Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1873-04-10
A Curious Case.
Two Women ElOpe With q Sin
gle LOVer-TwO Husbands Ar
rive and Find them Not.

which two women eloped witt
one lover, who carried them a
way from their husbands, anC
which probably stands unpar
alleled in the annals Of the ten
der passion.
A little over a week ago there
arrived at a hotel in the cen.
tral part of town, rather late il
the evening, a gentleman with
two ladies, one Of whom was
accompanied by two children
the other with one. He stated
that he had just arrived on the
train, and registered as "Thom-
as Hughes and family" the en-.
tire party were given one room
at his request. The trio re-
mained few days, and at the
end of that time Mr.. Hughes
came to the landlord and paid
the bill with the exception of a
few dollars, for which he left
his trunk as security.
Nothing more was thought
of the matter until the next day,
when a stranger stepped into
the office and inquired if a young
woman answering the descrip-
ton Of the younger had been
stopping in the house. On be-
ing answered in the affirmative,
he broke into a violent rage, ex-
claiming that she was his wife,
and had run away from his home
in Nashville, Tennessee, taking
with her the children and all
his available effects. On being
shown the registry of the Tar-
ty, he intimated that Hughes
was a murderer, and had once
before eloped with another
mans wife, and expressed the
determination to find them if it
took all his life. His name he
registered as Frank SAKE, Of
Nashville, and he stated that
he was a railroad engineer.
On the next day a second
stranger arrived also in search
of a missing wife, whom he
quickly identified as the other
companion of Hughes The
second stranger was John Gar
rett, also of Nashville.
Mr.. SAKE learned in the course
OF conversation from the land
lord that Hughes had left his
baggage at the hotel in security
for the payment of his board,
and found among it a trunk
which he identified a. his prop
erty, which he cautioned the
landlord to retain in case Hughes
should call. They walked a.
round the hotel for several days,
making excursions occasionally
through the city, and endeavor-
ing by every means to find their
missing wifes; but in vain. On
Monday Garrett gave up all
hope, and left for home, SAKE
remaining here.
Finding no trace of them in
the city, however, SAKE went
across the river Wednes-
day morning to prevent them
from escaping on the railroads
going East and North. In the
evening before he returned, a
spring-wagon drove up before
the door of the hotel, from
which Hughes alighted., On
asking for his trunks the land
lord refused to deliver them un-
less he could specify their con-
tents, and OH one pretext and
another detained him until an
employe he had dispatched for
the purpose had arrived with a
policeman. When the officer
and he passed out the door of
the hotel, Hughes was permit
ted to speak to the driver of
the wagon, and whispered a
few words in his ear. On their
way to the Four Courts the of
ficer sounded his prisoner, and
ascertained from him that Mrs.
SAKE was waiting for him at the
Iron Mountain depot, and that
they would have left on the
next train.
Hughes was taken to the Four
Courts, where he is waiting
further developments in the
case. Nothing has been heard
from SAKE since he went to East
St. Louis, and it is thought he
may have drowned himself in
the river. Hughes, it is stated,
has a brother keeping a saloon
on Broadway, and it is thought
he furnished the wagon which
was to take their Trunks to the
depot,