ll give you $lO apiece to cut windows through the walls.’ I accepted the offer and he took me in. It was an old Spanish building, and the wood inside of the brick was very tough. It took me three days to cut one window. Finally, however, I discovered how to cut the wood easily, and then I made two windows a day. In this way, and by doing other work, I finally got together nearly S2OO again. The steamer Panama was then just leaving, and I got on her as one of the carpenters, the agreement being I should pay my passage in this way. I had put in a wooden bulkhead in the enginewhile the Panama was in the harbor, and pleased the Captain so well that heplaced the best stateroom at my disposal. But shortly after we sailed it developed that there was a man sick on the deck, and I went to him and gave up my stateroom and took his place, spreading my blankets on the deck. On our arrival here I went to work at carpentering on various ships in the harbor, and the sick man, who had at length got well, took the position of cashier in or General Naglee’s bank. Theic were fifty , sixty vessels here, a great many being from Sydney. The first day I made sl6 and some days I made S3O, and again as high as S6O and even more. I did so well that, though I arrived in May of 1850, by October I had $4,800, all of which I had deposited with the cashier in Naglee’s bank. But just then the bank broke and its doors were closed. I went to the bank, but officers guarded it. I at length saw the cashier and he said the bank had gone to pieces and he didn’t know whether he could get my money out or not, but fie wouid do so if possible. He was permitted to go in at 7 o’clock each evening, and that night I stood in the rain and darkness as he came out and hauded me the bag containing all my wealth. ‘You did me a kindness once,’ said he, ‘and here is your gold. I won’t forget it.’ I got away with my money in the dark and nobody was ever the wiser. This has taught me to always favor a man whenever I can, for no man knows how badly he may need to have it some day reciprocated.—* [San Francisco Examiner.