Peter Rugg, the Missing Man by William Austin
"Peter Rugg, the Missing Man" by William Austin is a narrative that tells the story of an enigmatic figure named Peter Rugg, who has been wandering the roads in a desperate search for his home in Boston for over fifty years. The tale begins in 1820 with a letter from Jonathan Dunwell, who recounts his first encounter with Rugg, a man seemingly pursued by an ominous storm cloud. Rugg's relentless quest began on a stormy night in 1770 when he stubbornly refused to seek shelter, swearing an ominous oath to reach home. The narrative unfolds with Dunwell's accounts of Rugg's travels across various states, highlighting the uncanny and supernatural aspects of his journey, including sightings of his formidable horse, which some even mistake for an ox.
In a later part added in 1825, Rugg is described as bewildered by the changes in the world around him, struggling to comprehend the modern cities and the concept of the United States. Ultimately, the story culminates in Rugg's return to his former home, only to discover it has vanished, symbolizing the loss of his past and the futility of his enduring search. The narrative captures themes of isolation, the passage of time, and the effects of change, presenting a poignant reflection on the human condition and the concept of belonging.
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Peter Rugg, the Missing Man by William Austin
First published: 1824, 1827
Type of plot: Fantasy
Time of work: The 1820's
Locale: The northeastern United States
Principal Characters:
Jonathan Dunwell , a New Yorker who travels a great deal on businessPeter Rugg , a man cursed to wander the roads around BostonJenny Rugg , Peter's daughter and hapless traveling companion
The Story
The first part of the story takes the form of a letter in which Jonathan Dunwell explains how, in 1820, he first encountered a man and a child mounted on a "chair" (the chassis of a carriage without the protective shell it was built to carry) pulled by a black horse. The mysterious stranger, who seemed to be pursued by a relentless storm cloud, impatiently asked the way to Boston and was sorely distressed to find that he was heading he wrong way. Dunwell then relates how the driver of the coach on which he was traveling told him that the stranger had been wandering the roads for longer than he could remember, always in a desperate hurry, always asking the same question, and always confused by the answers he received.
Dunwell goes on to explain that on making further inquiries in Boston he was told that one Peter Rugg of Middle Street was on his way home from Concord one night in 1770, on a chair pulled by a bay horse, when he was overtaken by a violent storm. Although a friend living in Menotomy pleaded with him to stay the night, Rugg insisted on continuing his return journey, swearing a terrible (but unspecified) oath that he would reach home that night or never.
In the second part of the story, which was added three years later, Dunwell tells of another meeting with Peter Rugg in Richmond, Virginia, in 1825, when Rugg's fearsome horse—which some observers take for an ox, and whose hoofprints are cloven-footed—outgalloped two noted racehorses. He relays accounts of several other reported meetings, which have informed him that Rugg's wanderings are now ranging far and wide through Maryland, Virginia, New York, and Delaware as well as Connecticut. Soon afterward, Dunwell relates, he had a chance to accompany the exceedingly confused wanderer on a ride through New York City—a city in which Rugg could hardly believe, any more than he could believe in the "United States."
Eventually, Dunwell explains, he found himself in attendance at an auction of Rugg's long-derelict property in Middle Street. During this auction, Rugg finally reached his destination, after an absence of some fifty-five years—but he had not come home, because his home no longer existed; the storm had ceased to bother him and his transfigured mount had ceased to draw him astray, but—as a mysterious voice from the crowd took the trouble to spell out—he had lost everything he once possessed and the New World had no place for him.