A Mother's Search.
An interesting incident has just been
brought to light in Owensboro, Ky., in
which Martha Cobble, who served a
great portion of her life in slavery in
Virginia, and who forty years ago was
separated from her children, is the he-
roine. The mother and her offspring
were owned by a planter in Richmond,
Va., and at the breaking out of the
gold excitement in California in 1849
her master sold her two sons, aged 8
and 10 years, to a slave-trader from
New Orleans to secure money to go to
the gold fields. The boys were taken
to New Orleans, where they were again
sold, the oldest, Thurston Cobble, to
parties in Henderson, Ky., and his broth-
er Ned to a party living in Texas. As soon
as her boys were taken from her the
mother, who was held by the chains of
slavery, set about to learn where her
children were taken and to keep trace
of them, hoped that some day they
would be reunited. She succeeded in
learning that they had been taken to
New Orleans, but here she lost all trace
of them, but did not despair, and con-
tinued her search by means of letters
written for her by friends to various
parts of the country, all of which were
fruitless. Soon as she was given freedom
she worked hard and saved her earn-
ings in order to pursue her search. She
managed by stinting herself to visit
New Orleans, thence to Memphis, Nash-
ville, Tenn., and many other places, at
last returning to Richmond, Va. During
all her travels sha would get friends to
write for her to points where she
would occasionally receive information
which might possibly bring her some
news of her boys. Finally she, by some
accident, learned that Thurston had
been sold and taken to Henderson, Ky.
She got some of her friends to write to
some of the members of the Baptist
church at Henderson. A reply was re-
turned that he had gone to Daviess
county, Ky. A letter was addressed to
the Baptist church in Owensboro, which
was handed to Thurston Cobble, who
has been employed for some time as
porter in the Deposit Bank. Thurston
at once secured money and forwarded
it to his aged mother, who is now 85
years old and nearly blind. The money
brought the mother to Owensboro Sun-
day, and the meeting of the faithful
parent and her son was a joyous scene.
She was also rewarded by learning that
her other son is doing well near Dallas,
Tex.