The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-03-12
5eIecte0 misfsllanp.
A Strange Story.

l6euE nlnSr dveu IN DeKslb county, was
IS. -<5sisly msde away with after hay-
ing leff his home to visit Nashville. he
was tolerbly well of, had beautiful Young
wife whom he had married year previous
70 his sudden and finsl disappearance, and
whom he had successfully won from q
powerfua pertinacicns and ranoorous
rival The young couple were deeply St
taehed 20 each other, spent their honey
moon N Philadeiphia, and returned after
a months joyous travel. AT the time of
Joi1s's departure from home he confessed
thst he had . strange presentment of i'm
pending evil, and he passionately kissed
bis infant boy the morning he was leav-
Ing, and even shed .ears. When he was
away about q week his friends became
alarmed. Nothing hsd been heard from
him-no one had seen him on the tourney.
After couple Of days Of intolershle sus-
pense search wes instituted. No trace of
any sort could be found, except that the
marks OF feet 90 If those of struggling
men, were found on the banks Of the
Cumberland, about swo miles from q
landing where II was expected Jolly was
70 take boat TO come down the river.
Several small ssplings were either torn MP
oy the roots or broken, thus giving evi-
dence Of q fierce combat Save these
marks, nothing that could, in any way,
throw any light on the fate Of Jolly was
ever discovered. After remaining two
years on the farm, and when her tive
little children were in q condition to run
about, she became wearied of q scene the
contemplation Of which afforded her
nothing but pain 1t was q scene once
bright and happy turned suddenly into
desolation and gloom, and the fair young
widow and sorroving mother was
losing heS kealte. She, BY the advice of
friends ana physicians, sold out and came
10 Nashville. In about three wears after
wards she married the clever but eccen-
tric Dr.. Harper, who died down South
during the war She has since remained
q widow, possessed of considerable prop-
erty and sn interesting family of three
gris and q boy. These seemingly irrele-
want particulars viii have a significance
when we tell the anxious reader that the
early but unsuccessful suitor to her hand
having never msfried, engaged in the
Southern cause also, and was in the same
regiment in which DIR. Harper was medi-
cal officer. he got along on apparent
good terms with DR.. Harper, but was fire.
quently heard 70 curse him bitterly in pri-
vste, snd, in fact, the day before his death,
had nerce alteration with him which
s,ss was only p pFsssssaal s siesaiissE Assl
officers. For 9 long time after the death
of Harner the manner of it was considered
STRANGE. but the thought of it finally died
INF Of the minds of men. After the war
the fierce but bsffled suitor of her young
days came to Nashville md renewed &C
ouaintance with the twice widowed flame
of his youth. Very recently he was on
the point of succeeding; in fact some pre-
liuinary arran gtments were already made
for q wedding when e arrangement oc-
CURED in the wster pipe which supplied
the house of the widow Harper, in South
Nashville. Plumbers were set TO work on
tho nine. but could make no Improvement
ON il. Finally the street was ripped up to
ascertain the cause of the water stoppage.
II was found At the mouth of the pipe,
where il was attached to the main street
supply pipe, the skeleton of a hand was
found the fingers were closed up like 8
knot, firmly jsmmed into the small
pipe. On being taken out a jack
knife was found clutched in the
fingers, covered with rust, of course, but
sufficiently sound and perfect in shape 70
show that it had been once the property
of the man 20 whom the widow was en-
gagged 70 be married Upon one OF the
fingers was found also diamond ring
which her first husband wore when he len
their house, in DeKalb county, thirteen
years ago. When these particulars be
came known the intended bridegroom
hastily left towE, and the good lady be
came sick. An attempt was made to hush
up these facts, but they gradually leaked
out and came into our possession yester
day. The lady has not yet recovered
She has frequen: spells of delirium, snd
fears are entertained by her physicians
that her reason has been impaired by The
shock of the discovery.-NashOile Pres
and Times, FEB. 1914