The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-11-25
remembor H. said tha doo,o,

| DER rightly, and was never seen bv
you again. She might have strayed
away
$50 we thought for whole year,
Doctor" interrupted the banker
eve never dreamed that she had
been stolen. We searched every.
where for her, and offered immense
rewards for her recovery. employ.
cd detectives, but oil to no purpose
When our little Jessie ran down the
steps into that flower garden" and
no pointed to the front Of the house,
Gas if the earth had opened and swell
lowed her up, VIC never saw her
again"
"Sho must have found tho gate
open, and wandered out" suggested
DR.. Hutton. "Shc might have stroll.
ed down to the waters and been
drowned"
The banker fixed his burning eyes
upon the physicians face, and whis-
pered:
Il said we never saw tho poor
child again. / did not say we had
not heard Of her. She was lost on
the 9th of August, 1854. For year
we thought her dead. But on tho
anniversary of our loss we received a
written message concerning her."
"a message" cried DR.. Hutton,
starting.
"a mere scrawl--a single line in a
hand evidently disguised said the
banker. "Here it is"
He produced dingy scrap of pa.
por from drawer in the table, and
keld it up to the view of the rhysici.
an, who read as follows:
August 8, 1855. jessie ha, ha JESSIE
DR.. Hutton looked, with a puzzled
air, from the scrap Of paper, which
he turned over and over, to the coun.
tenance of the banker.
Il can make nothing of this" he
declared. at is merely a date, with
the name of your lost daughter. 1t
tells me nothing"
"Nor did it us, at first said Mr..
Prebble. "Then that name and that
date, with the demon laugh connect.
ing them, set us to thinking. A whole
year we agonized over the dreadful
problem, and then we received an.
other message, which you shall see"
He thrust a second slip of paper.
identical in shape and appearance
with the first, before the gaze of Dr.
Hutton, who read it aloud:
august 8, 1856 Your Jessie still lives
The physician started, as if cleo.
triied.
"Ah this is something definite
something decisive" he muttered.-
ut convinced you that your daught.
er was still living"
Eyes, doctor" said Mr.. Preble, "and
every anniversary of that day has
brought in some message. The disap-
pearance of the child, mysterious as
it is, does not seem to me half SO
strange as that the villain who took
her away could contrive to commu.
nicate with us every year since, and
always on a particular day-the an
niversary Of that on which she was
stolen-without our being able TO dis.
cover who he is. And a still greater
wonder to me is what can be his mo-
tive. 1t seems incredible. Fit was
stated in novel many people would
not believe il. But truth is stranger
than fiction"
Mrs. Preble drew from her hus-
bands breast.pocket his notebook.
opened it to the proper page, and
presented it to the physician.
DIR. Hutton adjusted his spcctacles,
glanced over the page, and then slow
ly read the group of entries aloud
The entry the first year is as follows:
"AuGUsT9, 1855. Jessie, ha, ha! Jessie."
And the next year it Is
AUGUST Q, 1856. Your Jessie stlll liyesr,
And the next
AUGUST 0, 1857. She is in good hands"
And the next
August Q, 1855. She is well as cyer,n
And the next
AUGUST 6, 1859. saw her yesterday -
And the next
AUGUST 8, 1860. She's growing rapidlyr.
And the next
AUGUSTA 1851. She continues To do we'll u;
And the next
AUGUST Q, 1862. I've seen her AGAIN.,
And the next
august Q, 1868. She's becoming woman 7,
And the next
august Q, 1864. Your child is thirtcenm
And the next
AUGUST Q. 1866. She's lovler than ever"
And the next
AUGUST 0, 1866. She's really charmingw
And last year it is
AUGUST ., 1867; My reward is at hand y
And what shall we get to-day!
The physician looked up and fixed
his thoughtful gaze upon the bereav-
ed husband and wife.
GLOW did these messages come to
your" be demanded.
Invariably by post" replied Mr..
Preble. Usually to the house, but
sometimes to the officc!"
"And you have never seen their
author?'
"Never!'
';The last of them is dated, see, a
year ago to day!n
ayes, yes" faltered tho banker,
'and the time has come for another
message. This is the 9th of August,
1861"
81 see,' said DR.. Hutton. "And
this is the secret of your terrible ex-
element! You are expecting to re-
ceive to-day another of these strange
%
There was brief silence. Mrs.
Preble's hand futtered in its task, and
her face grew very pale. The bank
er breathed gaspingly. The physi-
can regarded them both in friendly
sympathy.
"We shall hear Of her again TO-
day." said Mr.. Prebble; "and what
will the message be ?"
The mother averted herface. Her
brave heart faltered as that question
echoed in her soul.
'The writer of these articles is un-
questionably the abductor Of your
child !" said DR.. Hutton "Have you
any suspicion us to his identity"
"Not the slightest, said Mr.. Pre-
bic. eve have puzzled over the
problem for many years, but we can
not guess who he is"
Think" said the doctor. Have
you no enemy? ! do not moan peo-
pie with whom you are not friendly
every stirring man has plenty Of
thcse-but downright enemy! Is
there no man whom you knew
IL, En..i r,rbo I.I<,d NJ