New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-02-28
Fifth District Court.
A STRANGE STORY.

.gIssv a sfnn Lost HE Health, hi. WIZ
aHd Children by aiOiuG Ia shs Wax II
1861.
SCorrespondence OF the New York wOTii.i
XIEGsroH, N. y, February q, 1879.
In 1861 "a laborer named Isaac Devoe, RI
Industrious man employed about the
.xharyes, left this place and went to rough
,Neepsie. In 1862 ae enlisted in the regular
service and went to tho war. de was mar
.ried and had several children. HIS regl'
snept was in many hard engagements, ana
IN the early days 0f the siege OF PETERSBURG
he was taken prisoner by the COntederates.
Previous to that time he had written regu-
Sarly TO his wife and sent her money. Alter
falling into the hands OF the rebels all com
nunication with his friends was cut oil.
During his captivity he was transferred.
with other Union prisoners, IRON place TO
sJace. until the cessation OF hOstIlities.
When released he was broken down in
health. He went tg New Orleans and enter
I'D a hospital writing 10 his wife to inform
her that he was still in the land Of the
Eyinp. He remained in the hospital some
snoni ms, during which time he bad received
no reply to hla letters. Partially restored
to health he found employment on Mis-.
sxissippi steamboat, and worked his way TO
Cairo. Illinois. Here he was again pros
srated and sent to a hospital. 1t WAS nearly
N wear before he was able to get about
again. He wrote several times during that
period TO his wife and brother, but, !eceiV.
spg no replies, he concluded that they were
. dead or had discarded him. Becoming con.
~alescent, he again engaged az hand on a
steamboat, end ran between CAIRO anu
New Orleans until the fifteenth OF last
month He then could no longer resist
longing 70 return to the scene OF his former
lie, and arrived in POughkeepsls q teT
days since. 9,
After he went 10 war his wife received
letters from him regularly, and wrote to
aim III return. In the published accounts
of the siege of Petersburg she read the
name Df her husband among those who
axere reported ss missing. Several months
passed by without any tidlngs being re-
. seix ed from him. Mrs. Devoe mourned Tor
her husband as ono dead. The support u
her children now fell entirely upon her.
: and to keep the wolf from tic door, she
sold what furniture she had. and placing
= her children with brother o: hers, in the
= vicinity Of Kingston, proc to Cohoes.
xheru she became an Ope,sti. G in a factory.
: For some years her life was {. strG2gle with
= pOsrty. Ia 1868 she returned .
Poughkeepsle and visited, her chill
;. Zirsn at Kingston. While stopping
. at the house OF a friend at the former place
j. she became acquainted with Il man named
: barney DOWN, n pIdSItTDE ny IJdnb, avn.
!. Sn New York but working in. P0ughkeepsie.
Flew Il sober and industrious man, and a
= warm attachment sprang up between him
= and Mrs. Deyoe, who Was supposed by ali
to be a widow. The result was that the
. two were engaged TO be married before she
returned 70 COhoes, he offering her good
home for herself and children. The follow
ing fall Dcvlin and Mrs. DevOe were mar
ried. They went to New York, where they
= lived very happily together until the spring
= OF 1870, when they removed TO Chicago,
a&inCe W hich time their friends III this vIciu-
( ity have had no account of them.
When Isaac DeyOe arrived at Pouch-
keepsie few days since, after an absence
of nearly twelve years, and after every one
who had known him had long looked upon
him az being dead, the astonishment OF his
friends may readily be imagined. The first
place he called was at a tamily's named
harrington, on Church street. 1t was some
time before he could assure them thar he
was really Isaac Devoe. Inquiry as 10
what had become of his wife and family
elioited the above facts. DevOe received
the singular intelligence very philoeOphi'
cally, and said that if his wife was living
happily with her new partner he would not
interfere with them; but he will insist on
having his children placed in his charge.
He remained in Poughkeepsie only over
night, and then started in search of his
children. The affair has created 10 little
sensation hereabOut.