The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-09-16
NUMBER 20.
A Life Romance.

Sentinel, writing from Durand, Wisconsin
under date August 2l, gives an interest.
ing account of an incident which lately
occurred there. He says: On the 18th
of July 1854, Mr.. Timothy Stokin, now
of this place, had little girl eighteen
months old stolen from him. He was
living at Merton, Waukesha county.
Mrs. Stokin was in the garden at the
time, picking cucumbers, leaving the
child in the house with the older children.
Her husband was some eighteen miles
away from home. When Mrs. Stokin re-
turned to the house she asked where little
Emma was, and the children answered,
"Out on the fower-bed." She called it,
but received no answer, and never saw
the child again until few days ago,
when Mr.. StOkin returned with lady
from Red Cedar Falls, Dunn county.
This proved to be the child who was
stolen twenty years, one month and two
days before. The girl had been teaching
school during the summer at Red River
Falls. The history of the loss of the
child and her subsequent movements is
interesting.
After the child disappeared tho father
aroused the neighborhood, and long
search was made. He firmly believed
the child had been abducted, and left no
stone unturned to find her. He tracked
two men to Ripon under the belief that
they had the child, but there he lost
track of them. The father and his son
entered the army, the son was killed, the
father returned alone, and the family re-
moved to Durand, where he has lived for
ten years.
OF the adventures of the child nothing
is known up to her sixth year. She re-
members that at that age she was living
in st. Louis with woman whom she re-
garded as her mother. The woman was
taken i'll, and under the impression that
she would die she confessed to the girl
that she was not her mother; that she
had been stolen, and that she (the
wOman) had been paid to keep her. She
did not die, and the girl remained with
her in St. Louis until she was eleven
years old. At that time Captain l.. ID.
Bartlett, of Hudson, Wisconsin, captain
of the steamer Viola, was in st. Louis
with his wife. Mrs. Bartlett met the girl,
liked her and made arrangements with
the woman by which the girl passed into
the hands of the Bartletts and came to
Wisconsin to live. About year ago
Captain Bartlett removed to Indiana. and
Fannie johnson, as the girl was called,
took charge of the school in Dunn county,
as mentioned above.
A few weeks ago Mrs. Nasby, of this
place, visited Cedar Falls and became
acquainted with Emma. She was i'm
mediately struck with the resemblance
of the girl to the Stokin family, and
knowing the story of the lost child, con-
cluded this might be her. She ac-
9uainted the Stokin family with her be-
lief and Mr.. Stokin at once visited the
girl, and after interviewing her felt as
sured that she was his daughter. He
persuaded her to accompany him home,
and they reached here few days ago.
The meeting between mother and
daughter was affecting, and so deep were
the mothers feelings that she swooned
away Oh seeing her long lost child. All
doubt of the identity of the child is re-
moved. The young lady has been well
educated, and is very interesting
person. She has been we'll cared for, and
especially during her residence in Hudson,
where she was universally liked. Her
parents are in moderate circumstances,
but are honest and Industrious people,
and have the highest respect of the entire
community.
1t seems that year or SO ago the girl
received information from st. Louis that
her parents had been discovered, and
was urged to visit st. Louis, but her
Hartford friends advised her to wait un-
til references given were found genuine.
As no clue to the parties advising her to
return to st. Louis could be found, it
was concluded that it was an effort on the
part of some questionable persons to get
possession of the young lady, and she re-
mained at Hudson.
Mr.. Stokin, the father, has this theory
in regard to the abduction: A man
named Charles Taylor was a suitor for
the hand of Mrs. Stokin. Her marriage
filled him with rage, and he vowed
revenge. He followed them from Ohio
to Wisconsin, and stole the child.