"Truth is stranger than fiction." Biography of Isaac W. Ambler

Preface

I first became acquainted with the subject of this narrative ii the spring of 1859, and having heard him relate many striking events that had occurred to him, 1 asked him why he did not have his life written, that by doing it he might get an education. His answer was, that he had often thought of it; and, upon further conversation, he asked me to sketch down the incidents of his life, which I have done, although somewhat in an imperfect manner.

The subject of this narrative was born in England, and was early deprived of his parents ; commenced, when seven years old, to work in the coal mines, and worked in them four years, after which he entered the British army, in which he served seven years before making his escape to Portland, Me. During all this time, he was addicted to the intoxicating cup, and led an unhappy life. From Portland he moved to Biddeford, and thence to Newburyport, Mass., where he was brought, by the power of God, to see the error of his ways, and to turn his feet into the testimonies of the Lord. I have endeavored to write this narrative in a simple and natural style, and to depict the scenes as near life as was in my power. I have written them in the form of an autobiography, that I might give them as nearly as possible in the words of the subject himself.

Biddeford, October 1, 1859.

W. P. F.

LIFE OF ISAAC W. AMBLER.

Chapter I

I was born in Littlemore, Yorkshire County, England, in the year 1825 or 1826. The exact date of my birth I never knew, but have often heard my grandmother say that it was about fourteen days after Christmas. I was born in a small, one-story house, situated on a high bluff, in front of which flowed a small stream of water. Around the house was a plot of land about one mile in circumference.

My father was a smart, active, and industrious man, naturally quick-tempered, but soon reconciled. He was by trade a weaver. He was a kind father and an affectionate husband. My mother was a quiet, humble Christian, one who adorned the doctrines of our Lord and Savior by a well ordered life and conversation. And now, when my mind is turned back to my childhood days, I can remember b LIFE OF ISAAC W. AMBLER.

how she would place her hand upon my head and bless me. I was the only child. "When three years old my father moved from the house lie rented on the bluff, to a house near the New Dolphin ; after which the old house and land on the bluff were bought by a rich man named Knowles. This piece of land was a place wherfe the gamesters resorted for cock-fighting and gambling, in all its branches ; but this man built a granite wall, some nine feet high, around it, which ever after kept the gamesters out. My grandparents lived near the Old Dolphin, and under the same roof lived my uncle William. He had three sons and a daughter. Soon after my parents moved to the New Dolphin, my mother took me to see my grandparents. She carried me in her arms, and when returning home, in crossing a neighbor's field, she was frightened by seeing a bull but a short distance from her. My mother had on a red shawl, which, blowing in the breeze, caught his gaze ; throwing me into a thorn hedge, she started at a swift pace towards a stone wall, which she reached just as the breath of the animal could have been heard behind her. So anxious Avas she to get from his way, that in her haste to get over the Avail she slipped and fell over, severely bruising her. She soon recovered, and by a circuit came around where I was in the hedge, and took me in her arms, and with difficulty reached home. She never recovered from the effects of her bruises, but had to take to her bed from which she never arose. During her sickness I was one night called to her bedside, and she put her hands upon my head and blessed me, gave me to God, and then breathed her last. Thus was I early deprived of a mother, whose gentle admonitions and humble prayers I shall never hear again. How thankful should I be that God, who is faithful to his people, has heard the prayers of my mother, though offered many years ago, and that in New England, far from my native home, he has sent his holy spirit to convince me of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and that through his help I have commenced a new life in Christ. How true are the words in the Scriptures, that " the prayers of the righteous availeth much."

My father belonged to a club, and it was the custom when one of their number, or family died, for all to attend the funeral services. On this occasion they had to go some three miles to the burial ground ; four men carried the corpse on their shoulders. When they came to Queen's Head, about one mile from home, they blew their trumpets,*

* A custom in country places at that time, when passing houses, to blow trumpets.

and I remember of looking up to my father and saying, " Father, mother is crying." When we had gone about one mile from Queen's Head, I was crying so hard that my father told me to go to my grandparents, about one mile distant. I left him to go, but was tired and I went away a short distance and sat down beside the road, when a stranger came along and took me into his carriage and carried me to my grandparents, and soon after I went home to my father's. A few weeks after my mother's death, my father took it so much at heart, as he worshipped my mother, and as his fireside seemed dreary, as the chief attraction was gone, that he took to drink ; and this led to gambling, and he passed much of his time in the ale-houses, thus neglecting his work and running into debt. I remember one day of going into a neighbor's house, and the man, knowing my father was a drinking man, abused me and told me to go home about my business. I went home crying, and told my father, who was quite angry with him, and he went immediately to see what he meant in abusing me ; arriving there, he commenced to talk with the man, and they soon came to hard words, and then to lighting. My father was a very strong man, and he seized him and threw him over his head, nearly killing him. My father, as 1 have said before, was in debt, and the bailiffs came one clay, and as the doors were fastened they went away, but soon returned with a sledge, and breaking open the doors, they entered. My father took me with him into an upper chamber and locked the door. The bailiffs took all the tilings below, excepting some straw which they left for us to sleep upon, and carried them away. This was in the cold season, and I suffered much, living in this condition, not having hardly enough to eat, and staying at home many nights alone. My father having yet some feeling left, took me to my grandparents, and told them that he would pay one-half a crown per week for my support ; they agreed to keep me, and then he went away to Halifax, four miles distant, to work in the mills, weaving. He came to my grandparents' to see me the two Saturday nights following, and the last night he came, called me up, as I was then abed, and gave me three half-pence, and then kissed me and left ; and from that time I have never seen nor heard from him.

Now, truly I was alone, — my mother was dead, my father the same as dead to me, without sister or brother, and dependent on charity. My grandfather was very poor in circumstances, a shuttlemaker by trade. Both grandparents were pious, and members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and lived up to their profession. 1 was now about live years old. My grandparents sent me to school a short' time, but money was scarce, and as they conld not pay my tuition, they took me from school and set me to work winding 'bobbins for weaving. After working at this about two years, my grandparents taught me to weave, and being too short to reach the looms, I was compelled to wear a pair of wooden clogs some two inches thick to reach the treadles. Business soon became dull in manufacturing, and we were left without work. My grandfather not getting anything to do, went to the overseers of the poor, to ascertain if they would assist any in my support ; but they would not assist any one away from the poor-house. Shortly after this, my grandmother asked me if I should not like to go to Clayton, two miles distant ; she said she would buy me some candy. I went, not expecting that she would take me to the poor-house ; but poverty, to what straits will it not drive the most exemplary ? When the pangs of hunger were driving them to desperation, she could not bear to tell me that she was going to take me to the poor-house. My grandmother, after she arrived there, conversed with a woman at the door a short time, then this woman took me under her arm, and while I kicked and screamed she carried me into the house. I ran out into a back yard where there was quite a garden spot that had a fence some ten feet high around it. I climbed up this fence, and got caught so that I could neither get up nor down. The woman came and took me down and carried me into a room where there were a number of women and children, who stared rudely at me.

Here I was, a stranger. None knew me, and I knew none of them, and turning from their earnest gaze, I shrunk away into one corner of the room, and covering my face with my hands, I wept bitterly. I cried until dinner was served up, which consisted of coarse porridge, and which I could not eat, as I could not subdue my tears nor stop the throbbing of my heart. In this way I remained until supper, when the mistress kindly brought me a piece of bread and molasses, a part of which I managed to eat ; after which a big, brawny fellow took me to an upper chamber, where among quite a number of beds I was stowed away in one corner of the room upon a small cot. Thus left, I sunk into an uneasy slumber ; thoughts of my early home and of my mother came upon me ; I thought that I again stood by my mother's bed, and with her hands again upon my head, she blessed me the same as the night she died. These words, " God bless and preserve the poor orphan," seemed to ring in my ears, and bursting into tears, I awoke, and pulling the clothes over my head, I again sobbed myself into a broken slumber. Again, I thought of my home and of my grandmother ; I thought I knelt by her side and repeated my evening prayer ; again, my father seemed to stand by my bedside, as on the night he left me ; I seemed to feel his burning kiss upon my cheek, and awoke to find myself an inmate of the poor-house. I could not sleep, — the hours passed slowly away, — every striking of the clock I heard, — how glad I was when the first ray of morning light found its way through the humble window. I hailed the bright messenger and welcomed his first coming to break the long, long darkness of the night. Ye, who sleep upon beds of down ; ye, who pass the hours of night in pleasure and revelry, and would stay the morning light, think of the poor orphan ; and may God, in his goodness and mercy, ever keep you from the miseries of the poor-house !

LIF.E OF ISAAC W. AMBLER.

Chapter II

With the first dawn of light I fell asleep ; how long I slept I knew not, but was awakened by the harsh tones of the mistress, who rudely shook me by the arm. and said :

" Come, sir, is this the way you want to spend your time ? "

I hardly dared to gaze into her face, but answered that I had not slept until daylight.

" Well," says she, " we sleep here by night and work by day, and we allow no breaking of these regulations. Now dress yourself and come down to breakfast."

I dressed as quick as possible, and hurried down. The room into which I went was a long one, and. in the middle of it was a table reaching nearly the whole length, around which about fifty persons were seated. I seated myself beside a bright, pretty girl, about fourteen years of age, and while the others made some coarse remarks about me, this girl kindly moved her chair for me to sit by her side. As I sat down, the whole company stared at me, and as I thought how different from the little table that we seated ourselves around at my grandmother's, tears filled my eyes, which caught the gaze of my mistress, and she said, " Come, we want no babies here, and you'll find we don't allow any baby whims. Now stop your crying, or go up stairs."

Stop my crying ! As well she might have told the waves to stop their dashing upon some seashore, or stop the rays of the sunlight. I sprang from the table, and hastened up stairs to the room I had slept in, and cried until dinner time. I will say here that the poor-houses of England and those of the United States are not the same. Those of the United States are palaces compared with those in England. The meanest provisions that could be obtained, and served up in the most slovenly manner, were set before me ; and, although I had always lived poorly at home, yet what we had was neat and clean, and managed with taste, but how different here. They did not seem to stand for ceremony, but each person seemed to act for himself, and intent only on taking care of number one. Every person seemed to be ou his own hook, and a reckless dash was made at the soup dishes at a motion from the master of the house, who stood at the head of the

LIFE OF ISAAC W. AilELER. 15

table ; and as I sat near one of these soup dishes, more of the soup was thrown in my face by the collision of spoons in the dish, than passed down my throat. The clattering of spoons and the buzz of voices nearly frightened me at first, being unused to such scenes as the one before me. The soup rapidly disappeared before the famished eaters, and I soon found that my share would be rather small, and that if I got any at all I should have to " run the gauntlet," I therefore timidly placed my spoon into the soup dish only to have it knocked out of my hands by a more bold adventurer. I made an effort to recover it. and one of the men near, mistaking my motion, thinking I was going to seize a piece of meat, of which I believe there was one piece, said, " Come, young chick, you are rather bold for so short a stop, but you'll learn before you have been here long to respect your betters." Blushing, I took my hand away from the dish, and as I was not hungry, I left the table and went up stairs to the room that I slept in, and passed the afternoon. The shades of night were drawing around, and as 1 looked from the window and heard the wind rustle through the trees, how sad the sound to me ; that which AYas music sweet to me at other times, now filled my soul with sorrow, and it seemed to be the very echoing of my saddened heart. But T gazed beyond, and as I looked up to the bright heavens and saw the evening stars twinkle, and the moon shedding forth her rays of light, and as the darkness increased and the shadows of the trees appeared, stretching forth their huge limbs along the dusty way, I was startled by the shrill, piercing cry of the whippowil.

What shrill tones they were ! They thrilled in my ear like that sound which I never shall forget, the trumpet tones that were blown at my mother's funeral. This, of the whippowil, seemed to be the same shrill blast. I thought when the trumpet was blown, of the loss of my mother, and now this seemed to remind me of the loss of my father. As I looked out I heard the rumbling of wheels, and immediately a carriage came swiftly up to the door, and a man alighted and took a child from the carriage. I heard the treading of feet below, and the distant tones of my mistress's voice, and then the reply of a man. I saw the carriage turn and hasten away. Another one, I thought, has come to crowd the already overfilled poor-house. I leaned on the window sill and wept. I then went and knelt down in one corner of the room, and with upturned eyes I repeated my evening prayer, and prayed that God would take me home to Him where my poor mother was. I then arose and went back to the window again, and leaned against the window sill. Sleepiness came over me. How long I slept I know not ; but when I awoke the sunlight filled the chamber. I remembered of going to sleep at the window, but I was now in my little cot, my clothes were off, and I inwardly blest the one who had cared for the poor orphan. While musing, a girl came to my side, the one I sat beside at the table. She said, " Do you remember where you went to sleep last night ?" I told her it was by the window, I thought. She said, " My mistress came up with me last night, and seeing you at the window, she said, ' Dirty boy, let him stay there.' But after mistress was gone, I took and carried you to your cot."

I thank you, I said, and could say no more. I felt happy to know that there was one that felt and cared for the poor orphan. After recovering some, I conversed with this girl, but while talking with her I heard my mistress calling me to come down. I rose up immediately, and dressed myself, and went down and found that the breakfast was cleared away, but the mistress gave me a cracker with a mug of water. The cracker I ate, but I felt weak, and I plead with her to send for my grandmother to come and take me home. But she paid no attention to my request, and I found it availed me nothing to plead with her. I felt the tears trickling down my cheeks, my head grew dizzy, and I fell senseless to the floor. When I came to myself, I was in my little cot. I beheld watching at my side the girl who had been so kind to me. I tried to rise, but exhausted, fell back on the bed and closed my eyes to sleep. What dreams I had ! In my imagination I was carried to a fairy land ; it seemed as if thousands were gathered before me, and music sweet fell like the faint murmur of rippling brooks, and then in prolonged and swelling notes it seemed to break forth in such delightful strains that my soul was in ecstacy. I looked around on tins vast assembly, and near I beheld my mother. She looked at me, and an angelic smile seemed to light up her face, as she beckoned me to approach her. I hastened on ; and as I neared her, stretched forth my hand to grasp hers. A few more steps and I should take her by the hand. But before me was a deep, dark chasm, into which I had almost plunged. I looked down this dark abyss, and could see no bottom. I raised my eyes, the scene had changed ; dark forests of trees were all around me ; clouds seemed gathering over my head, and I turned and hurried from the place ; but dark, black clouds were hastening after me ; I turned to look behind, when a vivid flash of lightning, that blinded me for an instant, accompanied with a startling crash of thunder that rocked the trees, and seemed to rend the earth asunder, struck a huge tree at my side. A bright ball of fire struck the top, and scattering the limbs around, sunk deep in the earth at my feet. It awakened me ; my lips were parched, my flesh hot ; some water was at my side, I eagerly drank it down, and again I slept until morning dawned, and I arose refreshed, and with what joy I learned that they had sent for my grandmother to come and take me home, thinking that unless they did, I should worry myself to death.

Chapter III

How happy I felt, and how quick I dressed myself and hurried down to wait her coming to take me home. Looking out of the window to catch the first glimpse of my grandmother, how my heart beat as I saw her form approaching the poor-house, I could not wait her coming, but seizing my cap, I hurried from the room and ran down the road to meet her. When I reached her I threw myself into her arms and wept, now tears of joy. She was so overcome that she sat down beside the road and wept freely, and kissing me, she said, " If I have only one meal a day, thee shall have one-half of it, Isaac." I felt so happy that I laughed and wept by turns, and I told her I would do anything for her if she would never send me to the poor-house again. She said she never would ; and arising from the ground, we turned our backs to the poor-house, and started for home. All my wardrobe I had on my back, and as we went toward home how happy I felt, everything looked beautiful around me. The* sun was shining brightly, and the earth was clothed in green ; the fragrance of the blossoms was wafted on every breeze ; my troubles were all forgotten ; my poverty was at once changed into riches, for as I looked on the broad face of Nature, I thought the sun is shining for me, the birds are singing for me, the sweet scent of roses was wafted on every breeze to me, and can I not enjoy the beauties of God's creation as highly as the person who can command his millions ? For although his money is at his command, yet not the whole of it can stop the singing of the birds for me, or the rays of the sun shining for me, or blot out one of the thousands of stars that illuminate the heavens. Then am I not happy to be thus situated, — having wealth that cannot be counted, — riches that cannot be estimated, conferred daily upon me ? And as these thoughts rushed through my mind, how happy I felt. I would run some distance before my grandmother, until her form would be just visible behind me, and then sit down beside the road to wait her coming. When we arrived home I was set to weaving again ; but business became dull, and we had very little to do, and I remember of hearing many prayers offered up to the Throne of Grace that God would send them some work, that they might get some money to buy their daily bread, and oftentimes some little jobs would come, and thus we were kept along.

About this time a new kind of hand loom, called the " Jacquard" loom, was introduced for weaving. My grandfather took the job of boring the u Cumber-boards," (they were full of holes for the harness to pass through,) and I used to tread the lathe to help bore them, which was very hard work for so small a boy, and I used to drip with sweat. My grandfather saved up some money by this job, but my grandmother was taken sick shortly after, and it took all the money he had saved to pay the expenses of her sickness, and thus we were left almost destitute again. But they trusted in God and prayed still, and in this condition we lived, getting just enough to keep us alive. One morning I overheard my grandfather say to my grandmother, that I should have to go to the poor-house again. On hearing this, I hardly knew what to do. I had rather do anything than go to the poor-house. The very thought made me sick. But while thinking what I had better do, I thought of the coal mines — could I get work there ? I was small, but boys worked in the mines as small as I was. I will try, I said to myself, and I ran out of the house and went to one of the coal mines that was about one mile distant, and here I hired out with a collier for six shillings and six pence per week. I then went back and told my grandparents what I had done ; they consented for me to go to work the next morning. The coal mines are the last resort to obtain a living, and no parents will let their children go into the mines if they can otherwise support them. Children, when very small, can get work in the mines when they could not at any other place ; thus the reason for going into the mines so young. I went to work in the coal-pit.

In opening a coal mine they first sink a shaft to the seam of coal, varying from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet deep. Often in sinking a shaft, the loose dirt will fall in, and to prevent this, the upper part of the shaft is walled around, sometimes this is done nearly the whole depth. These shafts are from ten to fifteen feet in diameter. Another difficulty that arises is, that veins of water are struck, which immediately commence to fill up the shaft. This is excluded by lining the shaft with boards fastened to the sides, which is called tubbing. If the first shaft that is sunk proves successful, another is, in most cases, sunk a short distance from the other, about fifteen feet, and then at the bottom an opening is excavated to the other shaft; one of these is called the clown cast and the other the up cast. The object is to get ventilation, the air descending the down cast and ascending the up cast.

In this mine I had to take coal in what is called a scoop or a small corve. This corve I drew my loads of coal in, was an oblong wagon, with small iron wheels, running on a railway. The distance to the mouth of the pit was two hundred yards. The passage was about two feet high. This corve was fastened to me by a chain, passing between my legs and hooking into a staple in a broad leather belt that was around my waist. To haul a loaded corve, with the rigging attached, requires practice. At first it was exceedingly tiresome, and I have often fallen flat on my face from exhaustion, but by constant effort and practice it became less laborious. This corve I would haul by going on " all fours," or upon my hands and feet, while the weight of my body would be supported by the chain passing between my legs. In hauling my corve in this manner, I had the skin wore off my hands badly, so that my grandfather made me two wooden crutches to hold in my hands, and by them I was enabled to continue working without so much pain as before experienced, as the crutches kept my hands from the earth and sharp pieces of iron ore that were in the bottom of the passage.

From the top of this pit to the bottom it was sixtyfeet. This mine was worked on a cheap scale, no horses, no machinery of any kind, excepting a block and tackle to hoist the coal from the bottom of the pit. My corve I would haul to the month of the pit, where the " banksman," so called, as he stands at the top of the pit and hoists out the coal, would lower down a rope with an empty corve attached, which, when lowered down the pit, I would take off and then fasten the rope to the loaded corve which the " banksman" would hoist to the top of the shaft and empty, and then lower down to receive the loaded corves as the boys would take them along. Sometimes the " banksman" would hoist so slowly, that I would have to wait sometime for him to lower down the empty corve, so as to go back, and my employer would throw large pieces of coal at me for being gone so long. Sometimes I have been struck so hard as to nearly knock me down. Then, again, I would hurry so fast with my corve to get back, that I have often struck my back against the ledge and bruised me so badly that the blood would trickle down at every step I took. The water in these mines was, in many places through which I hauled