The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-08-12

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forts were put forth to discover his where
abouts. The Odd Fellows, he having
been prominent among them, sent out
men in search of him, in the hope OF find
ing something concerning him which
would remove the stain from his charac-
ter, but without avail, while his relatives
sought for him as unsuecessfully The
family and friends of Mrs. Harrington al
so strove to learn something of her, but
her tracks were effectually covered up,
and they got no trace. Some of her rela-
tives believed she might have fallen vic
tim 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 beliefthat he had
been murdered. Time passed on, the
missing ones we're legally declared dead,
and the affair was well-nigh forgotten by
all except those intimately interested,
Very recently. however. public attention
was attracted to the following advertise
ment, inserted in the Providence Bu!lttfn
and Journal.
WANTED.-To know the whereabouts Of
any person by the name of Harding, Studley
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. 4 lady in this city who has rela-
tives with these names is DESTROYS Of hear
ing from them. Address Nat G. Barter, bust
. SnN
Kansas.
This was seen the same evening by Mr..
Harrington, the brother of the girl who
had been so long missing who at once for
warded a Geographic dispatch to the above
address. stating that there were parties OF
all these names living in this city, and
that one of them had daughter stolen
about twenty-three years ago who had
never been heard from. This was received
at Fort Scott at eight clock the next morn
ing, and by noon ioh, the wonders OF the
biography a dispatch IN answer was re-
ceived here which brought to young Mr..
Harrington and his father the joyful news
that their long-lost sister and daughter,
whom they had for so many years believed
to be dead, was still living. Letters fol-
lowed as rapidly as Uncle Sans mail ar
rangements would allow, and il was soon
ascertained beyond the shadow of adoubt
that the news brought by the telegraph
was true Although so young when She
was taken away, the girl, now married and
the mother of two children, yet remem-
bered enough of her early life to assure
her relatives in this city Of this, had not
her mother, who is still living, put her in
possession of other facts.
As soon as she could make arrange
mcnts she left her home in Fort Scott to
pay visit to her relatives, and arrived in
this city few days ago. The joy Of her
meeting with her father, brother and other
relatives can be better imagined than de
scribcd.
From Mrs. Barriers strange story the
following facts are gathered: She dis
tinctly remembers her mother promising
her father to take her back at six o'clock
on the day he was stolen. She says she
was with her mother two or three days be
fore she realized that she was being taken
away from home, She remembers Mr..
Perez joining them, but does not know
where, not at that age being acquainted
with towns, cities, etc, but it was some
where while they were travelling, and soon
after they left this city. He, it seemed,
had yI,n 10 10 fhnp11l D;prrn
Uhe lie as long c), and at once taught her
to call herself Mary Pierce, - threatening
her with severe punishment if she called
it anything else, or if she told anyone her
spent about a year in Dubuque, Iowa, and
St. Paul, MINI, and then went to Texas,
where Mr.. Perez was engaged in raising
cattle and sheep, at times doing very well
and at times not so well They remained
in Texas for some years and then removed
TO Baxter Springs, Kan, where Mr.. Perez,
who had been failing in health for a
couple of years, died, about fourteen years
ago, leaving three sons by Mrs. Harring-
ton, all of whom are now living. She
says he was at one time a Universalist
clergyman and at another a Spiritualist,
and that wherever he went he won the re-
spect and goodwill of his fellow-men. An
investigation into the statement that Perez
was a Universalist clergyman shows that
no such man was known, hereabOut, in the
ministry of the denomination. In the
record, however, appears the name of one
William Pierce, who was at Lancaster, in
Texas, in 1855, and may possibly be the
man with whom the story has to do. He
was unknown to most if not all, Univer-
salists here. The only other Pierce in the
UNCONVENTIONAL ministry is the esteemed
clergyman who has long been settled at
AttleborO.
Amidst all her wanderings and hard
ships she never forgot that he was not her
father, or that her right name was Harring-
ton. She assumed her own name as soon
as Mr.. Perez died, she then being about
fourteen years of age, and at once set her
self TO work to learn, if possible, the
whereabouts of her father and other rela
tves, should any of them be alive. She
said nothing to her mother about her eff.
forts in this direction. But having some
how got an idea that she had resided in
Boston, she, at different times, got friends
to write to parties in that city, making in
quiries, which, Of course, resulted in moth
ing. After repeated failures she gave uE
the task, though ever alive to anything
that might perhaps put her upon the RICH
track. After Mr.. Perce's death her moth
er sometimes spoke of her relatives, bu
never volunteered any information in the
matter, and she did not think worth while
to ask for it. Time passed on, she grew
to womanhood, and finally married Mr.
Nat. G. Barter, business manager of thu
Sentinel and Pioneer, Fort Scott, Kan.
| where she now resides.
The duties of housekeeping and of car
| ing for two children were not sufficient t
erase the intense longing to find her rel
atives, Her mother had frequently spoke1
of her family within a few years, and Mrs
| Barter had learned the names "Studley'
| and " Harding" as among them, ant
when, not long ago, her mother spoke o
desire to see her sister in Providence
| (the first time Mrs. Barter had ever heart
the name of this city mentioned in thi
connecticut, inspired with new hope, sh'
at once took means to learn if any of he
relatives were yet living. Her husband
being a newspaper man, and having full
faith in the virtue of advertising, sent thu
notice for publication in the Journal ant
Bulletin, with the joyful result statet
above Another pleasant incident con
]