The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-11-07
A Noble Wife.


Gently pardoned an inmate of the Peni
tentiary. under circumstances which fur
nish remarkable and touching instan ce
OF what devoted, trusting, and euergeti,
wife can do for an unfortunate husband
The latter used to live in Toledo, Ohio
and the facts of his case are vouched for
by respectable journals of that place
Some time ago he removed to Missouri
with his wife, and early in 1870 the
events fell out that proved so disastrous
to him. 1t appears that he was not very
prosperous, and had occasion to sell-a.
nearly the last Of his possessions-a pair oil
fine horses. For these he received $500
In clean, new national currency. The
stock dealer who bought the horses after.
ward disappeared. On the next day af.
ter the sale, the vender paid out two bills
of SO each. 1t was discovered that they
were counterfeit, and the utterer was
promptly arrested aud lodged in prison
He. OF course, directly protested his in
nocence, and told how he got the money.
The horse dealer was traced and brought
forward, when, to the horror and amaze
ment of the accused man, he stoutly de-
MED all knowledge of the bad bills, and
swore the money he had paid for the
horses was in bills on Illinois banks. No
conirmatory evidence of the prisoner s
tale could be got. and, as much counterfeit
money had lately been circulated in that
region, public feeling ran strongly against
him. He was tried, aud, despite his
f., 10
termined struggles in his behalf, he was
found guilty, and sentenced to five years
Imprisonment in the Penitentiary.
But the wife never for a moment be
lieved him guilty and, with astonishing
resolution and pertiuacity, she now bent
herself to the task of proving his inno-
cence and e1ecting his release. The lat
ter end she first sought, and obtained in
terviews with the Governor of Missouri.
To him she stated her case as she saw
and believed it. But the Governor, al
though kind, was firm. The prisoner had
been shown to be guilty Counterfeiting
was greatly on the increase. 1t was ne
cessary to make examples, aud there was
every just reason why her husband should
be one of them. He could hold out no
hope, save in the condemned's restoration
after FIVE years. The wife went home,
converted all she had into cash, and
theuceforward devoted her whole time
and brain to follow the horse dealer who
had given her husband the spurious,
notes, with the hope of convicting, the
really guilty person of that ofense.
Pursuing him like shadow, but keep
ing out of his sight, she soon found that
when he went to a place counterfeit
money was said to be in circulation there
soon after. This happened at Freeport,
Ill, and afterward at Fort Wayne, Ind
At the latter place she caused his arrest,
but nothing could be proved against him,
and he was set free. She then dogged
him to Canton, Ohio, to Pittsburg, AL
toona, Lancaster, Chambersburg, Phil
adelpbia, Goshen, Bnghamton. Oswego,
Elmira and other towns in New York,
sometimes staying two or three months
in each place. The man was, however,
so guarded and ingenious as always to
manage, to cover his tracks; in fact, he
never passed false "paper" himself at all.
aud his implacable pursuer was unable
to bring him to account. At last, how
ever, he fell i'll at Newton, Sussex coun.
N. j., and she believed and proved that
her golden opportunity was at last at
hand. ,a
When the horse dealer fell i'll, the wife
of his victim was at the same hotel. She
found out the physician attending him,
and frankly told her whole story. She
described how she had tracked the cause
of her husbands misfortune, and begged
the doctor for the sake of right and US
tice, to help her. The physician was
moved by her tale, and agreed to do what
she asked, which was to give his patient
some depressing but safe medicine, and
adroitly to lead him to think that he was
in very critical condition. This was
accordingly done, and worked to charm.
The patient begged at once for clergy
man. who, arriving. pointed out the ne
cessity of fall repentance, and at this
juucture the wife entered the room, and
implored the supposed dying man to re,
pair the great wrong he had done her
husband The result was that the suf-
ferer made deposition before a magis.
trate, confessing that he had passed the
FIVE hundred dollars, as described, and
further more that he was a member OF au
extensive gang Of counterfeiters, his
special business being not to utter bad
money, but to spread it among confeder-
ates in different parts of the country. lie
also said that on the occasion of making
the trade in question, he happened to
have no other money, aud greatly wanted
the horses. Armed with this document,
the now happy woman fastened back to
Missouri, laid her evidence before the
Governor, and had the satisfaction OF car
rying full pardon to her husband al
most Immediately after. The two are
now living joyfully together on farm in