The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-08-04
STRANGER THAN FICTION.
MYSTERY UNRAVEHER.
A Child Stolen from Home, TWENTY-FIVE
Years Ago, Just FOund---A Strange
Story OF Providence Elopement
and Its Results.
Providence Or. L. Journal. J

u Many OF our old citizens will readil
: recall the excitement and wonder tina
: was created, some twenty-three years ago
: at the sudden and mysterious disappear
ance of Mr.. Jeremiah Perez. welt.to.d,
grocer on Sabin street, leaving a wife mn,
? two children Gall of whom are now living,
T ana at about the same time the as sud
den disappearance of Mrs Harrington
wife OF Thomas NJ. Harrington, who wa,
then living in one of Mr.. Perce's tene
ments. Mr.. Perez left the city on pre-
tense of going to New York to transact
business, and never returned. 1t was M
the time supposed that the two had
eloped, as there had been reports OF
undue intimacy between them, but moth
ing certain was known i'm regard 10 the
matter. n short time observation-disclosures
six months, as those knowing the facts
now recollect it-NGrs. Harrington re-
turned IN an apparently penitent mood
and had an Interview with her husband,
at which she received permission TO take
one Of her children, named Mary, lit
tie girl of five years (there were three
children in all, IA sister olderand broth.
/ er younger than Mary down street with
her, to purchase for her some needed
articles of apparel, and was to return
with her by 8 o'clock that evening. "a
From that time the father heard nothing
from the child or the mother until within
few weeks, and they have long been
supposed dead. Nor did the family and
friends of Mr.. Perez hear anything from
him, though the most strenuous efforts
were put forth to discover his where
abouts. The Odd Fellows. he having
been prominent among them, sent out
men IN search for him, in the hope of
hndlng something concerning him which
would remove the stain from his charac- !
ter, but without avail, while his relatives |
sought for him as unsuccessfully. The !
family and friends Of Mrs. Harrington ,
also strove to learn something Of her, but |
her tracks were effectualy covered up. |
and they got no trace Some of her rel |
atlves believed that she might have fall |
len victim to a railroad or steamboat
accident, there being several of these
reported about that time, while Mr..
Perce's friends were unwillingly forced to
the belief that he had been murdered.
lime passed on, the missing ones were
legally declared dead, and the affair was
well-nlgh forgotten by all except those
intimately interested.
Very recently, however, public atten-
ton was attracted to the following adj
inserted in the Providence
Bulletin and Journal:
WANTED.-T know the whereabouts
of any person by the name of Harding,
or Harrington, who has resided
in Providence for the past twelve or
fourteen years, or Of any persons who
are akin to any family of this name a
lady in this city who has relatives with
namGs re- des Na g. 1areg B9 2P
ness Manager, Sentinel and Pioneer,
Fort Scott, Kansas.
This was seen the same evening by Mr..
the brother of the girl who
had been so long missing, who at once
forwarded a Geographic dispatch to the
above address, stating that there were
parties of all these names living in this
;ity, and that one of them had a daugh-
er stolen, about twenty-three years ago,
Who had never been heard from This
vas received at Fort Scott at 3 o'clock
he next morning, and by noon 90, the
Wonder Of the telegraph y a dispatch in
answer was received here, which brought d
o young Mr.. Harrington and his father q
he joyful news that their long-lost sister i
md daughter, whom they had for so !
many years believed to be dead, was still I
living. Letters followed as rapidly as !
Uncle Sans mail arrangements would {
llOw, and it was soon ascertained, be- !
'ond the shadow Of doubt, that the \
iews brought by the telegraph was true. c
50 young when she was taken {
way, the girl, now married and the mo- a
her of two children, yet remembered \
nough Of her early lite 10 assure her r
elatives in this city Of this, had not her
mother, who was still living, put her in v
possession of other facts a soon a. she a
ould make arrangements, she left her g
Ome in Fort Scott to pay visit to her (
elatives, and arrived ia this city few {
avs ago. The Joy of her meeting with 4
er father, brother and other relatives j
an be better imagined than described. "a
From Mrs. Barter's strange story the c
blowing facts are gathered: She dis i
nctly remembers her mother promising q
er father to take her back at o'clock 0
n the day she was stolen. She says she &
as with her mother two or three days 4
efore she realized that she was being a
lken away from nome. She remembers a
Ir. Perez joining them, but does not Il
now where, not at that age being ac- i
TAINTED with towns, cities, etc, but il u
as somewhere while they were travelling, {
nd soon after they left this city. He, ii
seems had changed his name to Charles b
fierce (the lie as long %, and at once q
lught her to call herself MARY Pierce" n
lreatening her with severe punishment s.
she called it anything else, or if she u
Did any one her name had ever been n
harrington. They spent about year a
! Dubuque, Ia, and st. Paul, Mimi, a
nd then went to Texas, where Mr.. II
erce was engaged in raising cattle and Il
leep, at times doing very well and at l.
mes not so well. They remained in Fl
exas for some years, and then removed Il
} near Baxter Springs, Kansas, where
Ir. Perez, who had been failing in
ealth for a couple of years, died, about
,urteen years ago, leaving three sons, by
lrs. Harrington, all Of whom are now g,
wing. She says he was ut one time a =,
'niversalist clergyman, and at another p,
Spiritualist, and that wherever he went 4,
e won the respect and good viii OF his -,
llOw-men. An investigation into the \,
atement that Perez was UnIversallst -
ergyman shows that no such man was :;
nown hereabouts, in the ministry of =,
Ie denomination. In the record, how :. ~
,er, appears the name Of one william -
ierce. who Was at Lancaster, in Texas, ~
1858, and may possibly be the man -
it'll whom this story has 10 do He was -
1knowu to most, if not all, Universal y
IS here. The only other Pierce in the %
ministry is the esteemed -
who has long been settled at =.
ttleboro
Amidst all her wanderings and hard q