The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-03-25
Bessie Turner.
[Pittsield Mass. J Eagle.

A central and somewhat mysterious
figure in the great trial now in progress
between Theodore Tilton and Henry
Ward Beechcr is the girl, or young We
man, Bessie Turner. She has lived with
the Titons fifteen years, was stray bit
of humanity picked up, they have nearly
forgotten where, and she herself knows
neither her father or mother, and is ut
terly ignorant of her birthplace, or even
her true name.
Who is she? There seems to be but
little doubt that she is the long lost
daughter of Bartlett McDermott, now
living in Lee. Twenty-Five years ago
Mr.. McDermott's wife died, leaving two
sons and curly-headed little daughter,
four years old, the child now believed to
be Bessie Turner. The sons were born in
Sheffield, in this county, but the girl in
New York, and shortly after their moth
er's death they were placed in an orphan
asylum in Brooklyn. McDermott visited
them at the institution and found them
well cared for. The second time he went
to see them he was told that they had
been taken for adoption by different
persons, and he could get no clue as to
where they were. He advertised in New
York papers, but got no trace of them,
and he sorrowfully gave up all expecta-
tation of ever meeting his children again.
He was by this time married, and had a
comfortable home to which he wanted to
bring the lost girl and her brothers.
Afterward the father made another eff
fort to get upon their track. He again
went to the asylum, but new officers were
in power, and they knew nothing of the
children.
In 1866 he advertised again, thinking
that, they had by this time grown up,
and were possibly themselves looking for
a clue to their parentage, the advertise,
ments might attract their attention and
lead to the desired result. But nothing
came of it, and it was not until year or
so later, or more than twelve years after
they were placed in the asylum, that he
got any word of them. Both boys had
been in the army, and at the close of the
war, one, William, went to. Orange
County, n. Y, to reside, and the other,
James came to Bridgeport. William
was the youngest, and hearing that a
family of McDermotts lived in Sheffield,
he wrote to them, thinking they might
turn out to be his parents. 1t proved
that the Sheffield McDermott was his
uncle, and through him, of course, the
parties were placed in communication,
and the family united, so far as the boys
were concerned. But this did not re-
store the lost daughter. The boys sub
sequently removed to East Long Branch,
n. j., where they now reside, and for a
long time have been ardently working
to discover her, but even their young en-
terprise and intelligence Was not able to
find even the remotest trace.
Then the Beecher-Tilton business COM
menced, and the truth cropped out, in
the course of Tilton's testimony, that the
name of the much-talked about Bessie
Turner was Lizzie McDermott. 1t was
said that she was an orphan without
known relatives of any degree, two
facts that attracted the attention OF
William McDermott, and he began In,
vestigations at once. He is now convinced
that she is the long missing sister, anc
. the communications that have passed
between him and his father at Lee makes
the old gentleman quite as sure that Bes
sic is his daughter.