1846-02-05—New York Evening Post—City Intelligence

City Intelligence

New York NY Evening Post, vXLIV, p. 2

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The packet ship Brooklyn sailed yesterday, says the News, bound for California, having some 200 Mormon emigrants on board, who are going out to that distant region for the purpose of effecting a settlement, where they may enjoy their peculiar religious tenets without let or hindrance. Among the passengers was a man named Abraham Combes, who was accompanied by his wife, and a daughter (by a former wife.) aged about twelve years. The daughter is represented as a sweet child, much beloved by all who knew her, and especially so by an uncle, the brother of her mother, who endeavored two prevail upon the father to let her remain among her friends in the city. Combes, however, wass obdurate, and determined that she should accompany himself and her step-mother to the far off place of their destination. On Tuesday the uncle, having secured the services of Officer Martin, of the 15th District Police, proceeded to the ship, then lying at Old Slip, and induced the father and child to come to the office of the Chief of Police, for the purpose of effecting a compromise, and if possible, prevent the girl from thus being carried, as it were, into perpetual exile, among this peculiar people.

No inducements, however, could prevail upon the parent to relinquish his paternal rights, and the parties left the office, Combes and his daughter taking a cab for the purpose of returning to the vessel. The driver of the carriage, however, had secret orders from one of the parties to drive up town, and as soon as he started, the uncle took another cab and followed. When far act on one of the avenues, an attempt was made to get rid of the father, by leaving him in the street, while the cab that contained his child should be drive to a place designated by the uncle. This, however, was stoutly resisted by the resolute Mormon, and as a consequence a crowd soon collected, while the daughter, true to natural instinct, clung convulsively to her parent, and would not be separated. Under the circumstances, it was deemed advisable to give up the attempt, and long ere this paragraph is read, both father and child are farr out upon the bosom of the deep, having bid adieu, in all human probability, forever, to the friends and associations of years, to try the dangers and vicissitudes of a pioneer life among the wildernesses of the farthest West.

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